I have only been on Differin for 5 weeks now. The package says to be patient and expect to notice improvement in 4 to 8 weeks. I'd say this is definately true, I didn't have any existing pimples disappear for good until about the 5th week. I read all the reviews and am encouraged to be patient and stick it out. I am 26 years old with my first bout of acne, pustular acne and Differin was described by my doctor along with Diane (contraceptive pill) which is meant to regulate hormone issues in women, and antibiotics to kill bacteria. My sensitive skin didn't respond well to Proactiv, made it excessively dry. And i spent lots of money on Dermalogica but that did nothing to prevent a massive new batch of pimples from starting. I will give another review when it has been longer in use.

I was prescribed Retin-A two years ago following a horrible acne flareup between my eyebrows, nose, and chin area. Retin-A breakouts were consistent from about weeks 2-6, and I didn't really start to see results until 2 1/2 months in. I will tell you what though, I had everything from inflammation, whiteheads, cysts, and deep marks on my face while on Retin-A. Within 3 months, I was basically 100% clear it was a miracle. But with Differin, the results seem mixed. Two years off of Retin-A, i had another flareup of acne, this time only between my eyebrows and a mild case. I've only been on Differin for 6 weeks and not as long as Retin-A so far, but I can already tell this will take longer to see results. Differin is a much milder form of Retin-A and is very inconsistent in terms of breakouts. My regimen consists of using Clean and Clear Morning Burst facial cleanser for day and nights, Clindamycin 1% gel in the morning, Differin cream 0.1% for nights, and Aveeno Clear complexion moisturizer throughout the day, mincocycline oral antibiotics twice a day Here's what i've concluded through 6 weeks of Differin: Week 1: Like Retin-A, quickly smooths out surface of skin Week 2: Slight pain in problem areas, feel the rising of deep acne Week 3: Skin begins to purge, but acne doesn't last long; It lasts only a couple of days and leaves red marks, partially oily skin Week 4: Skin smooths out again and marks are very lightly fading Week 5: Only one whitehead on skin, pigmentation dramatically improving Week 6: Out of no where, three huge and painful cysts pop up between my brow area, two large whiteheads on my nose (I never get whiteheads on my nose, just red zits) and hyperpigmentation becoming darker again (I use sunscreen during the day too), skin is becoming incredibly oily (i don't typically have oily skin) Through6 weeks, it's been rough getting through the breakout stage, especially when breakouts are happening on and off. Unlike Retin-a, the breakout stage would last constantly until the purging was over. Since differin is much weaker, the time period of purging is going to be much longer. My dermatologist said that within a month and a half all my active acne would be gone. It doesn't seem like the case yet. I'm obviously not done with Differin, but this has been an extremely trying process for me. I'll wait the full 12 weeks and see how the results are to review once again.

I started using Differin 5 months ago. At this time I had pretty mild acne; just a few uninflammed comedomes on the forehead, small blackheads on the nose and 2 or 3 pimples at a time. After the first week of using Differin my face looked like it exploded with pimples; not just on my forehead but everywhere. I understood that this medication took time to work and stuck with it. Unfortunately it did not work well with my skin and I saw no improvement whatsoever. It not only made the breakouts worse but it cause my skin to be extremely sensitive and dry. I hate it cause after a month of stopping my face is still extremely dry and my once perfect cheeks are now red and blotchy with small bumps all over even though I did not apply it there! It also made the skin around my eyes extremely sensitive and dry. I cannot even apply my foundation anymore or my face just drys right up. Now I am starting to use Tretinoin to get rid of the hyperpigmentation from the old pimples and moisturizing with CeraVe (BEST MOISTURIZER EVER!) Since stopping the Differin my face is starting to heal and I've noticed a decrease amount in pimples. I'm not saying don't give it a try if you have terrible skin, but for those who have more mild acne, use a different treatment.

Give it a chance! After using it for a while (2-3) months you should have improved skin. I had plenty of whiteheads on my chin and scars from popping them. After 2 weeks use (mind you I overdosed), I noticed they were all GONE! Though dreadful scars included! It seems to work best on problem areas such as the chin, nose (clearing blackheads) and the forehead. Maybe it was just me,. but I felt that my screen had also "tightened" up and felt smoother. My cheeks are not fully cleared but there IS an improvement since not being on the cream before. I would apply it on at bedtime since it seems to work best when your body is rejuvenating itself. Sometimes I would apply it on SLIGHTLY in the morning if I noticed anything big or if bothered me. For me, I noticed results first on my chest then on my face. Keep in mind this cream will be expensive if you don't have coverage for it, but I think it will be well worth the money if you stick it out and not give up because you don't see something DRASTIC! Creams are not taking internally, and because of that, will take a longer time to do its job. I was also taking Minocycline (50-100mg) while on this which seemed to control and keep the acne at bay. You WILL need a tetracycline to assist Differin if your case is severe.

Many people tend to give up too soon on this product. Personally, it took me just over 4 weeks to notice alight differences and more than a month to get a more substantial change. there were occasional breakouts, but this can't be entirely attributed to differin. a daily regime needs to be followed for successful results, and it can take a few weeks to get a good regime working in the first place; 2 weeks for me. When you do get pimples whilst using differin, i found that they were smaller and went away in about 2-3 days. However i found differin was not as good in preventing cystic acne, but size and time were still reduced. an important notion to consider is that differin is not a miracle cream/gel, like i said before you need to get a good regime going that doesn't just include topical treatments. However, sunscreen is important in preventing hyperpigmentation. when starting your treatment, your skin will most likely become very dry. it is a good idea to use a night moisturiser (lotion or cream) maybe 20-30 minutes after differin application for atleast the first 2 weeks. doing a bit of research before hand is great, which is probably why you are reading this. i personally recommend differin, as long as you use it persistently. i wish you all the best :)

I have been suffering from acne since I was about 16. At 25, I find it more embarassing than I did back then! When I was 16, I went to the dermatologist and he prescribed some benzoyl peroxide and some pills. The benonzyl peroxide dried out my skin so bad but I stuck with it for a couple months. The peeling only got worse and the pills made me sick so I stopped. After that, I was kind of hesistant to go back to the derm. Finally, a year ago, I went and the doctor prescribed me differin and clindamycin. The doctor seemed really confident that it would work and it did! Before I starting using differin, my skin was really dry from all the products I was trying--after, my skin is soft and I don't have dry skin at all From the time that I started using this regimine, I didn't get any pimples for a month, and then I only got one. I used to have whiteheads, blackheads, cysts, everything. Whiteheads were always the worst because who wants pus on their face? I haven't gotten one whitehead since I started using these meds! Even on the meds, I still get cysts every once and a while, but it's only one or two at a time and they go away a lot quicker than before. When I do get one, it's very easy to cover up. I know that some of the people on here have said that they only use the differin when they see spots but I use the .1% and use it all over my face. I have been lucky and haven't had some of the side effects that some other people have had. One thing to remember is it does make you skin very sensitive. Before starting using differin, I really never wore sunscreen (bad I know), but now I make sure to use moisturizer with sunscreen every morning. It is kind of inconvenient in spring/summer because I would like to get a tan, but can't.

I would recommend this. It is very important to stay with your routine and be patient with this product. In addition be careful where you apply it due to the drying nature of this product. Oh and keep in mind i used this with oily/combo. skin and i used this in w. monodox antibiotic pills.

All of you guys freaking out about breaking out horribly for like the first month need to realize that that's how this works. It brings everything to the surface first. I was on Differin for 3 years and it worked very well. It got rid of almost all of my acne. Of course I would still get some around that time of the month, but I've yet to find anything that gets rid of every last zit for the rest of your life.

I've been using differin for three weeks now and the difference it has made to my skin is remarkable. Im 19 and have never had severe "traditonal" acne, but I do get little cysts all over my forehead and jaw. I also have alot of blackheads across my nose and cheeks, within two weeks I could see my skin smoothing out and my dark spots and scars lightening. Initially, the cream was painful to apply but it only burnt for a few minutes then it went away. My skin was very sensitive and sore for the first week or so. My eyelids and earlobes flaked skin something crazy. Even though I didnt apply the cream there!? Get a good oil free moisteriser to use in the morning and throughout the day. I work in a busy office so I found it a must to apply moisteriser every few hours to keep my flaking skin at bay. It also helped sooth the irritated skin. DON'T WEAR MAKE UP!!! its far too painful to remove. While it can be painful for the first two weeks and your skin goes abit crazy the results are totally worth it.

I had read the reviews stating the devestating effects of Differin and started to use it with caution - it totally lived up to bad reviews and unleashed havok on my skin. I can only describe it as a burn, red, patchy with deep dryness and an incredible itching once my skin was naked against the air. I wouldn't have been able to go work but thankfully I work from home. All products irritated my skin until I found an oily non drying face pack that I left on all day to soothe. This and Differin were the only things to stop the overwhelming itch. I made the mistake of puting it on my neck and chest - DON'T EVER USE IT ON THIS AREA - it will burn you badly. Differin likes to move around and will pool around the delicate skin about the eye. To stop it moving use a barrier eyecream before applying Differin. It will also creep around the lips so barrier those too. Also, use less than a pea size amount. Differin did not stop me getting spots but does help reduce them once they appear. I will stop using it when I have an alternative. For me it was not worth the initial discomfort but I trudged through the dark days in the hope it would be my cure, but it wasn't. ME: 20's dry-ish skin, mild acne, mainly on chin. I used Differin Cream 1%