I have moderate type of acne since I was 16 y.o. (I am 24 now). About two years ago I was prescribed Accutane and it cleared my skin entirely. I couldn't be any happier! Plus the bonus- my scalp was also dry and I had to wash my hair only once a week, compared to every other day before that. Time passed by, I graduated and got my Bachelor's degree, and there came another important step in my life- I got accepted into grad school at Columbia and arrived here to NYC last September. Coming from a small town I was shocked and amazed by this huge megapolis. Everything was different here: food, climate, atmosphere, people. Even though I liked this city immensely, I still got significant school-related stress and acclimatization process. So no wonder, that after a couple of months I started breaking out, and it progressed pretty quickly, and by the end of midterms in March I was all covered in acne rash and could not feel any worse about my skin. I went to see the therapist on campus. After a unsuccessful treatment she send me to the dermatology clinic in midtown. I went there and the dermatologist prescribed me anti-bacterial pills and an rosacea cream. I saw no progress after two weeks of treatment, so when I came back to her, she replaced the rosacea stuff with Epiduo gel, and told me that this gel is pretty serious and if this will not help, she will prescribe Accutane. She told me that it takes a while for it to get to work, and there are some initial breakouts related to its use, and also it is very harsh on skin, so I should apply a really thin layer on the affected area (for me it was my whole face). I got the prescribed gel for $35 with discount coupon that dermatologist gave me. And there started my adventure with Epiduo. I will tell you that I was very motivated and even though there were a lot of negative reviews, I still sticked to it, because I trusted people who told that I should wait for result to come up. The first week showed no progress whatsoever, the second week was quite painful, cause I started breaking out and in addition to that my skin started reacting to the gel and I felt as if my skin was burning, but at the same time I was started feeling positive, 'cause at least it showed some effect, which means it is actually working. I started noticing progress on the fifth week and that was about the time I had my next appointment with dermatologist, she came into the room and noticed the progress straight away (which is surprising, because it happened after barely seeing me for the third time in two month, taking into account dozens of other patients that she might have). I confirmed that the progress was quite good, and there are much less new breakouts popping up on face now. She told me to stick with it for another couple of month along with the doxy that she prescribed for my back and chest acne (which worked perfectly btw). After that the I was pleasantly surprised with slow but stable gradual improvement. She told me to come once again in a month or two, but since I was a broke at that time I could not afford going, and I did not have reason to, 'cause my skin was almost perfect. Not that there are no breakout at all, I still get them, but they are much less in size and amount, and there is no cystic acne, as there used to be before the treatment. I am a little disappointed that chest and back acne are coming back, because I stopped taking doxycycline about two month ago. So I still need to go to her sometime soon so she can prescribe me something for that. Anyway, if you've read 'til this sentence, I am impressed, cause I think I wrote way too much. I just really wanted to share my story with you, because I know that the only reason you are looking into these reviews is that either you got prescribed with Epiduo or you want to. My personal advice- go to dermatologist and if he/she prescribes you this, you should stay patient and most importantly- POSITIVE (personally, I believe in the placebo effect to some extent). This is a great treatment for ance, I only wished I got it prescribed before Accutane.

Prior to Epiduo I used Differin for about a year, with fairly good results, but I had to use it morning and evening, and a bit more heavily than is recommended, for it to be effective. But there were too many occasions where I would still develop a few red acne lumps for seemingly no reason, and if I ever went a night without using it, within a few days there would again be a few red lumps developing. In the last month I have switched to Epiduo, and whilst it contains the same 0.1% Adapalene as Differin, it also contains Benzoyl Peroxide which appears to have made a huge difference. My skin has been completely clear since I started using it, I have also had the odd night or two where I have not used it (came home late and fell asleep!) and my skin has remained clear. I think this works for me because the cause of my acne seems to be excessive oil rather than any kind of bacterial problem. I honestly would compare the results to that of taking a course of roaccutane (which I have done in the past) - it's that effective for me. The dryness is minor and whilst there is a bit of redness to my skin, it's nothing particularly noticeable. I also find the consistency of the cream easier to use that the Differin gel.

Okay so I used to use this in my teens but as my skin pretty much cleared up I stopped. My skin suddenly went really bad again these past few years and literally nothing has been working. My skin would clear up for a couple of months but then out of no where it would turn to complete sh*t again. So recently a friend raved about dermalogica medibac kit so I thought why not and gave it a try. The big bumps I had kind of got smaller but I still has comedomes and after 2 weeks I saw no results so I stopped. Anyway I've been getting these facials where they do extractions and kind of laser your skin to try prevent acne and get rid of pigmentation/scars (guys I really recommend this, it's great for your skin and it really does help your acne). she practically yelled at me for changing cleansing regimes (lol oops) BUT since then I've been cleansing day and night with cetaphil and using epiduo. I use it day and night even though it says once at night only. Because I've used it before, the dryness didn't really bother me - you can just moisturise throughout the day. It's been only a couple of days but I can definitely see results. I think it's a combination of the facial but I had some leftover pimples that were purging and they calm down immensely over night with epiduo. My comedomes also seem to be gradually going away but I'll definitely post an update after a couple of more weeks. I've read a lot of negative reviews but it really does work wonders so why not give it a try. If you're looking for faster results you might wanna try going for the facial beforehand Hope this helped!

I had suffered from spots on forehead for years to the point where family and friends would comment and I'd be so embarrassed and self conscious. Antibiotics would help but after the course the spots.would.return. But recently I started epiduo in February and not a single spot since then. No joke this personally is my miracle cure and I'm so confident I won't get any even when my skin gets oily after a long day of exercise or in the sun. People have even commented on my skins improvement and are amazed how my skin transformed. Really recommend this to anyone struggling with spots. I've finished my antibiotic course and just use this now and it's become a lifesaver. Can walk around make make up free and feel good about my skin for the first time in years. Thank you so so much to those who recommended this. Wish I started using it years ago.

I'm 27 years old and have suffered with acne for what seems like forever. At 22, I decided to get on birth control to combat my skin problems. It worked, but I knew this was only a temporary solution. Last year in April, I decided I wanted to get off birth control because I knew it wasn't something I wanted to be in my system forever. By October, my skin was horrible again. I went to see my physician and he prescribed me epiduo. The first few months were hell! I had acne all over my chin, cheeks and an occasional huge zit or two on my neck and forehead. I regretted ever going to my physician. I sent him pictures of my skin and he immediately put me on an oral antibiotic. That seemed to help. My physician, however, didn't want me on an oral antibiotic for such a long period of time. He prescribed me a topical antibiotic, clindamycin, and together with epiduo my skin looks wonderful! I've been on both now for a good six months and looking back at pictures I couldn't believe how horrible my skin was less than a year ago. I say definitely give it a chance. I'm so glad I did. I also recommend getting the epiduo app to track your progress, that's the only way I can look back at what my skin looked like before.

I first started using Epiduo three and a half years ago, as part of a treatment prescribed by a dermatologist. At night I had to wash my face with Avene Cold Cream soap, then apply Epiduo or Differin (I had to alternate between them). I used Avene Clean AC moisturizer in the morning, after washing my face with the soap. He also prescribed me an antibiotic. That treatment took forever to work but eventually it did, and within four months (give or take) I had flawless skin. However, after a couple of months I stopped going to the dermatologist because it was really far away and also because my skin was looking pretty good. Eventually I stopped taking the pills because I couldn't get them without a recipe and I stopped using Epiduo and stick to Differin because I thought it was the same. My acne gradually came back. I've tried a lot of different things since then, including over the counter products such as Estee Lauder's Clear Difference and Avene's Triacneal, but none of them really worked for me. Only now, three years later, it occured to me that it was Epiduo the one doing the trick, and not Differin. So I decided to give it a try again. I started using it daily exactly two weeks ago (I also started taking the antibiotics) and it has completely cleared all my blackheads and those skin colored comedones that are so annoying. However I've been getting a lot of red, painful pimples. I'm not sure if that's my skin purging though, because I got my period recently and I've been also eating like sh*t. Unfortunately it has made my skin really dry and itchy. The first couple of days it also burned for like an hour after I applied it, but not anymore. In my opinion, all of that is worth it as long as it works, you just have to use a really good moisturizer with SPF. Something else I noticed is that at least for me, it doesn't make pimples go away any faster. It is, however, supposed to prevent them. It's still too early to say if it really works for me, but I will update this review in a couple of weeks! Wish me luck. UPDATE 07/07/2016: I've been on Epiduo for a little over 6 weeks, and honestly my skin looks so good you wouldn't believe it! I still get pimples but they are small and go away fast. I also still have some blackheads on my nose but those will probably take a little longer, I'm confident they will eventually go away. My skin is the best it has been in months. I'm so happy I decided to give this another try. Most of the side effects have disappeared, but my skin still is really dry. Honestly if you're doubting whether to try this or not, do it now! You just have to stick with it and eventually your skin will get better, pinky promise! UPDATE 07/26/2016: I'm officially acne free. I can't remember the last time I got a new pimple. I still have hyperpigmentation and some blackheads but I'm happy! My skin is 99% clear! However, it is also extremely dry. I have to apply moisturizer several times a day and it still isn't enough. I will try to use Epiduo every two or three days, to see if the dryness is reduced. I won't stop using it, though, because if I do my acne will gradually come back.

This stuff is great - if you use 3x the recommended dose. It comes in a little pump now and I use 2 or 3 pumps twice a day, and it clears up my skin in 4 days tops. It's really drying, just like any BP product, but the results are worth it. I also love how the cream isn't grainy like many BP products are. It doesn't seem to prevent my acne quite as well as it cleared up the existing ones, which is why I decided to give Dan's regimen a try. If the regimen doesn't work better than this stuff, I will most certainly come back to it!

I got this from my dermatologist, LOVE IT! Gets rid of all of my acne without being too drying!

About a year ago my skin was probably the worst shape It has ever been, It was all red and blemishy it had black heads and white heads, large amount of pimples and even pimples underneath my skin, they basically covered my face. Putting foundation and concealer on my face to try and cover it up made it worse, since I was blocking up my pores. I finally decided to see a derm since it was getting pretty bad. She recommended me epiduo, at first I was afraid since many people did say that this product didn't work and that it made your skin all flaky and dry, and it made your skin worse. The first few weeks I used it was pretty awful I broke out more, and my skin was all dry and red, and I was using this daily. Suddenly after like a month went by it started to work, my acne was gone. I had no more acne but I had scars from acne I was trying to get rid of before using epiduo. If you have skin that is just like mine then I would totally recommend this product. Epiduo can make a huge change in your skin.

Ive been using Epiduo for about 6 months... For the first few weeks it was really irritating to the skin, dried it out and gave it a odd texture. ( Mind you i have very sensitive skin) After the first month that went away and my acne significantly improved. I was having large pustules, pimples and lots of black heads. Now 6 months into use I havnt had a pimple in what seems like forever or the pustules on rare occasions. I still have black heads but those are reduced by at home masks and etc, but not to much of a bother. That first few weeks filled me with doubt honestly on how it seemed to just be causing more issues, but after that month everything settled out and is good now. My advice is to NOT use to much to soon, it will make the skin very dry... even now i lightly... very lightly cover my skin in it before bed and once a day, even now if i use way to much i need to make up with moisturizer because it can still dry you out. I am so thankful i decided to test run it !!