Azelex : Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream

While I'm not sure I'd recommend this on its own as an acne treatment, it is great when used in conjuction with another product. I especially recommend it for fading leftover red marks .

USE IT! It works...btw, my acne was mild-medium....but still i hated it! was on accutane twice in my life and my acne came back, but am so happy with this!!! Your confidence will sky rocket :-)

Didn't work well at all for me. I started this topical treatment at the same time as I started an oral antibiotic (erythromycin) treatment. The cream made my face (and back and chest) really itchy when I first put it on - even after weeks of taking it, this happened. Regardless, I left it on, tried not to scratch it. I would put it on twice a day, when I woke up and when I went to bed. I noticed that whenever I woke up in the morning or when I went to put my makeup on in the morning, my skin would be really oily. I don't know if the cream just irritated my skin, making it overproduce the oils, but of course this didn't help my acne at all. I came off of the topical treatment of my own accord and felt my acne was better managed without it.

Do not use any product which contains this acid, it's very painful. It made my skin dry and irritate it. My acne got worst, like a 60% worst. Right now I'm in a lot of pain and I just used it for 7 days! :( I'm not sure if my acne could still be called light acne, it looks more like moderate right now. 7 days of that acid meant dead to my face :(

I was using 2.5% bp and had been for years. I recently stopped bcp and started getting big cysts and pimples on my jawline and chin. The derm gave me an rx for finacea, to try something new. I then stopped the bp completely to use the finacea instead. The first few days were amazing! My face hadn't had such a fair, lovely glow to it since before I was a teen. I couldn't believe what a miracle gel it was. It burned only slightly for the first 5 mins, but nothing intolerable. However, day after day I began breaking out more and more and telling myself it was a "purging" stage. But it continually got worse and the finacea was doing nothing to stop the acne! Finally I realized that I should never have stopped the BP so suddenly. I don't know know how much the finacea contributed to or just didn't stop the breakout, but I had to stop it. I do, though, def recommend this to try. It could be a wonderful topical for some, just not for me! On a separate note: DONT stop bp cold turkey!!!

I've been using Finacea for approx. one week and have had ZERO new pimples since the first day I started using it. My skin reacted to it a bit at first with some dryness and flaking but now, just one week later, it looks unbelievable. I haven't had clear skin for 7 consecutive days for as long as I can remember. I have used EVERY SINGLE product there is - Retin-A, Clindamycin, Benzoyl Peroxide, Antibiotics etc, and nothing has ever given me results like this. Right now I'm on 10% BP wash in the morning and at night, Finacea morning and night, and Retin-A mixed w/my heavy night moisturizer at night, along w/oral antibiotics 2x a day. My skin hasn't looked this clear in years.

Switched to azelaic acid as I can't use Benzoyl Peroxide cause my skin gets a really bad reaction to it, and I end up with a horrible red rash down my neck. I found that the azelaic acid isn't really working, although I have only been using it for about 2 weeks. Going to start in Differin and use the azelaic acid in the morning instead. Hope it helps. I would recommend it because it didn't leave me with a bad reaction. May work for some people, for others it may not. Worth a try anyway..

I used this cream because in addition to acne I was getting rosacea like red bumps (no pus inside) on my face that wouldn't clear with the acne meds I'm already on (Clindamycin lotion, Retin A 0.025 and Diane 35). The bumps would get worse when my face got hot, especially from sleeping with face touching my pillow. I tried oral antibiotics but didn't tolerate them very well so I tried Finacea. It has been a few weeks and I'm 90% clear, definite decrease. Also I've noticed I don't break out around my period which used to happen all the time. It stings at first- be very careful not to over apply (hard when you're all bumpy!) or else you will burn your skin. I use it morning and night, wait 5 mins, apply Complex 15 oil-free moisturizer. 2-3 nights a week I switch it up for Retin-A for maintenance of acne. So far so good - oral antibiotics were easier and 100% effective, less skin irritation, but ultimately they made me sick. Finacea is safe, just don't over apply!

I used this for the redness and burning feelings on my face and it works great so far like nothing else! I often at night get feelings of unusual warmth, irritation, sensations of feverishness due to ski being hot only on my cheeks, ears, and elsewhere where my skin is thin. Ibuprofen, religious moisturizer application (helped a little), benzaclin, high-potency corticosteroids such as triamcinolone, and tazorac failed to help nor did discontinuing all my topical meds. Azelex cooled down my skin, naturally! Its amazing. My skin feels much more calm, less hot, and is visibly less red after one application, even if the azelex itself itches a tad. Can't wait to keep using it!

very good at reducing all kinds of acne--but use a lot for maximum results