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
February 20, 2012
Cons:
price!!
I reviewed this after only a week of use. I am now almost a month in. I currently have no acne at all which is unheard of for me. I have been through once menstrual cycle as well and nothing. This does make my face burn some but I don't care as long as I continue to get the results I am getting. Very expensive but worth it to me. No initial break outs with me which was my biggest fear. Very thankful for that.
January 26, 2012
Pros:
cleared up most of my acne
Cons:
none
has worked great for me, no side effects, fabulous results.
December 15, 2011
Pros:
IT WORKS.
Cons:
Itchy, red skin (eventually stops)
VERY drying
Must be applied carefully (not too much!)
This stuff is amazing. It has completely saved my life. I had a sudden, horrendous breakout that caused me to go from perfect skin to almost 100 pustules on my face in the course of a week. By the time I got to a derm a month later, I was also developing cystic acne. I started using Differin. Here's a time-line of my experience (which I wish somebody would have given me when I first started, so I knew what I could expect!): Weeks 1-3: No real improvement. My skin actually looked worse because it was red and irritated and dry and flaky. Weeks 4-8: Noticeable improvement. Went from 2-3 new pustules every day to maybe 5-6 pustules a week. Cystic acne got worse and more consistent. 3-4 cystic spots a week. Skin still flaky and dry. Weeks 8-12: More improvement! Now only 3-4 pustules a week, with 1-2 cystic spots. But skin is EXTREMELY dry and painful at this point. It looked like crocodile skin. Weeks 12-16: TONS of improvement!! Now almost completely clear (*knock on wood*) No cystic spots, and maybe 1 pustule a week (and sometimes NONE!) Started using a moisturizer (Neutrogena Oil-Free Combination Skin), which fixed my dryness! Except for a TON of PIH marks (which I hope will fade in time!) my skin looks amazing. I am so, so, so grateful for Differin. My acne was so bad, I didn't know how I could go on living for a while... Differin saved my life.
December 4, 2011
Pros:
Clears skin!
Not over-drying
Inexpensive generic
Cons:
None!
Tried this when Tazorac became prohibitively expensive, very happy I did! Great for cystic acne and otherwise.
November 28, 2011
Pros:
Removes Whiteheads
Prevents Acne
Removes Acne
Cons:
Non
I have been struggling with whiteheads and a little acne on my face. The whiteheads were the worst, all over my forehead and spread down to my cheeks. I them for 1.5 years and I got low confidence during this time as it was spreading. I tried everything nothing worked. I decided to see the dr and got Differin, I tried it on and no lies my Whiteheads already got better the third day, I was shocked. I have now used it for about 4 weeks and all my whiteheads are almost all gone. I actually couldn't believe it helped me so fast and I am grateful that I went to see the Dr. I do know that it can make you skin red and dry but since I have a olive colored skin I never got any side effects. Do not give up, my Acne is not coming back and my Whiteheads are almost gone.
Give it a try I never believed in creams until now!
November 27, 2011
Pros:
It works. It works. It works.
Cons:
You have to know how to use it otherwise you will get frustrated and stop the treatment.
As a looong time acne sufferer, I have tried everything but accutane. Here is how to use Differin successfully - it has changed my life. Beginning: super small amount on forehead, cheeks, and chin at bedtime ONLY. Do not apply on nose or between nose and lips. Do not apply to wet skin. Day one - you'll probably notice your face isn't so greasy but burns a little when you wash your face. Next night: apply same amounts to face the before bed. Next day you'll notice face getting red and maybe even peeling. Next night: do NOT use Differin. Skip one or 2 days. Then restart treatment. Your face needs time to acclimate. Give your skin a chance to recover and then restart Differin treatment. Trust me - it works!! ** I also take 10 mg of Progesterone b/c of my heavy periods. I noticed that as soon as I started taking the progesterone, my cystic acne stopped, but I still not got the break outs weekly. That's when I tried Differin again. Everytime I tried Differin in the past I got frustrated and quit - but this last time I took a small break in between to give my face a break and it worked :))
November 16, 2011
Pros:
Relieved my acne within months. My skin is acne free for the first time in my life
Cons:
Dries out your skin drastically. Make sure to ditch your existing cleansers and scrubs with added medications (ex. salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide) and switch to a mild foaming cleanser. Mine has added feverfew to calm the skin. Get ready for the dryness (even my eyelids started to peel) and make sure you apply as needed regularly.
Like many here, I have tried a ridiculous amount of acne creams, cleansers, lotions etc. Differin has, hands down, been the most effective medication in relieving my acne. Now I'm just left with some post-acne scarring. I love this product and would urge anyone to give it a try.
November 13, 2011
Pros:
I love this product. I tried SO MANY different creams and most of them just made my face worst. My derm. suggested accutane which I really didn't want to do so I tried this as a last resort. To her surprise and mine, this actually cleared my skin. I have extremely sensitive skin and it was absolutely fine. I just use a pea sized drop which is good enough to keep my acne away without irritating my skin. This seems to be the only cream that works for me (I've tried many...)
Cons:
None. It is a drying if I use too much but fine if I remember to stick to the pea sized drop for my entire face.
Hopefully it works for you as well as it has worked for me!
September 26, 2011
Pros:
- Clears up acne quickly, even cystic acne.
- Prevents new acne.
- Seems to make pores smaller.
Cons:
- Causes facial redness.
I came off antibiotics a while ago, and my acne started to come back almost straight away. I had tried other retinoid gels before but they were far too harsh and made my hair fall out (it's true! see other reviews on here). This is much milder because it's cream and only 1%, and I only use it once a day at night. So far it has cleared up all my acne and I haven't had a new spot for weeks. Sometimes I get the beginnings of a spot, but this stops it in its tracks. I got rid of a cystic spot in only a few days, and there is almost no scar. The only con is that it makes your skin look quite flushed, but that is a small price to pay for clear skin. Love it, love it, and only £8.00 for a big tube on the NHS. Two points I should mention - my acne had been controlled first by the antibiotics, so it was only mild when I started the cream. Also, go carefully with any retinoid as hair loss is a danger that isn't mentioned in the leaflets.
September 19, 2011
Pros:
Black heads are smaller, chances of white heads reduced, clearer skin in general, works on back and chest!
Cons:
You must wait through the break out phase in order to see the result of clear skin
I was skeptical when I first started using this because of the increased break-outs, but after about a month and a half, my chest and back started clearing up. It also helps the process if you DO NOT pick at any of your acne. You have to let the medicine do its job.
Pros:
works better than anything I have ever used.