It really works, this product saved my skin. It took a long around 5 months for my skin to clear but it was worth it. I was getting huge painful cysts all over my chin (mainly hormonal acne) and it felt like every pore was clogged. I'd have 5+ active pimples most of the time, but I was scared to try accutane because of the risk of side effects. When I first tried Epiduo I applied too much and my skin burned and peeled and was incredibly painful. I gave up after a few days because of the pain, but decided to try it again. The second time I only used a THIRD of a pea sized amount for my chin and my upper lip, and even with this little amount it burned and peeled and sucked for around 3 months. (I was also on an oral antibiotic, so this may have helped with some of the healing) My skin SUCKED during the first two months; it was worse than it ever was and I was so discouraged. Epiduo literally pushes out everything from your skin, and seeing as all my pores were clogged, it caused so many pimples and whiteheads. It was a hard few months, but now my skin has heeled and all I'm left with is some red marks!! I don't have a single whitehead or pimple. I didn't see any results until the 4th month, so don't give up hope too soon! I recommend using a very mild cleanser and make sure you moisturize twice a day (I used cetaphil gentle cleanser and cetaphil heavy moisturizer)

I've suffered from acne since I was in year 8 (13 yrs old), I am now 19. It's something that I really struggle with, I've found temporary solutions but nothing that has really stopped it in its tracks. I did have acne on my back, but when I went on the pill (birth control) that cleared it up, which led me to think it would do the same for my face, I was wrong. I went to my dermatologist in year 11 I think it was and he prescribed me epiduo, and told me that this was something to try before accutane, which I really did not want to go on. So I think I used it for a couple months, but I can't really remember what my reaction and results were from that time. I must have been lazy or forgot about using it. Reading all of these reviews now, I wish that I had stuck with it. Maybe then I wouldn't be in this situation. Abit about my acne now: My acne has been moderate, I get a lot on both of my cheeks and breakouts on my forehead, and when 1 goes away, another 2 come up. ( I am a culprit of picking pimples). They are usually little red with yellow heads a lot of the times in groups (lucky me). I've never had any cystic acne, so you guess that's where I am abit lucky. I wear makeup everyday, it's hard not to when your skin looks like mine. This year I became fed up and decided to try epiduo again. Last week was the first time that I tried it, and I used it at night ( I know how much to use, from previous experience). So that night it didn't irritate my skin one bit, I was thinking maybe since I've used it before my skin might be used to it. The next morning when I woke up my spots had considerably gone down, obviously I wasn't expecting a miracle over night but that did give me some hope. The products I use in conjunction with the epiduo is the cetaphil gentle cleanser, witchazel toner and cetaphil moisturising cream. So the next few nights I repeated the process by only putting a thin layer over my problem areas and it was fine. After about 3 days of using it at nightly skin began to sting and was very inflamed, I knew that this was normal so I continued. It has been 1 and a half weeks nearly and my skin is very very dry. I'm not sure if I'm using enough moisturiser so tonight I might apply abit more than I usually do. But last night I noticed 2 pimples in a row on my cheek under the skin. I knew that they were going to make it to the surface and they did the next day. I'm not sure if I'm going to leave out epiduo for tonight and continue tomorrow. At the moment I am studying to be a beauty therapist, and my teacher has told me to stop the treatment for the duration of the course ( 1 year) because of the facials and waxing we do on the face. I really don't think it's an option for me, I've started now and i want to continue to get the best results. So I think I'm going to moisturise as much as possible and put on as little epiduo as I can. I just wanted to document my journey with epiduo, and maybe in a month or more I will write another entry. I am very hopeful that this product will work, and I will try not to give up. Thank you everyone for writing there experiences and reviews, it has really given me some confidence in epiduo . Please feel free to comment or anything to give me some tips/advice/maybe just to have a chat about your journey :)

Well I broke out horrible in 2014 it was so bad I cried when looking in the mirror I went to the doctor and they put me on Diane 35 it was amazing!!!! Within 3 months my acne was completely gone I was so happy I thought I could stop wearing makeup!!! But then it all tired bad I was vomiting I couldn't see so I went back to the doctors and turns out I'm allergic to one of the ingredients in birth control pills including Diane 35 so I had to be taken off it so now all my acne has come back. Yay! Not! So I've gone back to the doctor and they have out me on doxycycline antibiotics and epiduo cream but after first use of the cream the pain was unbearable my face was so painful and ichy!!! I then read the box and it said 1 in 10 people we have dry sore skin and 1 in 100 will have ichy skin!!! So not only am I allergic to the medication that works I'm also 1 in 100! So here I am still with a face full of acne crying every morning when I look in the mirror. Any other suggestions??? (16 years old)

I used TactuPump for about 12 weeks and my skin was literally raw. I've never had such inflamed and terrible acne in my life. It was awful. I started out with just mild acne and after reading such positive reviews about TactuPump, I decided to give it a try. I regret it SO much. My jawline was especially bad. I couldn't look in the mirror for weeks. I went to the doctor and he told me to stop using it because my skin had a very bad reaction to it. I thought I could tough it out to see if it would get better, but it was just getting worse and worse every single day. I was very upset every morning, waking up seeing my acne getting worse. Even after stopping, the acne never got better. So I ended up with worse skin than when I started. Eventually, I went on Accutane (40g dosage) and that was only thing that cured my skin. Long story short, please please please listen to your skin. I kept waiting to see if it would get better, because reviews were saying that it was just your skin purging, but I really regret waiting that long before realizing that the product just wasn't fit for my skin. Terrible experience, but at the end of the day, I found a solution that cleared up the acne that TactuPump had brought out. This product may work for some, but unfortunately, it did not for me.

I have suffered from acne on and off since I was a teen and have tried lots of antibiotic treatments which worked and then stopped working, retin-a gel, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid etc. to the point where my Doctor said there was nothing more he could do as he had tried everything, I am now 39, and had a horrendous outbreak after having a few years of beautiful clear skin. I really thought I had grown out of acne, so was horrified when this happened. I ordered Epiduo from an online UK registered pharmacy at a cost of £38 delivered after filling out a form, they have a doctor review before dispensing. I had not heard of this treatment before, and it was like a miracle cure. I had no irritation, redness nothing. Infact it was like putting a skin rejuvenation treatment on my skin. I must add, this might be due to the fact that before using this I had been using Benzoyl peroxide 10% cream, which I now realise was far too strong, this had probably toughened my skin up, so now Epiduo was like a walk in the park. I applied it once a night, and no more than that, following with Eucerin dry skin moisturiser 15 minutes afterwards, which is for really sensitive skin, I did not apply it more often, I was very disciplined, less is more. My skin is now back to normal, and the spots cleared up within a week of starting to use it, I now have totally clear skin, lets hope it lasts. I would encourage everyone to give it a go. Update: **Just thought I would add, it's now August 2015 and the Epiduo is still working well, my skin still tolerates it and I am still very happy. Update: Unfortunately it stopped working in February 2016, acne came back.

Hi, While holidaying in New York my skin broke out something chronic. I walked around the shops buying everything anyone would sell me, just to clear it up. It didn't work. It only got worse. Before you knew it, I was back to AUS with a horrible red-pimpley face. Just so you know; growing up I never really had acne, the odd hormonal pimple and thats about it. Well its been two years and I am now 24 and the battle is still going on. I have spent thousands of dollars on treatment - cosmetics, cosmeceuticals, peels, light therapies, doctor appts and now I am onto my pharmaceuticals. My cosmetic doctor has given me a prescription for an oral antibiotic and this EpiDuo gel - he suggested using it with Rationale products. So far - there are maybe slight improvements? But what I am STRUGGLING with most is the burning. I wash my face, apply hydration gel, epiduo and my face just BURNS!!!!? Is this normal? I have red inflamed and flaky areas on my face - this is my second week and I feel like I am really struggling. Can someone please tell me if there face feels like its on fire?!?

Acne free all my life...til now! Developed acne about 15 months ago. ..started as tiny bumps on my chin...then bigger ones then them great big headless painful cystic kind... tried every acne wash....cream...gel...mask peel etc....but all I was left with was dry sore red sun dried looking skin... So decided to go docs...I got differin first which sort of helped tone the red acne down ...but didn't stop break outs! Also antibiotic didn't do much! Went back to doc and got epiduo....heard this stuff had side effects like burning skin...drying you out...skin flaking so was worried but the weeks prior to going back to docs I'd changed how I looked after my skin...I'd got rid off all my acne washes and toners gels etc. ..and started using an oil cleanser and ph balanced face wash and aveeno moisturiser. ...my skin was really improving. ..was smoother and silky again...only one cystic spot which if had for ages....so using epiduo worried me after getting my skin soft again...but I wanted help with scarring and didn't want to break out again so I gave it a go! After two weeks of using epiduo my skins ok...stings a bit on my skin for ten minutes but when it sinks in I pop my moisturiser over it (stings a bit again)...within a few days that huge cystic spot came to a head an popped!!! Yay....result...but two weeks on I've not had a single spot. ..no skin purging so far.....and acne scars have actually faded a good bit....no flaky skin or burnt red skin either..I actually believe this is down to using more ph balanced products which irritate are skin and dry it out loads causing are pores to produce more sebum and block pores causing more spots. ...also I think this aveeno cream is a miracle moisturiser as its the only one that never stung not even round my eyes. ..think thats helping lighten my scars too...never broke me out either...so oil cleanser first to remove dirt oils etc...then I use olay gentle face wash (gorgeous stuff and so much cheaper then acne ones)...then thin layer of epiduo over acne prone areas (not got any active acne but preventions better then cure)...let it sting and sink into my skin...then aveeno moisturise the area.... (I moisturise rest of face after washing leaving my chin and jaw for epiduo application. ..as you don't want to spread epiduo all over your healthy clear skin or near eyes)... So far so good. ..I'd say use more ph balanced washes and creams etc. ..throw out anything that has salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide in it...just use one acne treatment at a time so your not irritating acne more or damaging healthy skin! Oh one last thing I use st Ives blemish control scrub (which has tiny bit of salicylic acid in it)...use it 1-3 times a week to buff off any rubbish....its amazing so can not part with this...alot more natural then other acne scrubs... I actually look forward to putting on my make up now. ...all bumps have gone (just that cystic spot to really flatten out as even though it's healed they take ages to smooth out)....good luck to you. ..try this epiduo cream...anythings worth a shot when you have acne (as long as its off yer doc not out the drugstore);)

I started to grown severe acne last year. First, I tried Murad, which was absolutely a waste of money, didn't work at all and made my skin worse. Then i went to see a doctor, she first prescribed me Retin-A, I used it for 3 months, and didn't seem to work. Then she gave me Clindoxyl, it worked at the beginning, i got less break-out, but after 5 months, every time I use it, my face got burned, and became flaky, red, itchy, so I stopped, and it gave me scars! So I stopped. After that, my doctor said maybe go back to Retin-A, I said no. Then she gave me Differin, I didn't have any bad reaction, but it also didn't work, my acne came back, which is a total disaster.. Then, a dermatologist gave me this, I tried for two days, my face was on fire. so I listen to my pharmacist to put some moisturizer, but it became worse! My entire face was extremely painful! If you have sensitive skin, then run away from this product.

I can't believe I'm writing a review. After Almost 7 years of struggling with my skin and reading what feels like millions of reviews and trying many products to clear my skin I am hoping (fingers crossed) that I have finally found THE cure. This feels a bit surreal to be honest, I can't tell you how many times I have read peoples success stories and just wished so badly that one day it would be me. Don't get me wrong, if you're struggling with bad skin these forums are a GODSEND when you need hope to keep searching for answers and to remind yourself you aren't alone, cause sometimes you feel like you're the only person with bad skin. When my skin took a turn for the worst a few months ago (the most horrible breakout I'd ever experienced) I promised myself that when i found something that would work, that I would make the most detailed review possible in hopes that I could help even just ONE person out there that has a similar struggle to mine. So apologies for the length but it has been a long road for me and I want to help someone else. Acne sucks. When I felt really disgusted over my skin I would try so hard to remind myself that things could be so much worse. I have my health, all my limbs, my eyesight, everything that a human needs to function properly. But damn no matter how hard I tried my bad skin just took over my ilfe.... I refused to be seen without makeup, constantly cancelled plans, could never enjoy being outdoors or going to the lake because I didn't want people to see my pimples/scars. My acne was mild (developed into moderate) and hormonal but left HORRIBLE pigmentation that left bright red marks that lasted forever.. I was even embarrassed to let my family see me without makeup which is pathetic but I was just embarrassed at how gross my skin looked. My breakouts were always hormonal (forehead and chin) but then my acne type changed and I was also developing DEEP blackheads that stayed there forever, and tons of clogged pores around my chin that eventually one by one turn into cysts (so painful and embarassing) I NEVER had acne growing up. My first pimple was at age 22. I've been the derm dozens of times in the last two years. Summer of 2013 I started Aczone and Atralin. Worked WONDERS for a few months and I felt relieved my battle with acne was over. Unfortunately though, those meds stopped working and my acne slowly creeped back and then it was worse than ever. I'll admit that I had a heightened level of stress recently that may have contributed to this horrible breakout but regardless, I was beyond over it and at the end of my rope and on the verge of losing my sanity. I was so tired of being self conscious and spending EVERY waking hour worrying about my face. It was exhausting. So In January of 2015 I went BACK to the derm to start over. He put me on duac. I cried because benzoyl peroxide had dried my face before and I knew it wouldn't work. Well, duac worked SOMEWHAT, removed a few blackheads but I was breaking out horribly around my chin while on it. Felt super discouraged. Then he put me on Finacea (for rosacea), which helped slightly at first, but my chin continued to breakout in horrible huge painful inflamed pimples. One would clear up then two-three more would pop up. I couldn't catch a break. I was in the derm what felt like every other day for cortisone injections. Finally he said well let's try epiduo since you had success at first with Atralin (a retin-a , and epiduo has bp AND a retinoid combined) I went home crying, knowing it wouldn't work. But realized I had no other option but to at least TRY it. I was scared, I was skeptical, I was a pessimist and knew it wouldn't work. I knew i was going to suffer more breakouts but I had to give it a shot. So I did. And let me tell you, all the reviews you read (try and only read good reviews) are so true. IT COMPLETELY SUCKS AT FIRST. I wish it didn't have to, but it just does. The first couple days I used it I had several of those red inflammed cystic pimples flare up on my chin. I wanted to cry (oh wait, I DID cry, a lot), but I decided to trust what people were saying and power through it. If you are able to go in for cortisone shots while you first start this product it at least helps the pain and for them to subside faster. Patience is key (easier said than done) but slowly but surely, I think I found what is going to work for me... blackheads and closed comedones on my forehead are slowly coming to the surface (I have been able to literally just pull a couple of them out) and I know that with consistent and persistent use they rest of them will clear up as well... It sucks purging but I can really tell it is clearing out all my gross clogged pores around my chin as well. It's only been a week, and I still have pimples purging and I know there is more to come, but I am SO much more hopeful realizing that this WILL pass and soon my skin will be clear.. My skin is dry and slightly peeling, but again, I'M PUSHING THROUGH IT AND YOU SHOULD TOO!!!. Fight through it!!!! Soooo many people have said that it's 100% worth it in the long run and to just keep focusing on the end result there IS a light at the end of the tunnel even if you don't see it :) I plan on updating every week or so with my progress. My skin is far from clear, but I can tell this is working. There is NO quick cure to acne no matter how bad we all wish there was one. So please give it a shot. OH and use it everyday, I didn't at first because I was scared of the dryness but every day is KEY. attack attack attack that bacteria!! MORNING: cetaphil gentle cleanser finacea oil of olay oiil-free fragrance free moisturizer NIGHT: oil of olay cleansing cloths- fragrance free/sensitive skin epiduo (SMALL amount on affected area) 30 min later oil of olay oil free fragrance free moisturizer DON'T GIVE UP HOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! all my fellow acne sufferers, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL AND I LOVE YOU!!!!

I had bad acne as a teen and it cleared up when I hit 23. I am now 26 and bc of my migraines my doc won't let me have estrogen based b.c. and gave me mirena (depo shot or implanon were my other options both of which all contain the same hormone as mirena-progestrone) . Worst acne of my life!! On my face back chest shoulders everywhere. I stuck with it for 1 year then got it taken put two weeks ago I have polycystic ovarian syndrome so I also must stay on b.c. or else I get csysts. Right now I am off all b.c... derm has me on 1 100mg doxyclycine twice daily and epiduo every or every other night. My skin has already improved and it's been almost 2 weeks. I don't have any new acne on my chest or back and maybe just 2 or 3 new pimples on my face but for the most part everything is going away! It was terrible along my jawline and I only have like 2 pimples there now. It does burn now even applying any moisturizer but I've been using it every day so I'm going to kick back to once every other day to help with the dryness. Love this product so far!!