Acne.org Products
Topical Retinoid
Efficacy
54%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Note: Prescription and over-the-counter adapalene share the same efficacy percentage due to non-specific research, but prescription strength likely performs better.
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, especially at over-the-counter strength. 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
This is an over-the-counter treatment. Here are some places you can find it online.
Used Adapalene (Non-prescription)? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
July 3, 2008
Cons:
took time to work..... got worse before it got better
my doctor prescribed differin, soldyn, and a benzoyl peroxide wash to clear my mild to moderate acne. during the first two weeks it worked really well with clearing up the pimples that i already had and prevented new ones from forming. However on the third week things took a turn for the worst, my face developed HUGE cysts that i never had before. to be fair, i had grown lax with the treatment b/c it had worked so well in the begining. however, i began using it religiously for the next few weeks and i am happy with the results. however my doc took me off the differin cream and put me on the gel... its stronger so i cant wait to see the results!!
June 3, 2008
Pros:
No smell, easy to apply
Cons:
Dryness, does not work
Used this for 5 months now. My skin has never gotten better...or worse...it's like it didn't work.
May 12, 2008
Pros:
Works well, no stinging or itching, didn't irritate my skin too badly
Cons:
Some peeling of the skin in first days of use (quickly corrected with a gentle exfoliation method and SPF cream)
After about 13 years of dealing with moderate acne which hasn't responded to any type of skin care regiment, diet change, or oral medication, I was fed up. For so many years I thought that I was doing someting wrong. I have been using the Differin cream, which is for more sensitive skin, for about three weeks. My complexion is at it's clearest, although not completely. The tone of my skin is more even, the red is almost gone. I cannot believe the change I am seeing! In combination with this medication it is essential to encorporate some type of gentle exfoliating method as well as an SPF cream. This will minimize the amount of peeling and skin irritation. This medication actually recommends the use of SPF.
April 29, 2008
Pros:
I saw improvement after a couple of weeks and now my skin is almost completely clear except for a few small zits and marks. I haven't had skin this clear in 5 years!
Cons:
At first it dried out my skin a little, but that was nothing a little Cetaphil couldn't fix. As the packaging states, my acne did get worse in the first 2 weeks, but don't get discouraged! Differin WILL WORK!
Over all, I'm happier about my skin than I ever have been even though I experienced some discomfort.
April 6, 2008
Pros:
Doesn't smell
Works sometimes
Cons:
Burns
Itchy
YOU PEEL LIKE NO OTHER
The bottom line of this is that, it works for some, and is a bigger pain than it is a help. I never had bad pimples but, now I find that I get them more commonly than I did before. Another thing is that my skin is peeling and, no matter how much lotion I put on it doesn't really help. I even have scabs from the feeling (its not that bad... but still). Plus it's totally not worth 100.00 dollar. And that's what I paid for it. I dont know maybe it's ust my skin, none of my friends use it, but it does work.,, But just not as well as I think it should.
April 6, 2008
Pros:
Cleared blackheads, cleared pimples, made my skin flawless
Cons:
took at least 4-5 months before I started to see improvement, took about 7 months to make my skin perfect, after a year didn't work anymore
I had bad skin, oily and big white pimples in combination with hundreds of small pimples and blackheads on my nose and cheeks, my derm prescribed me minocycline 50 mg once a day and differin cream 0.1 at night, it took a lot of time to work but eventually my skin got perfect, however, after a year it stopped working and my acne came back, althought I didn't have the huge white pimples I used to have, I had more little pimples all over my face. I returned to the derm and he prescribed me Retisol-A, I hope it works, good luck with Differin, it does work but not for long though
March 17, 2008
Pros:
Easy to use, cheap with insurance ($15) and lasts a long time, no odor.
Cons:
My face became a bit oilier, but I had no major side effects.
I have adult acne after several years of great skin on ortho-tricyclen. Within a few months of getting off the pill, my acne came back, first slowly and then in full force after about a year. By full force I mean lots of little ones and some cystic as well. I didn't want to get back on the pill for other reasons, so I tried Differin (I should note that I also use Clindamycin lotion in the morning). Like many others my skin got worse for several weeks. This seemed pretty unbearable, but because so many others on this forum and other forums suggested waiting it out for results, I did. After 7 weeks, my skin started to improve. I'm now on week 8 and my skin is pretty smooth. I'm waiting for marks of the old ones to fade, but i currently have no new zits and a few old ones drying out. Overall, if medicine keeps things at bay, I will be very satisfied. So, my advice is to try to stick it through the 1st few months. I'm hoping that by 6 months, i'll have flawless skin again.
March 13, 2008
Pros:
none.
Cons:
EVERYTHING. after 2 weeks of using it, my skin was worse than it had ever been in my life. and it is SO expensive, not worth the price at all.
it is terrible. I realize that it is supposed to take 2 or 3 months to really work, but who was that kind of time or patience when it comes to skin? Benzaclin is a much better choice, especially when combined with Proactiv.
March 9, 2008
Pros:
cleared up my skin a lot
Cons:
not "perfect" skin yet
i have tried proavtiv, murad, and other acne products and this is the best yet. i have sensitive skin and Differin gel does not irritate it or dry it out like the other products have! i still get the occasional pimple and i would not say my skin is "perfect" yet, but im getting there!
March 5, 2008
Pros:
It prevents me from getting more breakouts. It shortens the "life span" of active pimples.
No more ingrown or inflamed pimples. There aren't really any bumps on my face anymore. I have only some scaring but Differin is speeding up the fading proce
Cons:
None that I can think of.
It's a good product. It proscribed by my dermatologist. I tried proactive and a couple other products but they didn't work. I also use Fougera and it helps clear up the active pimples I have. Both were proscribed by my dermatologist.
Pros:
it works!