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
December 31, 2011
Cons:
Dry skin
Irritating
Worsens if you forget it one day
sensitive to sun
Alright, I just got off this stuff. This is not the review where I worship it or say it was a failure and blame it for all my problems, but it is my honest opinion. Does it work? Yes, it does work. It just wasn't for me. I tried Differin, using it once every night. After a few weeks of acne increasing, everything got much better. After usage, skin was dry and sometimes itchy. Also when using it with other medicines such as benzoyl peroxide, it burned. It would have worked fine other than the fact I was inconsistent. Each time you stop it, even for a night, you repeat the cycle of your acne getting worse, then better. My skin also became more sensitive to the sun. (Gosh do I hate the sun).
Final summation: Use it if you have a good moisturizer and sunblock. Cetaphil makes a two in one. You MUST be consistent. It works, but it is no huge miracle worker.
December 15, 2011
Pros:
Easy to apply
Significantly reduces inflammatory acne and blackheads
Convenient application - once a day at night
Cons:
Drying - just need to use a good moisturizer, and it isn't much of a problem. Did make my lips dry, so I needed to use lip balm.
Itchiness - decreased with continued use
Small rash-like bumps
Slight Redness
I've suffered from acne for years and years, with my breakouts being less severe as I got older (currently 21), and now only got around to going to a dermatologist to fix it. Throughout the years, I have tried a number of over the counter products that either used benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid that never seemed to do much for my breakouts, and only irritated my very sensitive skin. I also tried monthly peels, IPL treatment and facials with the same results. I was on minocycline for about one and half months before starting on Differin, and continued with mino for another month. Currently I'm starting on Bactrim in conjunction with my Differin treatment. The initial breakout wasn't as bad as I imagined, with most of it being concentrated around my chin and cheek area and lasted for a little over a week. While I haven't had any big, red, pus-filled pimples, I do have a lot of small red bumps that never come to a head and just linger, so it still looks like I have a big breakout. I'm not sure if that is part of the initial breakout since I'm still relatively early in the treatment or just because of irritation. Most of the bumps are concentrated on my forehead and temples, so I am going to reduce use in those areas to see if they clear up. Although I haven't been completely cleared, it has given me the best results of any treatment thus far. I did read in the information that came with the box and it did say that the side effects (dryness, redness, breakouts etc) do decrease over time. My suggest when using Differin is to start with a very gentle cleanser and moisturizer to keep irritation to a minimum, and slowly add any medicated parts to your regimen ONLY if need be. Remember to wear a SPF moisturizer during the day.
October 26, 2011
Pros:
Reduced the size of my pores,
Calmed some redness on my cheeks and improved my skin's texture. Also worked well on back acne. At the beginning, I'd say my acne was 'moderately severe,' but now I think it is 'Moderate.'
Cons:
Didn't reduce scarring,
had itchy and dry eyelids.
I used Differin for a little over 3 months. The Initial Breakout Period wasn't too bad, and actually wasn't any worse than before I started taking it. I saw a lot of improvements, especially with my skin's texture. Read the instructions that come from the pharmacy! They say only to use Differin at night (I applied it once in the morning, and my skin instantly went red and inflamed. The redness went away quickly, but it was still unexpected.) Also, do not apply near the eyes. I would apply it to my eyebrow area, and I frequently have dry eyelids. You can't see the dryness, but it kind of hurts to apply eyeshadow and my eyelids are more sensitive to being touched or rubbed. So avoid the eyelids!
October 18, 2011
Pros:
.makes your skin look red
.could cause initial break outs
.forces you to reduce exposure to sunlight which could be annoying if your forced to ( i usually walk with my hand covering my face and i end up by every one staring at me )
Cons:
.side effects gradually reduce with time
.gel like so its easy to apply
.reduces swelling
ive been using it since 3 weeks until now . parts of my face are cleared up while i broke out in others . but i heard that it needs patience so ill apply it for one more month or so and see the results
September 7, 2011
Pros:
Helps keep acne under control
Makes pimples go away faster
Cons:
REALLY EXPENSIVE!
Makes red marks take longer to fade
Dries skin out
Can stain clothes
This kept my acne under control at first when it was moderate to severe. But now that i'm using tea tree oil and I've stopped using Differin, I'm begining to suspect that it was the Differin that made my acne form red marks that lasted for ages. But if you want your acne to be kept under control mostly (by that I mean reduced to light acne, not cleared completely), then I would recommend this.
August 10, 2011
Pros:
-It got rid of the tiny oil bumps
Cons:
-Didn't get rid of the pustules and papules I had on my chin and cheeks.
When I began using this product I immediately saw results. Unfortunately, this lasted only for about one week. My skin soon returned back to normal. It did get rid of the tiny oil bumps I had on my forehead which was great but didn't get rid of my big pimples. This product didn't work well for me but I still recommend this product because it vanished my tiny pimples.
May 2, 2011
Pros:
Very gentle on skin.
Reducess inflammation caused by various acne.
No odor, dye, or fragrence.
Cons:
Effective for only about 3 months then stopped.
This product was pretty good for me, but eventually seemed to stop working. My dermatologist told me that she was afraid that would happen because of the severity of my acne. She told me that Differin .3% gel was a synthetic retinoid, so it was not considered a true retinoid in her eyes. I was instructed to continue using Differin, but to use it in the morning. She also prescribed Tazorac .5% gel and instructed me to use it in the evening before bedtime.
March 21, 2011
Pros:
Not Sure Yet
Cons:
Broke me out hella bad after the 1st week
I hope that this will heal my skin my acne is not very bad and the fact that i am breaking out is horrifing to me... definitely try it but i hope that its one of those things where it gets worse before it gets better ... i have also changed my diet beacuse of the break outs im hoping to like make milder the initial bad effects of the um adapalene or differin
March 14, 2011
Pros:
Goes on smooth
Works well at first
Reduce the amount of oil on skin
Cons:
After a while does not do anything
I got differn from a family member and it was recommended by a friend so I tried it. I worked pretty nicely for the first 3 months, but I feel like my skin is just immune to it now. Now it doesn't really prevent or get rid of my acne or maybe I just can't tell. I feel like I can do without this product because I'm still breaking out weekly. But I do think It's worth a try if your acne is less serve.
February 9, 2011
Pros:
Works a bit after a few months
Little to no irritation
Cons:
Does very little by itself - still required a physical exfoliant
Relatively long IB (~2 months)
Flaky skin in the morning
Frankly, I doubt if Differin (both 0.1% cream and gel) actually did much for my skin. The past two years when I had clear skin I used a facial scrub as my only acne treatment. However, when I switched that out for Differin, my acne came back. I had originally used this for occasional clogged pores. In the end not only created more clogged pores but as turned my them into under the skin papules and sometimes cysts/nodules. Before these blackheads and whiteheads would resolve themselves after exfoliation. Likewise, I began to get acne in places which I have never had it before, such as next to my mouth and upper cheeks. As the resulting hyperpigmentation will last longer than the acne itself, it's simply not worth it for me.
Pros:
DOES work well with consistency