Hey all,
For just under a month after visiting a doctor, I've been told to use Differin Gel (adapeline 0.1%) once a day, applied before going to bed (washed off in the morning), and Cetaphil oily skin cleanser morning and night.
I've done everything I've been told to do, but my skin is always feeling extremely tight, and my whole face is red, my acne is worse, my skin is peeling around my mouth, nose and eyes (my eyes???) and til yesterday I thought it was caused by the Differin, even though the dry areas weren't the same as where I was applying the gel. So I've discontinued using the Cetaphil cleanser and decided to keep on with the Differin, but i was wondering how long it might take for my skin to calm down? I'm a bit of a picker, so I have really bad acne around my forehead/in between my eyebrows and my chin area which are really red and noticeable. Is there something I should be doing to speed up the healing process?
It sounds like you need a good moisturiser. Differin has a tendency to dry out the skin. If you have combination skin - so oily patches on your T-zone but dry cheeks for example - you may need to use two different moisturisers. For dry areas, look for something designed for sensitive skin. For the oily areas something like Avene Cleanance can work really well. You could also try using the Differin every other day for a bit. If in doubt, talk to your doctor.