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Differin 0.1% - my log

MemberMember
0
(@kittycat911)

Posted : 12/10/2015 3:16 pm

Hi there :)

 

I have been lurking on the boards a lot looking for advice, reading up on treatments, but haven't posted until now.

 

I am a 24 year old female and I have been suffering with acne since I was 14 - so about 10 years. 

 

I have tried lots of over the counter medications and solutions, but haven't found anything that worked for me. Once when I was a teenager I went to my GP about my acne, and he prescribed a gel (I can't remember the name) unfortunately at that age I really didn't have the patience to keep up with the treatment when my skin felt so angry and sore from using it. I didn't go back. Over the years I tried all of the products I could find and still nothing worked. 

 

Over the last year my acne started to get worse, until a few days ago I snapped and got a prescription for Differin. 

 

It's pretty bad looking acne at the moment - I have all sorts of things going on with my skin on top of old scars that don't want to fade. It feels like I don't have a single spare inch of my face that isn't affected. 

 

I am quite self conscious about it, but I want to post some pictures so that I can tell if there are any changes as the weeks go past. Before you look, please be aware that this is not mild acne, don't want to upset or make anybody squeamish. Photo attached

 

Today is my first day using the treatment. I have read some of the other logs on here so I have a rough idea of what to expect and I am hoping nothing comes as too much of a surprise. I am determined to stick it out for the whole tube before deciding whether or not it is working for me - patience seems to be the key, and was probably my downfall the last time I tried a prescription med for it. 

 

First application was fine, didn't notice any stinging and my face feels a little dryer than normal but not uncomfortably so - will see how that changes in the morning. No redness either. 

 

I had fallen into a skin care routine using a neutrogena cleanser, lush tea tree water, and enzymion moisturiser. I found these products didn't dry my skin out, but they also didn't make breakouts any worse, or to be honest any less severe. 

 

I am not sure if those products could start to irritate my skin while using Differin, so I have changed to the usually recommended Cetaphil, and it seems to be cleansing well without leaving my face feeling tight so far. 

 

I will be trying to update this reguarly and I am hoping that in 6 months time I will have noticeably clearer - if not almost completely clear - skin.IMG_20151210_193733.thumb.jpg.f06d8e1607

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MemberMember
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(@kittycat911)

Posted : 12/14/2015 7:25 am

I have been on this a few days now.

 

My routine goes like this

Morning

Wash face with cetaphil cleanser

Apply cetaphil moisture and spf 50 sunscreen

Put on make up

 

Evening

Remove all make-up with water and cotton wool (sometimes have to use eye make-up remover but the rest does come off with just water)

Cleanse with cetaphil again

Wait 20 minutes for skin to dry completely (also have to wait for some spots to stop bleeding so the wait is needed)

Apply small amount of differin

 

 

I have been on this for a few days now and I have noticed some things happening to my skin already.

 

All of the stubborn spots that I have had for weeks have been brought to a head, a lot have popped while I am washing my face, and they are now healing quite quickly.

 

I am also getting smaller new spots - they appear less red and inflamed than normal and have been coming to a head overnight.

 

My skin is a little bit dry, but not unbearably so, there is a small amount of flaking but nothing really noticeable.

 

It's strange to see my skin reacting to something so quickly, it's not even been a week yet, I can't say the changes are for the better at the moment, there is definitely more to cover up, but I'm hoping these changes mean it is working it's magic and looking forward to see what changes over the next few weeks

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MemberMember
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(@kittycat911)

Posted : 12/17/2015 8:25 am

So one week in, haven't missed a day of application yet.

 

I have noticed my skin is now easily irritated - even removing make up with cotton and water is causing a little bit of sensitivity and while I wouldn't call it painful, it does feel sore.

 

My skin is feeling a bit dry as well.

 

I am still having spots come to a head, and some have grown quite large, but once they pop they go down quickly. I think the spots are looking quite red and a very inflamed at the moment

 

Here is my end of week one photo

IMG_20151217_132022.jpg

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MemberMember
48
(@ben100604)

Posted : 12/17/2015 1:16 pm

Hi! Long time user of Differin here - been on it since 2004!

One of the earliest effects of Differin I noticed was that my skin felt smoother (where there wasn't acne) - have you noticed this? It makes sense as it essentially helps give your skin a mild peel effect every day.

I can't, however, say that Differin was that great when I first started on it. I was using Differin and taking oxytetracyline tablets and then, later, lymecycline tablets. It was only when I dropped the oral antibiotics and replaced them with topical antibiotics in the evening (Benzamycin first of all and then, more successfully, Duac) that I really noticed some amazing results.

And, in all honesty, I've heard few success stories on acne.org in the last 10 years where people have just been using Differin. Everyone's different, though, so you may have success with it. However, if after a month or two you still feel you haven't advanced enough then it would definitely be worth adding a topical antibiotic to your regimen to really zap that acne!

If you've got any Differin questions then just get in touch!

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