I've recently started my second try at using Epiduo, which was prescribed by my derm. The other time I tried it (in about March this year) my acne suddenly got a lot worse when I started taking it so I gave up after about a month, and after I stopped using it my skin suddenly improved. But after telling my derm this she prescribed it again a couple of weeks ago. So I'm a bit confused - either Epiduo just doesn't work or you have to stick it out and it gets worse before it gets better. Does anyone know? Or has anyone had a similar experience? I'm completely stuck as to whether I should be using this, and praying that if I keep using it for a few months my acne will finally start to improve. I have quite sensitive skin and my acne's mainly whiteheads and cysts and makes my skin very red, so maybe Epiduo just isn't the right treatment for me. But I'd say if you're thinking of using it I'd give it a go as there are no risks or bad side effects (except really dry skin, which can easily be dealt with with a good moisturiser!) but I'd also be prepared for the fact that different treatments work on different people, so Epiduo could either be a life saver or a waste of time!

This irritated my skin quite a bit, however I believe it was due to the benzoyl peroxide and the fact that my skin has a slight sensitivity to it which I have experienced with other treatments containing benzoyl peroxide. This caused me to breakout A LOT at around the 3 week mark, effectively making my acne worse. While I intended to stick it out, the treatment just made my skin very, very irritated even after using it for over one month. I didn't really notice any improvement on my inflammatory acne, however it did work on my non-inflammatory acne. Nonetheless, as soon as I discontinued treatment, my closed comedones and non-inflammatory acne came back. However, I think that it is worth a try as it may work better for you than it did for me! :)

This was the first prescription cream my kid was prescribed along with Doxycycline pills. No significant progress was made by either in reducing her acne.

This worked very well for my son except our insurance won't pay for it and it costs over $500 a tube which is insane since I saw straight Benzoyl Peroxide in Target for $3.50.

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);)

My daughter was prescribed this but based on the reviews that I am reading, I am a little scared to have her try it. This is expensive and will be such a waste of money if it doesn't work.

I used this for about 5 months and it worked at first, it got rid of a few bumps. After that it just controlled my acne for a long time and then the acne just came back. It was just a temporary fix and it wasn't very effective. My sister had mild acne and just within a few months her acne went away using Epiduo, so if you have mild acne I'd give it a shot. If you don't, it's not really worth it and it doesn't do much.

My dermatologist made me use Epiduo for over a year, I would put it on almost every zit every single night for a very long time and literally, it did NOTHING. I'm happy to read that it helped for some people here but when I used it it didn't do a thing. She gave me some other gel but doesn't seem to do much as well. I have very cystic, red, big zits and a lot of blackheads so yeah.. still same old skin, nothing changed.

Ive been on epiduo for aprox. 3 weeks. Ive had acne since I was 13 years old. At first it was just a couple of pimples here and there (It wasnt really acne yet) but I didn't mind them at all because I used to have bangs which helped me cover them. However, it started getting worse when I was 15. I turned 16 a couple of months ago and I just couldn't take it anymore. The small breakouts I used to have turned into moderate acne. I was prescribed epiduo about 3 weeks ago and at first I was extremely pleased. The first week I experienced a bit of redness but my skin had improved greatly (I had no active pimples). The second week was fine as well, I experienced itchiness, redness, and peeling (my skin had become extremely dry), but I had no pimples. However, lately, its been getting worse. I haven't left my house in 6 days (im extremely self conscious and I suffer from social anxiety and my acne makes me feel really bad), my skin is EXTREMELY dry, and every time I take a shower or wash my face my skin literally comes off. The weird thing is, as soon as I put the product on my pimples become invisible and they look like they're cured and healing, but when I wash my face my skin starts peeling off and the pimples become extremely visible. I really dont know what to do, my skin has NEVER been worse and I dont know if I should continue applying the cream. Help, please? (my mom is tired of hearing me cry because of my skin) Thanks

I started Epiduo + Doxycycline in October 17th 2012, nearly 8 months ago. The first three months were hell, red peeling skin and horrible initial breakout, I had to constantly moisturize and missed out of a couple of social functions because of it. After that my skin started to calm, and somewhat started clearing. This phase lasted about 2 and a half months, in which my acne was getting better but was leaving behind unsightly red marks. The red marks concerned me so I took a trip to the derm, who said they should fade in a matter of months. 2 weeks later I was back at the derms, because my face, chest, and back had EXPLODED in cystic acne and small red hard pimples, the Epiduo stopped working entirely and I am currently making the switch to accutane. If you suffer from cystic acne do not even bother with this, it does NOTHING to stop it. This is for people like young teens with mild acne or minor scarring they wish to heal.