Topical Retinoid / Topical Antibacterial
Efficacy
67%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Topical Retinoid / Topical Antibacterial
Side Effects
Low-Medium
Topical Retinoid / Topical Antibacterial
Acne.org’s Real World Take
A way of using benzoyl peroxide in combination with the topical retinoid, adapalene, that studies show works a bit better than benzoyl peroxide alone. Comes with side effects for the first weeks and can bleach fabric. Note: When used correctly, benzoyl peroxide on its own can completely clear the skin.
Topical Retinoid / Topical Antibacterial
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist? Make an appointment to get this medication. Don't have a dermatologist? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find one.
Used Adapalene / Benzoyl Peroxide (Epiduo®)? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
December 16, 2013
Worst benzoyl peroxide product ever
Cons:
burns
stings
redness
Epiduo works to clear some acne but does not completely clear your face. It also burns like nothing else. My skin never adjusted to the burning, every night was like my face was on fire. And I only used a pea-sized amount.
September 20, 2013
Not Very Effective
Pros:
Cleared blackheads
Subdued Oily Skin
Cons:
Itchiness
Redness
I think Epiduo is very overrated. This was my second prescription topical gel I was given by my doctor. I used it religiously and hoped against all hope. I even used Cetaphil face wash like they recommend and used moisturizer. All I got from Epiduo was itchy, blotchy skin. I really thought this would work on my moderately severe acne, but unfortunately it struck out. Luckily I was able to get it with the coupon, so it was fairly cheap.
August 4, 2013
Big Mistake.
Pros:
gave face nice look
Cons:
Lots of whiteheads
Broke me out
Drys skin for first few weeks.
I'm a 16 year old girl and my derm put me on this along with doxycycline (150 mg, once a day). The oral medication was definitely helping while the epiduo caused me to wake up with more and more big nasty white heads. They were larger than my actual acne before. My dermatologist said I was "sensitive" to it. Just please do not try this product, you'll regret it. (Sidenote) doxycycline worked pretty well, you should give it a shot.
August 3, 2013
Do not use on sensitive skin
Pros:
Didn't give it more than a weeks chance, could work for some
You get a decent amount of product for price
ingredients have research and have been proven successful in some
Cons:
Chemically burned my skin
Skin will become dry and flaking
skin was oily in places where the acne was
I have moderately severe cystic acne and this product started burning, and when I mean burn I mean chemical burn, my skin raw after about a week of use. I couldn't even apply make up to cover it because my skin burned so bad. Granted, I only used it for a week and there is not gonna be much results, I found the product to be abrasive and not usable. If you tend to have sensitive skin, I do not recommend this product but if you have tough skin I would give it a go, all its ingredients set you up for success but maybe just not in my case.
July 17, 2013
Eh
My acne is the type with congested pores that get inflamed,
Basically this product never really cleared me up, just calmed it down. I stopped using because it made me extremely oily by the third month.
It might work for you though.
July 5, 2013
My dermatologist reccomended this to me because of my moderate acne
Cons:
flaky
dryness
makes pimples bigger
This drys the living crap out of me! But after a week my skin got used to it...(with tons of moisturizer) it just makes my pimples bigger and bigger and i feel like it just makes them redder
January 21, 2013
Pros:
clears big pimples quickly
Cons:
very drying
initial breakout
I wanted this product to work so badly. i used it for a little over a month straight and only saw a progressive decline in my skin clarity. I understand it gets worse before better but i wasnt willing to allow my skin get any worse
September 22, 2012
I'm not going to lie, this gel cleared me up quite nicely. I used it for 6 weeks nightly, skipping nights for the first 2 weeks. Of course there were many breakouts, but my skin is now much smoother and somewhat controlled. HOWEVER. I cannot even begin to describe the agonizing pain I went through every single night I put this stuff on. It stings like somebody abrasively rubbing lemons on your face for 3 straight hours. It itches all night like thousands of fire ants burrowing into each and every pore in your face. Needless to say, I have never experienced something so unbelievably uncomfortable, and it never went away after four weeks like they said it would. Perhaps I just have more sensitive skin than most people, but I lost so much sleep because of this stuff, and I couldn't bear to keep using it even if it did completely clear me up. Now my face has only a few pimples, but is so gunky, unsightly, and crusty. Just horribly dehydrated and unhealthy. The only reason I recommend it is because it gave me a head start. I plan on weaning off of this chemical garbage and healing my body and soul holistically... anyone with me?
May 18, 2012
Pros:
None
Cons:
Doesn't do anything. Maybe made it worse and left scars
Didn't work on my south asian skin and I've been using it for about 7 weeks for some sudden breakouts. Still have dark marks from where it caused me to break out. Didn't work for me, but still could work for you if you're not prone to PIH
April 13, 2012
Pros:
it helps a small amount
Cons:
its very pricey
never got rid of my acne
dries out skin
no i don't recommend this because it never truly helped, and I only have mild acne.
Pros:
clears some acne