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 16, 2007
Cons:
Takes a while to start seeing results.
Excellent product.
February 15, 2007
Pros:
It does clear skin. Skin looks healthier.
Cons:
Initial breakout the first 1 to 2 weeks. Works really slow.
I have a very bad blackhead problem and the Differin alone is helping to slowly reduce the size of them and the amount. I am pleased so far. It will take time for the medicine to become fully effective, as with almost any drug. My insurance covered most of the cost, my co-pay was only 10.00.
February 11, 2007
Pros:
Skin looks great, only the occasional breakout
Cons:
Skin is pretty dry now.
Differin can take up to 3 months to REALLY start working because it works on pimples that are already forming underneath your skin. It basically pushes those pimples to the surface so your skin can "purge" all the bad stuff. That's why your acne will get worse in the first few weeks. But if you stick with it, you'll start to see a difference. My skin wasn't very bad before, but it still looks so much better. The only bad side is that my face has gotten so dry. The winter air might be a part of it, but my skin is never this dry. That's nothing a little moisturizer can't fix. My dermatologist told me I could but moisturizer on first, and then put Differin on on top of that. That really helped.
February 5, 2007
Pros:
i really liked this gel i am 15 years old and i started to get acne in year 7 i used to get bullied but no i use this it has started to go also i used mavelon pill
u must try this out
February 1, 2007
Pros:
Clears my skin
Cream doesn't irritate
Cons:
Need a prescription
Can be expensive
I really love this in the cream version. I still had some frustrating acne lesions DESPITE being on Accutane for months and finally used Differin Cream out of desperation. Thankfully, I already "purged" with Accutane. Nothing has consistently worked on me before, hence the oral meds. Right away, my new-forming cysts disappeared, and I haven't had any new acne since. I stopped using it for a few nights, and I broke out again. The cream hasn't irritated my extremely sensitive skin (add Accutane onto that), and my overall skin tone has improved. I highly recommend the cream version.
January 27, 2007
Pros:
no film residue, no burning, easy once a day application
Cons:
Caused redness, tightness, blotchyness, flakes and burning with most moisturizers
I have used it beofre (6 years ago - I'm 27 now) and LOVED it!! I used it along with BenzaClin for spot treatments of breakouts. I did have the initial breakout, but after that it was clear-sailing! I just started using it again. It is doing it's job of clearing my face, however now it is causing the "cons" listed above. I'm getting pretty frustrated! I'll try some of the suggestions above.
January 25, 2007
Pros:
really good on forehead, i had lots of little bumps and now they are slowly dissapearing, a couple of bumps at a time.
Cons:
red skin!!! i try not to use on my cheeks because differin works by bringing pimples to the surface,till there is no more to bring up, and pimples on my cheek scar so i dont want more scarring.
works ok, im sick of the red skin though
December 29, 2006
Pros:
- smoothes out skin
- clears skin
Cons:
none really, except maybe the dryness...
I still get a few pimples here and there, nothing as drastic as it used to be. Keep things in perspective; take what you can.
I'd rather suffer with a few pimples here and there then big cysts weekly.
First of all, the product doesn't really fade scars, so i dont know why people are sayin that? Scars fade over time naturally, it has nothing to do with differin itself.
Use differin once a night; be patient, and the results will come. Surprisingly, I didn't get an "initial breakout" at all...my skin just started slowly clearing up. To each thier own, that's all you need to know. However, dont give up after two weeks. Two months should be when you think about quitting. What I did was - since I started in the summer - I'd put it on 2 days a week for 2 initial weeks, then 3 days a week, then 5 days a week, and then finally 7 days a week. Using this method, my skin tolerated it quite nicely as well. I hate benzoyl on my skin (it's so dry!) so I've never been a fan.
Differin does dry out your skin tho, but even that has died down for me since I've started taking Vitamin A pills (which helps with dry skin). Good luck guys, and its definetly worth a try :)
December 15, 2006
Pros:
Not irritating, cures the causes of acne, not the symptoms. Lasts for very long.
Cons:
Price (though not as much as I saw in other posts - see price paid), in some cases may make acne worse in few first weeks of using.
I recommend using on night and during the day - benzoil peroxide.
December 9, 2006
Pros:
It does stop new breakouts, and helps to clear current breakouts
Cons:
It is very expensive, it causes redness and drying expecially in the winter. It smells kind of funny (I also think that the sample tubes are more effective then the real thing the 45g tube).
It is not that great for what you are paying. I have been using it for about three years now and it was working fine but it seems like I may have grown immune to it and that might be the reason for my current increase in breakouts. I am currently in the process of researching new acne medicines that I would like to dicuss with my dermatologist my recomendation would be to try something else I would not recomend Retin-A micro though especially if you have sensitive skin it causes extreme redness and drying!
Pros:
My dermatologist said it would take about 3 months to start getting the full benefit. I've used it for 2 months and my skin is clearing up nicley.