Topical Retinoid
Acne.org’s Real World Take
May provide partial relief at higher prescription dosages. Comes with less side effects than the other two topical retinoids, tretinoin and tazarotene, but may also work ever-so-slightly less well. No retinoid is likely to be a game changer, but studies do show a partial reduction in acne.
Topical Retinoid
How to Get It
Adapalene is available in strengths up to 0.3% by prescription. 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. Adapalene is also available over-the-counter in 0.1% strength. Here are some places you can find it online.
Used Adapalene? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
October 31, 2006
i tried differin for only two weeks, it made my skin horribly worse. im sure with time it would have gotten better but i couldnt handle having that awful skin, it was worse than i'd ever had it. but im sure it does not do this to some people, it could just be me.
October 29, 2006
Cons:
you have to use it all over your face, not just the problem areas.
I used it on the problem areas and ended up getting pimples where i NEVER EVER had problems before. the derm said it's b/c if you only use it on the problem areas, it's basically "pushing the pimples to areas that were clear before". It was horrible to have that happen, and what's worse - my skin scars SO easily, even when i don't pop anything so i now have 3 scars due to that. otherwise works very well. i only use it once at night and i like it. i still have a few little pimples monthly, but not nearly as bad as what i had before using the medicine.
October 27, 2006
Used it for about 2 months now with Doxycycline Tablets (1 per day).
The first week my face almost completely cleared up but after that it went back to my old self. I just kept using the tablets and cream and now 2months later the acne is starting to reside and im seeing more and more clear skin each day! Just gotta keep at it for a while =]
October 27, 2006
Pros:
affordable, non irratating, shrinks poors and makes complextion look more even
Cons:
causes burried acne to come out initially.
im 24 and have tried everything. i think a lot of comments im hearing about this drug making you skin look horrible are coming from people who were never really that bad off to begin with. my derm has me on this stuff an nicotinamide which is an anti inflamatory. this stuff is working better than acutane so far. im about 2 weeks in. it has brought out the deep acne and i did get some cysts. however the nicomide brings it down real quick. im still not completly clear but what i love about this stuff is that it has removed some of my scars and made my face a more uniform color (and no that color is not red lol). no redness or irratation to report. like i said my face has been ravaged by harsher products before so this relatively light adopalene drug has felt as mild as baby lotion to me. i highly recommend this with nicomide and not for people who could easily be treated with antibiotics like some of the posts ive read.
October 20, 2006
ive been using differin along with clindamycin gel and doryx tablets for 2 months now. i was really discouraged for about the first 6-7 weeks because it didnt seem like my face was getting better, and i didnt believe that it ever would. but everybody was right...you just need to be patient and give it some time because it is definitely well worth the wait! of course, im sure it doesnt work on absolutely everybody, but youll never know if you dont try. my face is now 99% clear, and im expecting perfection in the very near future!!
October 17, 2006
Cons:
1. it will get A LOT worse before it gets better, and you cannot expect results quickly - at least 2 months are reccomended to see effects
2. will dry out, redden, irritate, scalify your skin - and my derm told me to avoid cream moisturizers
I had moderate acne on the cheeks and occasionally on forehead and chin - I am indian and that comes with a lot of oily food and very oily skin! I waited (i'm stupid) about 3-4 months during which time i basically did everything from pick at it to use alcohol (please don't try any of these things!) and made it worse. I went to my derm and he put on a 5% benozyl peroxide 2X daily wash - and differin gel. He said it would get worse before it gets better b/c it brings out the pimples you cant see yet and he was right - but after the 4-5th weeks, i noticed that my left cheek was almost clear 0 all I have are some spots, which may be just remnant hyperpigmentation, I have to go for a revisit and i'll see what he says but i'd say that it worked pretty well. i've used for about 1.5 months now and am fairly happy - though shaving is a bit of a problem b/c of the skin irritation. if the sun cannot be avoided, use gel based moisturizers and sunscreen - avoid any other severe treatme
October 11, 2006
i used this for a few weeks and my face got really dry and super red, but it was like the differin had unearthed all the acne hiding deep down. after a week or so, my face went back to normal, except completely clear, and with no acne. watch out! don't go tanning... i took a 15 minute nap outside and got a bad sunburn
October 10, 2006
I have moderate acne on chin and cheeks. I used Proactiv and for a month it seemed to get better then acne started to come back with full force. I had some diferin samples I had gotten from my mermy and wasn't sure how to put it on so I JUST PUT TINY DABS JUST ON THE PIMPLES and not the whole face or surrounding areas. It worked wonderfully without any side effects. Of course since I just put it on the pimples (mostly cysts) it doesn't help prevent new ones but it sure works on the ones that are already there. It does not dry up my face since I don't put it all over. I think Proactive was too strong for me. My face was all scaly and noticed I had more cysts beneath my skin then ever before. However overall texture did get smoother so I think I will still use Proactive perhaps once or twice a week along with diferin.
October 5, 2006
Pros:
HealthNet covers it as a medicine not a cosmetic - otherwise it is $100 a tube or so out here.
Cons:
No measurable improvement after 9 months.
I'm in my 30's, mixed race with olive skin. I don't have "pimple" acne, mostly blackheads, blocked pores, etc. I don't use makeup. After using Differin for several months, I got scaly, red almost painful hive-like lesions on my chin and the skin around my hairline got bumpy and the skin peeled and now I have more scars. In the months prior to this nightmare, my skin was as oily and blotchy as when I started. My skin is so dry now that even with lotion, skin flakes and lifting scabs are visible. My doctors didn't even tell me the "worse before better" line, they just keep telling me to use it. I just got a prescription for topical Clyndomiacin today since I have so many raw patches - I don't scratch, the skin rubs off - and will use that while I look for another dermatologist. It is impossible to think that this is the only and best acne medicine out there.
Pros:
made my skin a little worse than before (not a very big difference), but eventually cleared up with time.