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
April 26, 2012
Cons:
initial redness but that goes away:)
initial breakout but it wasn't that bad
skin can get sensitive and dry but that fades
I think Differin is excellent. This is the one product that has actually worked for me. My skin is quite oily and it works extremely well with my face. You must! give this product time! I have been using it for two months and people have noticed a very good change in my face:).And so have I. before i started using Differin i had about 15-16 acne scars and normally more than 6-7 noticeable pimples on my face. Now i only have about 4 with only 2 barely noticeable pimples. within 2 and a half months of using this product ''properly'' :). I definitely recommend this to people with oily skin:)
April 24, 2012
Pros:
cleared severe acne
stopped breakouts
can wear under make-up
Cons:
takes 1.5 - 2 months to see noticeable results
Adult acne is not easy to deal with. I was always embarrassed as a professional having to meet with senior executives and could never stop thinking about my skin.
I tried everything from accutane, minocin, proactive. Nothing worked as well as Differin.
I would normally not even take the time to write a review on anything.
I didn't notice any results after a few weeks so felt discouraged. I remember the dermatologist saying the most important thing to remember with this cream is to keep using it for at least 2 months.
I followed his advice and am finally confident with my skin. I'm getting married this year so I was so worried about what I would look like in pictures and in front of a hundred people.
This was over 10 years of struggling trying different birth controls (very harful health-wise), minocin and accutane (extremely harmful to liver) and proactive (long process that stops working after a while).
Differin is amazing. Please stick with it for at LEAST 2 months!
April 24, 2012
Pros:
None really so far
Cons:
Dries my face out so much! I literally have flakes of skin coming off my face.
I have been using this for about a month and a half and the only result I have had is excessive drying, redness, and irritation. My face hurts! This is just based on how long I have been using it.
April 23, 2012
Pros:
Makes my skin softer
Helps fade acne scars
Got rid of my cystic acne
Cons:
Itchy, sometimes burning feeling in the beginning
Love this product! I have been using it for 3 weeks now in conjuction with 5% topical benzoyl peroxide applied during the day. As a teen, my skin was perfect and I never had acne. However, in my mid 20s, I started getting these terrible, painful cyst-like zits on my cheeks and chin. Even without touching them, they would leave horrible scars.
This cream is worth trying!
April 22, 2012
Pros:
Mostly cleared my acne up
Did not irritate my skin
Gave my skin a nice glow, and made popped zits heal faster.
Cons:
Did not seem to be strong enough
Did not clear my face completely
I would recommend this product for anyone who has mild-moderate acne, but for more severe acne, I don't think it has the power.
April 22, 2012
Pros:
Makes my skin softer
Gives my skin more clarity
So far has gotton rid of 90% of acne
Cons:
Takes time to work & a while to see any results
Initial breakout & more acne
redness
dryness & flakeness
May have to change products in your routine to deal with the redness & dryness etc
This product requires alot of patience
I have had acne since i was 13 and over the years it has gotton better. However at 22 I was getting spots. Ive tried so many product such as clean& clear, Pany Oxyl etc etc and nothings has really worked. I was abit resistant to try differin due to the bad reviews. But then i thought what do I have to lose. In the first 3 weeks my skin got so bad & I had 6 huge spots which is not normal for me and alot of red/flakeness. It was hard to leave the house in the morning. But i wanted to give this product at least 3 months to work, as from the reviews it seems if differin works it really works. I'm not at week 4 and my skin has improved so much. Ive not had any big spots and theres just few small ones left over from the inital breakout which are healing. One negative is that on my skin differin doesnt seem to work as well on small spots that never form a white head. Although
for me differin has been worth it and I hope my skin continues to improve. This product does require patience & it is not a miracle worker overnight. Be prepared for your skin to get worse before it gets better. In the UK the price is okay for this product and because you only need a pea size amount each time it will last a while.
Its also important to let your skin adjust to the differin so the first few weeks your skin will be irritable. But the redness will disappear and so will be flaking. But that adjustment requires time too.Only use a pea size amount as with this product more is less and using more wont make it work any faster.
April 18, 2012
Pros:
none
Cons:
doesn't clear, need I say much more?
expensive
bottom line, this product did not clear my face, made it worse, and I even used it for awhile /:
April 18, 2012
Pros:
Get rid of acne
less irratating than Retin a Micro
It works!!!
Cons:
not being able to be in the sun! burnt the crap out of my face on vacation to Barbados
I havent had a huge pimple in months! Give it some time to work! Wait at least 2 months!
I was used to proactive so just washing my face then putting this on saved me like 30 minutes! I LOVE DIFFERIN! It really works!
April 12, 2012
Pros:
-Cleared up my skin
Cons:
-Redness
-Peeling
-Skin becomes Flakes
-Takes time to work.
I have never suffered from acne but about a month ago I started breaking out and it freaked me out because its not normal for me to get acne. Anyways I go to the dermatologist and she prescribed differin along with clindamycin and minocycline. For the first two weeks my skin got worse. It was awful I started breaking out worse than ever. It looked like I had sunburn all over my face and after that passed my skin started peeling and it was extreamly dry. Thats why you have to use moustrizers but just to warn you it will burn when you put on moustrizers. Ok so for the first two weeks I was really unhappy about this product but I remember my doctor telling me it will take about a month for me to start seeing results I was about to stop using differin but I stuck to it and I'm glad I did because it does work it just takes some time and consistency. Thats why this product doesnt have many good reviews because people stop using it when ther skin starts getting worse. But dont give up your skin will get better. I am very satisfied with this product my skin is better than before,
April 3, 2012
Pros:
Works better for me than Retin A
Covered by insurance, ask for a coupon
Cons:
Some drying (not as bad as Retin A)
Some Initial Breakout
I used this when I was 18 and had acne. It helped clear me up, and I stopped using it. My acne had gone away. Fast forward 6 years later, I have acne again. I tried sulfur washes, Retin A, BP, etc. I was on this treadmill of topicals for 5 years. After this last time my derm saw me, he said "we need to try something different". He suggested Differin and Aczone. It seems to be working better than what I have been doing the past few years. It's not a miracle cure, but my skin is getting better.
Pros:
has cleared 75% of my acne
got rid of most of my scars