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
November 17, 2008
Cons:
takes a while for EVERYTHING to go away, face will peel at first, face gets kind of oily.
ive already been using it for about 2-3 weeks and I see improvement in my face already. I mainly have acne on my nose or near it and LOT of whiteheads on my forehead. All my acne on my nose went away and now Im waiting for it to work on my forehead. I dont understand how this product didnt work for many others BUT I LOVE IT.
November 13, 2008
Pros:
Results seen after 2 applications, clear in 2 weeks. Got rid of all cystic pimples and now if I get a pimple it comes to a head really fast with no scarring. Worked wonders for blackheads on my nose too!
Cons:
Kinda expensive but if you think about it clear skin is worth any cost!
Use with 5% benzoyl peroxide on top of differin application. I use the cream, the gel apparently will dry you out like crazy. AMAZING RESULTS AND I GOT NO INITIAL BREAKOUT PERIOD!
October 23, 2008
Pros:
none
Cons:
Caused painful burning and dryness as well as my acne to become10x worse than it was before I began using it. I've never had such bad acne until using this product. Wish I never used it because now I'm worse off.
I don't recommend this product for anyone with even remotely sensitive skin. Everyone's different, but this is my experience and I wouldn't want anyone to have to go through what I did.
October 14, 2008
Pros:
It dries out small pimples quickly.
Cons:
It doesnt work well by itself on larger or inflammed breakouts.
It works best if you use it with benzoyl peroxide wash and or benzoyl peroxide cream or lotion. I was using this by itself for 2 weeks and it didn't seem to be working 100% because i was still breaking out. I know it says that you may see your acne getting worse for the first couple of weeks but it seemed i was getting new pimples each day. So i started using benzoyl peroxide wash, and it just made a big difference. If you do a little bit of research about Differin you will find out that this medicine is proven to work better with benzoyl peroxide. So before you give up on this medicine, please try it with benzoyl peroxide first. Also, i do have oily skin so benzoyl peroxide is good for that too. If you do have a dry skin i would recommend you use a mosturizier just so your face does not get too dried up. I'm happy using Differin, and i know a lot of people do.
October 7, 2008
Pros:
Seems to be working so far- but its only been 1 week. Easy to apply and no harsh smell.
Cons:
None yet, except a little dryness but nothing a good moisturiser cant handle!
I have only been using for a week, and have mild acne on my cheeks. Comedones under the skin which just appear as tiny bumps. So far it seems to have drawn out the biggest ones but the differin dries them up really quickly. It seems to be drying and shrinking up the smaller comedones. I have have 2 courses of accutane (oral) in the past which has been the best treatment by far but my GP wanted me to try differin first this time. Skin has dried a little but I use a good moisturiser in the am and a night cream at night once the differin cream has all soaked in. So far I am pleased that I havent had a massive break out, and I can already see that the surface of my skin is smoother. I will post again in a few weeks.
September 28, 2008
Pros:
So far so good, face is staying pretty much the same...
Cons:
but did see a few pimples come up but I believe its because the differin is pulling everything from under the skin...so i am sure it will start clearing up once all the bacteria under the skin comes up to the surface.
will update in a few weeks
September 23, 2008
Pros:
not really any... um... you use it just at night?
Cons:
expensive (my insurance didn't cover it), doesn't work, makes skin oily/shiny and smelly.
i started doing prescription topical meds when i was about 14. after years of none of them working i stopped. when i was 21 and still getting moderately bad acne, my doctor suggested that even though they might not have worked when i was 14, i could give them another try. there was really just no improvement at all. i've started some otc washes and creams and take zinc and fish oil and my skin is looking decent.
September 23, 2008
Pros:
Somewhat cleared acne after about 3 months and made pimples smaller.
Cons:
Redness. peeling. scars dont seem to go away. still have light acnes after a year of use.
I guess this products works if you give it the time, but I dont think it was worth it. If you use this product don't miss more than one day of application at a time. I made this mistake after about 9 months of use and my acne was as bad as day 1.
August 26, 2008
Pros:
Works, Clears most of acne
Cons:
Drys Skin
Works pretty good, left some skin dry though.
Friend gave me this.
August 26, 2008
Pros:
It's easy to use and dry my skin in short time (I have oily skin). My pimple scars are faded very fast.
Cons:
My doctor said I must use it only at bed time and I must turn off the light, if not my face will getting darker and darker.
I love it. It's better than Proactiv repairing lotion. For me, I think adapalene (differin gel) is better than Benzoyl peroxide.
Pros:
mainly takes away blackheads and whiteheads, not expensive compared to other acne prescriptions