Azelex : Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream

Brand:
Reviews
3.7
312 Reviews

Active Ingredient: Azelaic Acid (20%). Inactive Ingredients: Cetearyl octanoate; glycerin; glyceryl stearate and cetearyl alcohol and cetyl palmitate and cocoglycerides; PEG-5 glyceryl stearate; propylene glycol; and purified water. Benzoic acid is present as a preservative.

Items marked with red have tested a 3 or above (out of 5) in comedogenic (pore-clogging) testing.

The list of ingredients above is provided for informational purposes only. Always check the actual product label in your possession for the most accurate ingredient information due to product changes or upgrades that may not yet be reflected on our web site.

5
29.8%
4
34.9%
3
18.9%
2
10.3%
1
6.1%

Used Azelex : Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream? Rate It:

Choose from 1 to 5 stars
May 25, 2011

Pros:

cleared up all acne on my nose and forehead. It didnt irrate my skin at all. It also prevented breakouts.

Cons:

never had any problems! I absolutley love this product.

Great product! I started using Azelex abouta year ago, and i havent seen a zit since! It doesnt bleach your skin like BP. My skin gets very dark in the summer, and this is the first product that hasnt caused any kind of discoloration in my skin. Also it was easy to apply and works anywhere you have acne! Overall great product. :)
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May 21, 2011

Pros:

lights dark spots, calms redness in skin

Cons:

burns, tingles, and itches for a couple weeks after you first use it. This decreases as your skin gets used to it.

I love the way this medication has lighted my dark acne scars. I am a carmel complexed african american. Your skin will get worse before it gets better, but the irritation is worth the outcome. I found it is better to wait at least 30 mins after you wash your face to apply the medication. It doesnt burn or itch as much.
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May 6, 2011

Pros:

Used the 20% cream. Very effective anti acne med. Worked on my skin that is non responsive to Clindamycin, Erythromycin, Retin.

Cons:

Gave me a very very very bad allergic reaction after 3weeks of use.

I am still giving it a 3 rating and recommending it (with caution) because it is not necessary that it will give an allergic reaction to others and in all honesty, if I overlook the allergy, it was the one thing that was working for me. I am writing this review as a word of precaution to all other users. I used it on my face, neck and upper chest. For the first 2weeks, I had NO problem, not even the tingling that was mentioned in the leaflet and my acne was so much better. On the beginning of 3rd week there was a slight tingling-burning sensation, more on my neck and chest than face which I ignored. The sensation was more on my neck so I stopped using there but restarted yesterday and..........I woke up night feeling terrible. My face, neck and chest had turned red and I have huge urticarial patches all around. I never thought when the tingling started that I could be allergic. I thought I am having the side effect of tingling as mentioned in the leaflet.
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April 11, 2011

Pros:

Smooth skin the morning - after.

Cons:

Stinging after application is absolutely unbearable - especially with a sensitive skin

Burning, burning, itching, itching, please help me fire brigade! I have a very sensitive skin, I have no clue what development team thought they should think of a 20% acidic cream but well, hey, if it seems to work in vitro? Anyway, no one's skin should have to deal with such a harsh acidic product. Made me want to scratch my skin off, tried it three nights in a row but could bear it the third night anymore. Going to hand it back in to the phamacy tomorrow.
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March 22, 2011

Pros:

-Didn't itch or burn for me like others mentioned
-No irritation
-Goes on smooth and dries clear

Cons:

-Made my dry/normal skin become and oil slick
-can be expensive w/o insurence

After 3 months on Accutane my acne went from moderate to ligh/non existant...I get an occasional pimple. I was put on Aczone to maintain my skin(that stuff is amazing) I ran out and decided I wanted to give Azelex a try..I applied it to my forhead and chin since those are my problem areas. It made my skin dry at first but I used moisturizer afterwards and then my skin returned to it's normal condition. About a couple hours later my skin felt like I had this thick film over it, I took out my blotting sheets and I was amazed at how oily this made my skin! It's not a coincidence since it's only oily in the areas I applied Azelex, that and the fact I haven't been oily for over a month. Everyone is different since some people say it's too drying. Try it because it might work for you.
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February 14, 2011

Pros:

- actually clears your acne
- smooth skin
- cheap

Cons:

- it took a few months to see results
- cheek acne hasn't completely faded (yet)
- need to put it on consistently even after your acne has gone.

So, I started using the QV range (a brand based in Australia) and although my skin was looking lovely, I still broke out occasionally. So I e-mailed the company my thoughts and the lady recommended me their product Azclear Action Lotion -- I think their other product is AcneDerm. Anyway, so I started using it and at first nothing happened, then I broke out (it was looking pretty horrible and I was feeling somewhat depressed as my initial skin was clearer than my then-current skin. But I stuck to it and eventually I found myself with a blemish-free forehead. My cheeks are; however, slowly recovering (and the marks are fading!). I want to try putting on my nose but I really don't want to live with a pimply nose for a few months. I'd rather deal with the occasional pimple (and attack it with benzoyl peroxide). I am worried, however, of the long term side effects as I find myself begin to break out if I stop using this. Maybe I'll try to wean myself off it... BUT, it is definitely worth it in comparison to benzoyl peroxide as it does not bleach clothes nor does it make your skin dry - (just apply a moisturiser after use).
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January 27, 2011

Pros:

-Gets rid of whiteheads & ones that you picked at.
-Stops cysts in their tracks.
-Calms redness.
-Clears a lot in about a week, but takes full effect after about 4 weeks - a month.
-Very good amount in package.
-Lasts a long time.
-Didn't dry skin out.
-My insurance covered it.
:)

Cons:

-STINGS FOR A WHILEE!
-Don't put it in the crevices of your nose.. it will burn!
-Made skin oily, thats why I use it at night and not before school.
-Has a slight smell, and if I had to choose, it's not too pleasant.
-If you discontinue use for a while or for good, you'll get negative results.
-VERY creamy&liquidy.
-Doesn't work as good on severe acne.

I had this a loooong time ago, and it worked WONDERS on my moderate acne.It cleared up in almost a month. EVERYTHING. But around the "time of the month" if you're a girl, you still get breakouts, but they're not as bad. And ever since I used this, I've learned one lesson -DO NOT put it ANYWHERE AROUND your nose. I mean, you can put it ON your nose, but in the crevices, it will burn like heck. A few weeks ago, I had to stop using it because I lost the container, and after a week, it showed BAD results. Acne had struck me hard after stopping use of Azelex. But, luckily, I got it back, and everything's under control. I definitely reccomend this, it works! :) And for the price, MY insurance covered it. Without insurance, it costs about 150 or so. It's worth it, trust me(;.
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January 26, 2011

Pros:

-peels skin so acne heals faster
-evened out skin tone
-wasn't drying like BP so no extra moisturizer needed
-skin is smooth

Cons:

-like someone mentioned earlier, this stuff burns like fire ants on your face, and that is no exaggeration
-the smell isn't strong but I'm not too fond of it
-expensive but insurance covered it for me

Currently using Finacea gel 15%. If you are one of the unlucky ones, you may experience unbearable stinging and itching which lasts for a half hour after application. But after 3 weeks, the itching and stinging subsides to about one tenth of the pain, to a slight tingling. Other than that, I was determined to stick with it, and it has improved my skin to some degree, like speeding up healing time. It doesn't seem to do much for my cystic acne, though. I'll stick with it for another 2 months and report back if it miraculously clears my acne. It has also helped with redness and red marks and my skin overall looks a lot less dull.
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January 13, 2011

Pros:

IT WORKS !!!!!!!!!!

Cons:

may dry skin , but not bad at all , moisturizer will take care of it

Ok , I'm just like many others, i been suffering from acne for more then 12 years , i'm 32 now. I try any thing from 1000$>treatments , peels, etc., creams , all antibiotics you ever heard , doxy , mono, etc. benz, i mean every think , even ALDERA , nothing works. I got AZELEX one week ago and OMG my skin never recover that fast , i use with combination of TRETINOIN and also before applying any of them i use DERMA ROLER 0.5mm, it works MAGICAL. I pay 20$ for derma roler . BOTTOM LINE if you just like me lost hope to cure acne , DON"T you must try this cream , even every one is different , you have nothing to lose
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November 7, 2010

Pros:

it's simple (just a freaking cream) and it is the ONLY thing that has cleared my chest and back acne in over 12 years

Cons:

without insurance it's INSANELY expensive (I just paid $200, but if I don't use it, as I have stopped in the past because it is just so expensive, my acne came back with a bloody vengeance), doesn't work on my face acne

so my chest and my back are ridiculously allergic to benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid does absolutely nothing, so I just kind of always have had gross back and chest acne since 7th grade (I'm now in my third year of grad school, a good 12 years later). I went to the dermatologist, looking for a cure for my recently emerging (at 24, neat!) facial acne problem, and he suggested this product. i did not see any improvement in two months in my facial acne, but now my back and chest are clear! if I do get an errant back or chest pimple, however, azelex does nothing to make it go away, but it does an awesome job of keeping it under control. I think it's worth a try, and seriously, the tingling is nothing. so in short, works freaking miracles on the chest and back area (after 2 months mind you) but it didn't do anything for my newly developed adult acne.
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