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
February 26, 2011
Cons:
-burning
-scaling
-sunburn-like reddening of sensitive areas
-doesnt take care of blackheads
-highly irritating
I have oily, sensitive skin and this product seemed to do much more harm to my skin than good. It may be that im just very sensitive to products like this but my experience with it was very uncomfortable. My skin burned and itched when i applied this and for the first few months i would wake up to peeling skin every morning. While using epiduo i also have a perpetual, sunburn-like appearance that never got better or went away. bottom line: although it did lessen my acne severity over time, i still had plenty of zits even after 9 months of using it. irritating, painful, embarassing.
November 19, 2010
After becoming "immune" to Duac my dermatologist prescribed me Epiduo to use once at night. I've been using it for 4 days and notice it's bringing out newer/frequent pimples, most are small raised bumps on my chin with one cystic like pimple. Is this normal to see in the beginning? & if so, how long does this occur for? I see a lot of people are saying they broke out at first when using it but how soon did that happen for them??
October 13, 2010
Pros:
Relatively effectively at healing breakouts.
Cons:
Expensive; Dries out skin; Doesn't prevent acne.
Personally, I'm not crazy about this product but I wouldn't call it a complete waste of time. I have moderate to somewhat severe acne around my mouth and chin and that's what I consider my real problem. On my forehead, I sometimes get mild, easy -to-manage breakouts. If I put epiduo on my forehead when I'm experiencing a minor breakout there, it will clear up literally over night. So I know that this product does work; however, it doesn't do nearly as much for my more severe acne. I do think it reduces the time that my breakouts are active but it has done nothing to reduce the frequency with which I break out. So, basically, I break out as often as ever and the breakouts are active for 2-4 days rather than 3-6. It's a noticeable difference but it's not like your problem is completely solved. I think this is probably a great product for people with mild acne but the biggest downside that probably applies in any case is that it is very drying. It's hard to use in conjunction with a moisturizer because epiduo makes your skin so dry and sensitive that it will sting when you try to apply moisturizer.
September 2, 2010
Pros:
Cleared the bulk of spots.
Pretty much killed them overnight.
Cons:
-Drying+flaking
-Stings
-Redness
I found that after continued use (from about the 3-6th week) it kept bringing new pimples to the surface and left me with a lot of blocked pores and in turn they became inflamed
It worked well when i had moderatley bad skin to clear the bulk of my acne but then it started breaking me out a bit so i stopped it and used a 4% benzoyl peroxide and that did the trick.
August 6, 2010
Pros:
Fast acting
Helps dry out Oily Skin types
Leaves skin soft
Noticeable results in days
Cons:
Can irritate skin, even non-sensitive skin types
Possible redness
Possible dryness
Possible flaking
Possible tingling/burning
Went to the Dermatologist and was prescribed this product. I have extremely oily skin with lots of congestion (blackheads) and some pimples. He said this would help with the oilyness and acne. So far I have been using this product for about a week and I can see a slight difference in my skin. My face is still oily but not as oily as before and hopefully with prolonged use it will become even less so. Most of my pimples have started to dry up but I have gotten a couple of new ones, although they are small ones. As for the blackheads, it is too early to tell. I would advise those with non oily skin types to exercise caution as this product is VERY DRYING. I have had some mild irritation on the skin above my lip and a little on my chin where my skin is slightly drier accompanied by slight tingling/burning sensation. I think it is too early to say whether I would recommend this to someone, but if you have had little success with Benzoyl Peroxide, I think this would be next logical step to take.
May 27, 2010
Pros:
None yet
Cons:
Dries skin out
Stings really bad especially if you put on moisturizer
I've been using this product for about 3 weeks now and I haven't seen any results yet. Right now all it does is just dry my skin out and it my face sting really bad! I can't even put anything on it cause it'll make it worse. I also take 100mg minocycline as an antibiotic 2x a day and I use Cetaphil face wash. Being on this pill has reduced the redness and pain of my pimples so that's the only Pro to my treatment right now. So far Epiduo isn't doing anything I just hope it kicks in soon.
May 20, 2010
Pros:
-Absorbs Quickly
-No Odor/Smell
-Helps Blemishes
-Doesn't Stain(although they told me it would)
Cons:
-Dries Skin Out(Beware)
-Stinging
I was prescribed this to take with my Accutane.I've been using this for about a month.My skin is sensitive,so I only use it every other night cause it dries skin out.I recommend moisturizing every other night and every morning,cause it is drying,and this is coming from someone with very oily skin.I mainly use it along my jawline because that's where I get cystic acne,and it has helped,I have broken out,but not as bad and it dries up my breakouts and has definitely helped my blemishes lighten.I recommend it,just moisturize!
December 16, 2009
Pros:
It's immediately started clearing up some very stubborn breakouts i'd had for weeks
Cons:
My skin is very dry and flaky... i'm sure this will go away once my skin gets used to the medication.
Taking this with doxycycline and using an 8% benzoyl peroxide wash. I'm sure once the antibiotics kick in after a few weeks I will clear up nicely.
The first week I used it started clearing up areas that were very broken out. For a few days my skin and pores were very dry and flaky but I can see improvement in my pores... a lot of my black heads are gone. So far this is the best topical I've used thus far (ive used retin a). I have had a few new zits here and there but they are much faster to heal and I'm sure it's just getting prior existing blemishes out of my system.
December 1, 2009
Pros:
seems to help heal acne, although its acne that appeared after i started using epiduo.
Cons:
burned my skin, intensely! still not clearing my acne up and ive been using it for a month and a half.
give it a try. i use it twice daily now, and only for spot treatment. it is to severe for the entire face. at first it made me break out terribly and then my skin cleared up for a good 2 weeks. now i am back to another break out cycle. when is the relief coming!?
November 28, 2009
Pros:
Cleared up my acne.. after about 2 months of use
Cons:
Burns, made my skin peel nightly, made me break out
When I first started using this, it made my skin break out worse than I have ever seen; after that, it was just a battle to get it back to how it was originally. Epiduo made my skin burn and peel, but it also managed to remain oily.
Pros:
-Does lessen acne over time, but at a price