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. 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
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 15, 2008
Cons:
Progress is slow, some initial irritation
I started using it about 6 weeks ago and it resulted in an almost immediate reduction in severity of the acne. But then the progress slowed and I have seen no real improvement for the last 4 weeks.
I also had quite a bad skin irritation in the first week of using it to the point that I had to come off conventional moisturisers and could only use plant based ones. It has normalised now, but my skin is still a bit sensitive.
Well, at least the acne is not getting worse, so I will keep on using it.
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:
No serious flaking or dryness. This works well for people with oily skin. No need for moisturizer after application. It doesn't bleach my sheets either!
Cons:
Dried out the creases of my nose and chin, but after I stopped applying there, it stopped drying it out. No big deal. Acne is surfacing... but it's not that bad.
There is no overnight cure for acne. Give this product a try. It's only going to pull out the acne that you'll experience at some point or another. You might as well get it over with now. I know it's embarrassing-- I KNOW! But you owe it to yourself to invest your time into a treatment that will provide a lasting effect, and not something that will clear surface stuff. I can't wait for the coming weeks and months, even if I continue to have breakouts. I'm ready to have clear skin, ya'll..
October 1, 2008
Pros:
easy to apply, only small amount needed, once a day dosage is great
Cons:
skin sensitivity, skin gets worse before it gets better
I was hesitant at first to use this product because I knew my skin would breakout badly before I saw any improvement. I decided to get over it, and just do it because I was tired of suffering daily with breakouts. I noticed no real change until about 3 weeks into treatment. At about 3 weeks my skin broke out horribly, and I had acne on places of my face I never had it before. It took about two weeks for all the bumps to go down, and since then, I have had no major breakouts. My skin may have a few small bumps from time to time, but nobody but me would notice. My skin texture is smoother, and less oily. I do have skin sensitivity with this product, but it is mild. I can counteract any dryness with an oil free moisturizer, so no problems there. I plan to continue using differin. If you are not sure if you want to use it, or if you are using it with no results, I say stick it out at least 3 months. It may really help you. Why waste more time with acne!!!!!
September 28, 2008
I just started DIfferin two weeks ago. And, I am rather afraid...my face had a bit of tiny bumps on/around my chin (but it's not always that calm...my face changes often)but since I've been on Differin, I've been getting worse acne around my chin and nose...and now on my forehead...little ones...and now the little ones clump so close together, they'll make random big ones. Very frustrating...I'm hoping it will get better, everyone seems to be saying wait through it, so I'm going to try to have patience, but I am not liking the idea of it getting even worse than it is now.
Not good.
Will give more results when time passes.
Thanks again to everyone with their input!
September 23, 2008
Pros:
not to expensive, easy to use...
Cons:
nothing
it's really very good . it a bout 4 years that I have acne ( not cystic ) it's work ferquently and make my skin clear. I used it for 9 weeks.
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.
September 21, 2008
Pros:
acne should decrease soon.. i hope
Cons:
acne is increeassssinggg!! by alot!!! for me.
my skin is really red and dry. use moistrilizer.
ummmmmmmmmmm
i think at first the its really bad, but it should get better.
September 14, 2008
Pros:
Not too expensive if your insurance covers it, doesn't smell
Cons:
Not good for cystic acne
I used a combination of Clindamycin and Differin. I didn't break out with much pimples but a cystic acne flare up did appear some months out of the year. I am still searching for a great acne topical and haven't found one yet. Lately I've been just smearing Clearasil on my face and it's kind of working.
September 9, 2008
Pros:
it clears up acne it just takes some time . ive been using it for more then 2 years maybe 3 and ever since my acne has improved alot .
Cons:
it cost around $100 for me and now its $155 i think it has something to do with the insurance though.
i would recomment this but it just takes time so stop thinking and get it already so that time passes by and it gets better and better like it did for me.
Pros:
Has made some improvement