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
August 23, 2010
Cons:
dry skin
itchy and irritating sometimes
im 16 had moderate acne so i was perscribed diffren with evoclin and solodyn my acne was removed within a couple of weeks and so were my scars but my skin was left so sensitive that i developed aresia and it sux because i play baseball and im always out in the sun. but nevertheless i recomend it its an awesome way to get rid of acne but works better wen perscribed with evoclin and solodyn the ultimate combination
June 7, 2010
Pros:
Clears acne
Reduces scars
I had acne that seemed to be getting worse with all the different treatments and at home remedies I would try. My boyfriend got Differin prescribed to him and his skin is flawless so he let me borrow his.
After using a week it seemed to get worse but I kept up with using it every night. Its been 2 months using and I havent had a serious breakout for over a month! I had horrible scarring on my chin and had to wear a lot of makeup but my scarring cleared by 90%. I occasionally get small whiteheads that clear up in a day.
I heard some people have a bad reaction to it but I haven't, everyones skin is different. If you have a prescription you can find it cheap online.
May 31, 2010
Pros:
Did clear up an existing acne breakout very fast. No chemical smell or sticky/oily residue.
Cons:
Extreamly drying. It's caused redness, peeling and minor swelling and moderate pain on my face. Don't use if your planning to attend any event where photos will be taken as for the first few weeks you skin may look way worse than previously.
After trying many pharmacy, department store and other prescription brand drugs for my acne my doctor gave me Differin. I've only been using it one week but so far it's been a nightmare. My face looks terrible and feels just as bad. I'm going to switch from daily use to every second day on doctors advice. I plan to persist with this drug though as i've read it takes time to work and the results are worth the discomfort in the end.
January 29, 2015
9 weeks in and the progress has been great.
So basically I struggled with mild acne on my forehead and chin for 18 months. My acne consisted of small black heads which created little bumps. After trying basically every face wash and cream under the shelf, I went to my doctor and he prescribed me differin. At first differin burnt my face and made it peel which was very uncomfortable especially when i applied makeup. I also had two initial breakouts, which occurred around weeks 3 and 6. Right now I'm a few days into week 9 and during these few days my acne has cleared up drastically. My advice for people who are on differin is not to give up hope because the outcome is worth it. I would also recommend moisturising your face twice a day, and exfoliating every 2-3 days. Goodluck to everyone who is on it :)
November 25, 2014
Combination is the way to go
This is gonna be a long review - I apologise in advance I had an allergic reaction to Bio Oil and I developed millions and millions of whiteheads. My face with make up looked like Quaker oats! With my graduation only 3 weeks away, I went to the doctors and he prescribed me Differin. You cannot imagine my horror when he told me it'd get worse before it gets better and it could also take about 4 weeks to work. I could not risk this "worse period" happening on my graduation day so I bought a steroid cream, Funbact A off ebay - stupid decision, I know but I was desperate. The steroid cream appeared to work at first the I had an outburst. My whiteheads became inflamed and I looked a hot mess! At this point, I decided to accept my fate and go on Differin - this was Oct 3rd. The first few weeks were hell - my skin burned so much. I'm African so my chocolate skin became black around the areas of application. I tried using it every other day with aloe vera gel on my off day and this helped calm my skin down. I stopped using make up and my tea tree products because my skin just could not handle it. I went back to the doctors because I was not sure I wanted to continue with Differin - it had been 4 weeks and my skin was getting worse. I was asked to persevere for a bit more and was given lymecycline 408mg (twice daily for the first two weeks then once daily) - just in case I decided to stop the differin all together. I took both treatments together and I'm not sure what exactly worked but my cystic acne calmed down and it's just continued to get better. I read online that Differin alone will not make the skin blemish free so I added Simple spotless skin triple wash and the pore minimizing toner to my regimen. I also drink warm lemon water every morning and rub the squeezed lemon on my face to fade scars. At weekends, I do a honey, lemon and tomato pulp mask. Today - 25th Nov, my skin feels so smooth and It is so much brighter as well. I have just gotten another tube of Differin from my doctors, I intend to continue using this with my regimen for maintenance
April 26, 2012
Pros:
has cleared 75% of my acne
got rid of most of my scars
Cons:
initial redness but that goes away:)
initial breakout but it wasn't that bad
skin can get sensitive and dry but that fades
I think Differin is excellent. This is the one product that has actually worked for me. My skin is quite oily and it works extremely well with my face. You must! give this product time! I have been using it for two months and people have noticed a very good change in my face:).And so have I. before i started using Differin i had about 15-16 acne scars and normally more than 6-7 noticeable pimples on my face. Now i only have about 4 with only 2 barely noticeable pimples. within 2 and a half months of using this product ''properly'' :). I definitely recommend this to people with oily skin:)
March 18, 2011
Pros:
May work on some...
Cons:
Did not work on me....
I found this site helpful for me when I was questioning whether Differin was working for me or not. I was told like many others to give it at least 3 months to start working. Inititially, I think people think it is working because it is so drying so everything on your skin kinda goes away. Eventually that drying turned into extreme dryness for me to the point of discomfort. After about 4 weeks into Differin, my skin got significantly worse and again, like others, I was told this was going to make my skin get worse b4 it got better. So I sucked it up. Long story short, I had breakouts that were not typical 4 me (not the normal areas I would break out, nor the type of breakout; it almost looked like a rash). I kept up the Differin though bc I had hope until about 1 week ago when I couldnt take it anymore. I looked way worse than when I started! (That was 2 weeks b4 my 3 months of trying were up). Bottom line is... 1 week later my skin looks way better! The Differin was definitely irritating it. I started using OXY Clinical which was way more soothing than the Differin. I am still taking Doxy 4 my hormonal breakouts too. I just wanted to share my story in case someone else is wondering if it is making their skin worse too. You know your skin the best! If you feel it isn't working the way it should; STOP! My other advice is, since most of us spend a ton of $ anyways on acne treatments, try investing in a Clarisonic. It really helps any acne treaments get into the skin better and reallys helps get rid of dead pore clogging skin cells. Best investment for my skin yet, and girls, it helps get rid of any traces of makeup left on your skin. I hope this helps someone!!!!!!
December 19, 2009
Pros:
Seemed to clear up acne in the begining but stopped working after a few months.
Cons:
made skin so peely. i would be fine when i left the house and about an hour into my school day i would take a look at myself in the mirror and i would be peeling everywhere! how embarassing.
have used it on and off for years. not thrilled and dermatologist will not give me anything else. i think my dermatologist gets paid to presribe this.
December 7, 2009
Pros:
Differin has worked well on my skin so far. I've used it for 2 weeks and its made my skin much more acne resistent. I don't break out when I shave anymore and I havent noticed many new pimples. At this rate, I should be clear in 2 weeks
Cons:
None yet. really easy to use. (not a con)
its easy to use. its powerful.
March 11, 2013
Pros:
clears up dark acne scars
saw improvements within the first week
Cons:
can leave face dry
Love love love the results I had verry bad acne and did not want to get accuntane I was given this and its great my face is still very oily but its worth it. Stick to it you are not expected to see results within the first 2 months but I saw results from the first week my acne is totally under controll I feel CONFIDENT AGAIN !
Pros:
removes acne
fades away scars