Acne.org Products
Topical Retinoid
Efficacy
54%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Note: Prescription and over-the-counter adapalene share the same efficacy percentage due to non-specific research, but prescription strength likely performs better.
Topical Retinoid
Acne.org’s Real World Take
This topical retinoid medication provides partial relief at higher prescription dosages, but don’t look for complete clearing, especially at over-the-counter strength. Relatively affordable and comes with less side effects than tretinoin, the other affordable topical retinoid. As a bonus, it improves the look of skin and reduces fine lines and wrinkles a bit too.
Topical Retinoid
How to Get It
This is an over-the-counter treatment. Here are some places you can find it online.
Used Adapalene (Non-prescription)? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
May 5, 2008
Cons:
did not make any difference or clear up acne
I've been using this medicine for nine months now and at first it did a little bit but now I'm really starting to think that it does absolutely nothing.
April 28, 2008
Pros:
I used the Cream and it Didn't cause burning/peeling like the retinol gels.
Cons:
IT BREAKS YOU OUT???!!!??
This Product is an oxy-moron! An acne cream that "Breaks you out". My skin was looking so much clearer, yet I noticed my pores looked a little clogged so I used this for 5days and it Broke me out BADLY! After 3 weeks, Im still recovering. I don't believe purging is necassary! I've used acne clearing products before that made my skin look better and better, Not WORST! And the fact that some reveiws said it takes months to work is RIDICULOUS! In a Month you could see increasingly clearer skin with a good regimen and eating healthy! I truly dislike differen! I now take flaxseed oil, zinc peels, and I wash with purpose & dissolved aspirin, along with a couple of other healthy rememides...and like I said my skin is getting better and better...not the opposite!
March 19, 2008
Pros:
read below
Cons:
price if you dont have insurance
ok so i have been struggling with acne for about three years. i have tried differin, retina(tretinoin), retina-micro, differin, duac, and pretty much every known oral antibiotic that i know of. ie amoxacillin, erythromycin,doxy,tetra, etc. anyways, i started on a combo of duac and differin .3% about 10 weeks ago. i used to have about 3-10 spots at a time, which was ridiculous. trust me, as a guy you feel like sh*t when you have to wear makeup to go out and feel comfortable. but the combo seems to be working great. it took a lot of patience, redness, dryness, and worsened acne, but it is pretty much gone. i might get 1 spot a week now, which is like a complete 180. anyways for those of you with oily skin and acne that you just cant get rid of. try the new differin .3%, it works. the duac is nice too, but i think it just helps dry out current spots. just be patient becuase it took right up to about 10-12 weeks before it really clears, but when it does its great.
February 22, 2008
Pros:
Reduced cystic acne to where I'll have a minor breakout every month due to PMS.
Cons:
It took two months of consistent use to clear up the severe cystic acne that I had on my chin. Redness and drying of the skin (nothing that can't be covered up with makeup).
The first two months were the worst. I felt like differin brought out all the underlying cysts. If anything, I would recommend doing differin along with an antibiotic so that the first couple of weeks aren't too bad. By the time the differin begins to really clear your skin, you are getting off the antibiotics. Differin is an absolute must in my skincare regimen.
February 1, 2008
Pros:
NONE!
Cons:
EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!
it is the WORST acne treatment i have ever used in my life, it actually gave me more acne and more acne scars, and it wasn't just the whole it gets worse before better thing, i waited it out, and it was THE WORST MISTAKE EVER, my face is COVERED in acne scars because of it.
please please please for your own sake DO NOT USE THIS!
January 22, 2008
Pros:
Didn't dry out my skin and worked very well at first. Kind of died out after a while, even after getting bumped up to the .3 stuff it still stopped working.
Cons:
Wasn't as permanent as I would have liked.
Works for mild to moderate acne. Doesn't work immediately, but give it time and it should do you some good. For me it stopped working after a couple years, but it was cheap and works.
January 20, 2008
Pros:
my acne is now less severe and has not gotten any worse.
Cons:
it dried my skin out badly during the first few weeks and takes a while to see results.
it cleared up my acne very well and i have not had the (moderate) acne i had before for a long time. try it and see if you get results. you may , you may not but its worth a try.
January 19, 2008
Pros:
Worked great at first. I used this with a antibiotic at the same time so I'm not sure which was helping
Cons:
Made my skin peel like crazy if I used it every night. Stopped working after month 3. Skin was back to the way it was if not worse.
Works for some people. Gave the rest of the tube to a friend and her acne got clearer faster than mine did when I was using it!
January 12, 2008
Pros:
This product is AMAZING...it's the only thing I need, really. Smaller looking pores, less oily skin, breakouts pretty much completely eliminated and an overall smoother complexion
Cons:
Feels kind of gross right after you put it on...but what acne product doesn't
I started using differin in high school, and my acne immediately improved (I had moderate acne). Occasionally I'd stop using it because I ran out & didn't refill my prescription, and after a couple weeks there was a noticeable difference - I started breaking out all over again - which would cease about a week after I continued using the product. I'm 20 now and still use the stuff...it improves the overall appearance of my skin & I love it.
December 2, 2007
Pros:
I have only been on it for about a month. My face broke out real bad at first but is completely clear right now. My skin texture has improved a lot.
Cons:
I didn't have a lot of the bad reactions that others have had. My face is a little redder then before, but I think only I notice that. When I started I would skip a day if I thought my face was getting too irritated and that would help.
I hope this continues to work but in my experience with time every treatment stops being effective once your skin gets use to it. Right now I am happy with the results that I have. I think it's a little expensive. My prescriptions are usually $10 but this cost $59.
Pros:
it doesnt burn or sting, pretty gentle