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
September 17, 2007
Cons:
it comes right back!
at first when i started using it i thought it was crap i got more acne, but after using it every single night for 3 months my acne was COMPLETELY gone, but came back 2 or 3 months later worse then ever. Not worth it, try something else
September 15, 2007
Pros:
i liked what it did to my face, really cleared things up
Cons:
it didnt work on the pimples i had on my buttocks. i didnt ask if it would help when i went to the dermatologist but i decided to try it anyways. very red where i put it.
dont use on your under carriage intense burning and redness
September 14, 2007
Pros:
Worked for a short time
Cons:
It worked well for a few weeks and then all of the pimples came right back.
I used both the cream and gel at .1%. My doctor said that the gel is a little different and was more potent. The gel did not help my face and the cream did not either. I used it in conjunction with Duac and neither one of the medications helped my face.
September 14, 2007
Pros:
Helps to keep new acne from forming, dries out excessive oil, easy to apply.
Cons:
Peeling, redness.
Although it does help to clear up your face, it still makes it a bit red after continual usage. I used to be on Tazorac, and Tazorac did a much better job of clearing my face up; however, Tazorac also made my face red as a tomato. So that's why I switched to Differin; it had been fine for quite a while, but now, after my 3rd month's usage, my skin's getting red again--especially when I laugh, my face turns so red. I've even been asked if I had been drinking because my face was so red. I think that it's just better to either go with Tazorac and get a red face anyways (and have much clearer skin than Differin can hope to give) or just got with the more gentle Retin-A.
September 7, 2007
Pros:
has made acne worse but still waiting for more results.
Cons:
skin feels really irritated when first applied.
i got my eyebrows waxed while using differin and it took off a really thin layer of my eyelid. it was really painful. this medicine thins your skin so you CANNOT rub too harshly or get eyebrows waxed
waiting on more results.
September 4, 2007
Pros:
smooth, helps with the little whiteheads, has really helped clear my nose of all the annoying little whiteheads and slowly starting to work on the whiteheads and pimples around my mouth and chin area - but I wish it would hurry up and start to work!
Cons:
stings like mad, has made near my nostrils a bit crusty have to use moisturiser well on this area. leaves the skin feeling sensitive - the feeling of sunburn! Left it red in places and when I catch slight of the red looking pimples its not very nice!
this prouct is great from the annoying little whiteheads but anything bigger it will just irritate them and makes them flare up and red. Be very careful when applying this and any stubborn sensitive ones i dont think you should be applying this as it would just burn ans itch. I use the gel which is fab on the little ones - i also dab on a little differin which helps and use dianette and take vitamins and drink plenty of water to keep my whole face in check.
I find drinking water and vitamins have helped hugely as it has given my skin a healthy glow as well as keeping the depression at bay. Dianette is great at keeping the big ulgy ones at bay although it still lets though the pimples and they can itch and annoy most of the time. I try look after my skin as much as possible and drinking water and not much make up and letting the fresh air to my face helps it to glow and be healthy.
August 13, 2007
Pros:
Skin texture seems smoother, speeds up cycle of pimple (comes to a head faster)
Cons:
Acne gets MUCH worse in first few weeks, does not seem to be affecting cystic pimples, some drying/irritation (not as severe as Retin-A)
I was advised by my doctor that it would take about 6 weeks before I started to notice a difference - I am now 7 weeks in and my skin has just started to go back to what it was like before Differin. The first 4-6 weeks were horrible, with more frequent and more severe acne than I have had in the past 10 years that I've suffered with it. The only thing getting me through it was the hope that it would run it's course and eventually get better. Now it does not seem to be markedly improved, although the texture of my skin does seems to be smoother. I would recommend this for mild acne, where the main problem is small bumps and blackheads. Not for more moderate pimples. I am now left with a lot of scarring from the first few weeks.
August 4, 2007
Pros:
Dramatically cleared my skin within one week and it just kept getting better, 2 months later, I looked great
Cons:
When I first started I had a small dry patch along my jaw line, later the dry patches got worse and pretty soon all around my chin and mouth were all scaly and flaky, it was gross.
I have moderate to servere acne and I was first put on clindamycin phospate (AM), minocycline(1oo mg) and differin (PM. Everything seemed to be working and I felt great but then when my skin started to get really dry my dermatologist took me off differin and I started to break out a lot. So a couple months later, she put me back on differin and my skin burned, itched, and was really red and scaly. It didn't improve my skin at all and now I look terrible. It may work for you if you don't have sensitive or dry skin, but if your skin it sensitive at all, be carefull!
July 30, 2007
Pros:
Helped in treating my minor breakouts and temporarily haulted breakouts all together.
Cons:
dry itchy skin, reacted with almost all lotions i used. Left my skin feeling like it was on fire
For the price of this product, it may be useful to some. But for me it had little affect in my cystic acne.
July 30, 2007
Pros:
its light and non greasy
Cons:
drys our skin
First of all, it dries out your skin alot. At first, my skin started to look better but then my skin actually began to get worse. I got lots of pimples on the lower part of my forehead between my eyes and on my cheeks.
Pros:
clears up acne if you stay on it for 3 months