Adapalene (Non-prescription)

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Adapalene is a vitamin A derivative called a topical retinoid. It helps clear acne by promoting skin cell turnover and reducing inflammation in...

Adapalene is a vitamin A derivative called a topical retinoid. It helps clear acne by promoting skin cell turnover and reducing inflammation in the skin.

Non-prescription adapalene is available only in 0.1% strength.

Adapalene is topically applied usually once a day before going to bed to all acne-affected areas of the skin, and not just on individual pimples themselves.

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quick208

October 31, 2011

Pros:

- Really does clear up skin
- Smooth Skin

Cons:

- Breakouts at beginning
- Can leave scars
- Very drying at first
- Can sting at first

I started Differin about a year ago, and it's definitely been a wild ride! The first few weeks are no fun. Your skin gets bad before it gets better. When I read all these reviews written by people who gave up after a month I just want to scream! You have to COMMIT to medications, even acne meds! My recommendation is to go out and buy a VERY high quality moisturizer before you start differin, and religiously apply it for a week before you start using differin, and continue using it. Your skin will be dry, Your skin will break out, Your skin will be sensitive. But if you're not willing to put up with it in the hopes of getting real results- then you're not really committed to getting clear skin, you're looking for the easy way out! Nothing works miracles, but differin has had amazing results for me! My skin isn't perfect, but it looks so much better. Now i'll have a single pimple, a few days with none, and then another one will pop up- but it's nothing that can't be covered with concealer! Just small red bumps that don't even really need to be hidden. Differin has restored my confidence, and I recommend everyone give it a chance!

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Carly

October 31, 2011

Pros:

Cleared up acne

Cons:

Requires a lot of patience
More sensitive to sun
Makes skin peel and dry

I've been using this for well over a year and it works fantastically, however it doesn't work overnight. For results you have to use it consitantly every night (no skipping nights) for months on clean skin (no make-up, soap, lotion, ect.). It took around 4 months for it to clear up all my acne. It made my skin peel off constantly but in order for it to work you have to keep going with it consistantly. Another thing is that once your acne has cleared up you have to keep using it, you can't quit immediately or it will come back. Thanks to this though I'm expected to be able to stop treatment in 3 months and be acne free.

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Kat

October 9, 2011

I had relatively clear skin, except terrible break outs about once a year. And when I say terrible, I mean BAD. Cystic, pustules, everything. But I'd always recover quite well with limited scarring. However, this past summer, the break out I experienced was unbearable. It was all over my face and I was afraid to leave the house without make up and was even self conscious around my own family. I finally agreed to see a dermatologist who recommended Differin along with Duac. I've been on Differin for 2 months and have seen remarkable results. The first month/month and a half or so was pretty brutal with continuous break outs that became increasingly difficult to cover with make up, but just these past 2 weeks my face has just been getting clearer and clearer. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of scars and hyperpigmentation left over, but these fade over time and Differin seems to be fading them at an even faster rate because of the quickened skin turn over. My skin was extremely dry and flaky the first few weeks, but this is only because the medication is sloughing off the dead skin on top to renew your overall skin tone and texture. Don't expect this stuff to work in a couple weeks or even a couple months. It's different for everyone. This product requires patience and endurance. Please stick with it. With all the initial breakouts and dry skin, there comes remarkably improved acne and skin. I am not so self conscious about my skin anymore and soon I know I will be confident enough to go out without makeup. Hope this was helpful for any acne sufferers.

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Maria

October 9, 2011

Pros:

Made a great improvement on my acne and continues to do so.

Made my skin glowy and the nicest it's been for years.

Cleared my skin up, also evened my skin tone.

Cons:

First few weeks:
-You have to wear suncream every day, or your skin will feel very sunburnt.
-Skin went super red.
-Made my skin peel so much.
-Stings when you use certain creams/makeup over it

This product did what it was supposed to, but it took a while for my skin to get used to it; the first few weeks were a nightmare, though I saw results quickly. It's been 2 months now and my skin is great, I haven't had any new acne and my old acne is nearly gone. My skin is soooo good now! I had the gel version and applied it every night. It dries out your skin. If you're patient this will pay off. The only thing is it doesn't take away all of the redness, I also found it doesn't fix blackheads. It's great with everything else though I had light/mild acne

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Verified Customer511

September 20, 2011

Pros:

*Helped somewhat fade existing blemishes.
*Makes the skin that's not affected by acne much nicer - smoother, more radiant, glowing. The skintone looks more even.
*I rarely ever get whiteheads now, I used to get them every day.
*Affordable with insurance.

Cons:

*Doesn't really prevent cystic acne.
*The initial breakout was pretty bad for me and took about 3 weeks to clear up. At the worst point I had 15 really red and big cystic pimples on my face.
*The first month of using this I wasn't able to use any other products on my face, including makeup. The skin was really dry, irritated and somewhat itchy. It's not nearly as bad now, but the dryness persist on the eyelids and in the crease of the nose even though I don't apply the product to those

I have been using it for about 10 weeks so far. I still have some acne but my skin looks much better than before. I would recommend trying it if you have patience, because this product needs to be used at least 8-12 weeks or so to see results. I recommend getting the gel version of this, if possible. I used the cream at first and it was incredibly greasy and felt icky on my skin. I believe the greasiness of the cream actually clogged my pores and somewhat contributed to developing the initial breakout. The gel feels much nicer, it sinks into the skin fast and leaves it feeling soft.

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Jack

September 7, 2011

Pros:

-prevents large future breakouts
-relatively clears up skin
-skin less oily

Cons:

-small breakouts still occur
-little bit of flakiness and sensitivity

It's a great product if your acne is out of control and the off the shelf products are not working. Keep in mind that it may not completely get rid of all your acne, but it does prevent it from getting worse.

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June 24, 2011

Pros:

effective

Cons:

nothing to serious

I put on differin at night and benzaclin in the morning, at first your skin will look worse and it will dry out very very much but when used lotions such as eucerin everyday protection for the face it keeps your skin from drying out. These products do keep my acne very well under control and im happy i use them

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jess

June 20, 2011

Pros:

cleared my large painful cystic acne
did not dry my skin

Cons:

takes a long time to work
IB is really bad

I started taking this product only after reading all the reviews so I new what to expect. My acne was pretty bad in the beginning but this did make it worse at first. I started out taking this with minocycline (which I'd been on before, but in my experience all the antibiotics work less and less each time you take them) but only stayed on that for maybe two months because it didn't seem effective. I started the Adapalene the beginning of January and it's just been in the last month or so that my face is finally clear. I do get the occasionally zit, maybe even once a week, but compared to the 7-10 I would wake up to daily this is a huge improvement. So for me this product really took quite a while to work, but because of what I'd read I stuck with it and am really pleased with the final results. Also, I am still using the same tub I started with and I'm guessing it will go for another couple months. That is how little you need each day. Now I also use a couple other products and I think this combo really works for me. Particularly, I don't know if it was the timing of when I started using Dan's AHA lotion that made a difference but the combo of the Adapalene and the AHA seemed to really work for me. I think the most important thing to realize is that it works for some and not for others, but at least try it. And for someone like me who has used all the prescription meds short of accutane, I had nothing to loose and so I stuck with it. My routine: AM: wash with olay regenerist daily scrub (with glycolic acid) and use dan's bp- i usually don't use a moisturizer, in the past i was always so dry but for some reason I'm never dry with this routine. also, i know i should use sunscreen but they all break me out so i don't PM: wash with neutragena clear pore (with bp), drop of Adapalene, and dan's AHA moisturizer

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alphabetpony

June 10, 2011

Pros:

*Can eventually make your skin look amazing.
*Can eventually lessen the severity of your acne.
*The Answer for those of us that have sensitive skin but need acne topicals that work.

Cons:

*Can cause awful IB, so initially worsens your condition-and this worsening can continue if used inconsistently.
*Can take up to 3 months to work.
*Works better if you use it right (and using it right is real inconvenient).

I've consistently used the .1 differin gel for about 5 years with varying results. Right now I am getting the BEST results I've ever had with it because I'm no longer moisturizing before I apply it (see routine below). Here's what I've learned: It doesn't matter what kind of acne you have (hormonal or otherwise) this stuff WILL eventually help to improve the situation (it will lessen the severity of anyone's breakouts and help to improve overall skin texture). Follow these steps for best results: 1. Wash your face. 2. Apply a topical disinfectant/toner (you can even use a homemade 5% tea tree oil solution or BHA). Whatever you do, DO NOT MOISTURIZE yet! 3. WAIT 30 minutes before applying your Differin. 4. Apply the differin, and please, this will work so much better and faster for you if you apply the differin to your NAKED SKIN and wait another 30-45 minutes to apply your moisturizer. 5. Wait 30-45 minutes then apply moisturizer or anything else you want. This is a pain in the ass, I know, but doing this routine consistently has made a HUGE difference in my results (and my results weren't so bad the "wrong" way). And remember: You have to keep putting it on the same areas of your face every night---even after these areas become acne-free! I can't stress this enough. Failure to do so will just result in more IBs, and you don't wanna go throught that, right? So do NOT use this as a spot treatment. Apply it ALL OVER any areas where you think you could get acne. And for god's sake, continue to apply it to the same areas even after they appear acne free.

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Ryan43

April 14, 2011

Pros:

Skin cleared up within 2 months - blemishes, spots and scarring
Skin feels smoother and soft
Noticeably fairer complexion - radiant and glowing

Cons:

Skin does become very sensitive
Does cause a bit of dryness on some days - just use lotion during the day

When i first started using this cream i was also put on roacutane for my acne, so even though my skin did clear up, i wasn't sure if it was the cream that worked or not. But now i'm off roacutane but still using this cream. I can definitely say that this cream works, for me at least. Remember that everyone is different and will therefore have different reactions to this product. I've been using just the cream (without the roacutane pills) for over a year now and i have not had any breakouts. In fact, it has actually reduced marks and blemishes left over from when i had acne and every morning, my skin is practically glowing and i can really see an improvement. Yes it can get dry and my skin is often left very sensitive but as long as you use a mild soap, soothing cream and use sunscreen everyday, then you should be fine. I'd like to just point out that, like every medical/beauty product, this does have side effects that can occur and it might not work for everyone - but it definitely worked for me, so just try it out.

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