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
February 3, 2008
Cons:
it made no difference with my acne. in fact, it made my acne more visible and bad. doesnt work likte i thought it would....i would stick to benzyl peroxide...
i put it on and it didnt work for 3 weeks...i mean No Results, it just made my acne worse. i called my dermatologist and now im takin a pill which should kick in a a few wieeks or so
January 28, 2008
Pros:
Reduces redness, my acne hasent gotten worse at all, it stays that same, but my frinds and family say that it has improved and ive only been using differin for almost 5 days =D. I also use Minocin (antibiotic oral medication)
Cons:
Non, i guess the cons depend on your type of skin.
Get the product, worth every penny.
January 23, 2008
Pros:
really helps with red marks
can dry out your face so make sure you use a MILD cleanser. i was using cetaphils daily face wash for and that was too harsh, which made me breakout very badly, then i switched the cetaphils gentle skin face wash and everything has cleared up
January 21, 2008
Pros:
Gentle, non-drying, good for mild acne (small bumps or fading old ance marks)
Cons:
none, except it takes a LONG ass time to kick in. seriously, it takes months! i almost gave up on this stuff... but give it time, it's just your skin getting adjusted to it :]
I would say get this is you have mild to moderate acne. My dermatologist always acts shocked when I say I wanna keep using Differin... I think he's anti-Differin, who knows! :p It is verrrry gentle, doesn't dry at all, but I would not reccomend this forthose big nasty blemishes (I use Benzaclin that <-- that junk's a miracle :]) Doesn't cause facial redness.
Only bad part, like I said, is it takes FOREVER to start working... about 9 months for me, but I've been using it for 4 years now. Good stuff!!
January 17, 2008
Pros:
It is clearing up breakouts a little faster than normal.
Cons:
But is it really doing anything at all? little bumps all over my face, and now small whiteheads on my forehead, that i NEVER had before. And it is really really drying out my skin.
Can anyone tell me if there is something else I should be doing? I am washing my face in the morning then putting on clindamycin, and then lotion, then at night, I am washing my face putting on a thin layer of the differin, and then lotion. But I cant seem to escape the dryness, no matter how much or often i moisturize. Its been almost 10 weeks and nothing really seems to be getting better. Any tips? Did I mention that it is so drying I can only use it every other night.
December 28, 2007
Pros:
my skin has improved dramatically since i started using differin
Cons:
at first it leaves your skin a little irritated and red, but it's nothing severe.
i have been using this product for 16 weeks and it has dramatically improved my skin, i have not had a pimple since i began using differin, and my skin continues to improve as i continue using it.
December 20, 2007
Pros:
Does help to dry out pimples and okay smell.
Cons:
does not help to get rid of acne. Dries out face and well there weren't too many improvements since I have been on this gel.
I guess if you have mild acne this will help you. But for me with moderate acne, it hasn't really changed my face. My dermatologist recommended this and told me to wait til two months to see if a product really works. Well it has almost been two months and I don't see a big difference. It has lessened some acne, however there are still new breakouts and many whiteheads. I don't recommend this product because I do not feel it is really effective.
December 17, 2007
Pros:
My skin has really cleared up! My dermatologist also says that Differin will help with wrinkles, age spots, and elasticity... definite pros!
Cons:
The first week or two, the topical creams (including differin) made my skin dry, itchy, and it would burn for about 30-40 minutes after application. Other than that, I also hate how it bleaches my clothes.
I would recommend this product to anyone struggling with mild acne. I've never had severe acne, but after using my regimen of Differin and Duac I only see a few pimples every now and then. Stick with it, it may be a little frustrating at first but you WILL see results!
December 2, 2007
Pros:
Easy to use and no side effects.
Cons:
Didn't do anything for me.
My doctor prescribed Differin for my acne and I really excited at first. I read a lot about it online and basically everyone said it works really well but you have to use it for awhile. Well I used it for over two months twice a day and it did absolutely nothing for me-very disappointing.
November 25, 2007
Pros:
clears up blackheads a bit, smoothers skin
Cons:
usually dries skin and peals off every layer but depends on your type of skin, since mine isn't oily at all it's definitely not the right product to use; how didnt my derm know that?
It helps a bit if you have blackheads and small whites and little bumps, it definitely doesn't work much if you have deeper skin problems. At the beginning it actually worked a lot, I got rid of my blackheads and some upper layer problems but it didn't go deep but it was a fine actually I was quite pleased with it and my skin was much much better than before but then it started not working anymore, it made my skin worse than it was before but I just kept applying it, thinking that it might be some initial outbreak as usual when on meds but it didn't do anything anymore but dried my skin a lot til I had nothing but a miserable, red, rugged, dry and thin skin. It might work for others, however, it didn't heal mine. Ponder it before you start using this thing.
Pros:
its easy to put on