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The following side effects are expected to occur in the first 2-4 weeks of treatment, and resolve with continued use of adapalene. Contact your doctor if these symptoms are severe and/or do not go away after 4 weeks of treatment:
How Common (based on clinical studies)
| Skin oiliness | Up to 66% of all users |
| Dryness of skin | Up to 63% of all users |
| Redness | Upto 54% of all users |
| Skin peeling or scaling | Up to 52 % of all users |
| Itching | Up to 50% of all users |
| Burning or stinging sensation | Up to 45% of all users |
| Skin discomfort | Up to 5.8% of all users |
| Sunburn | Up to 1.2% of all users |
Adapalene may also cause other side effects that are not mentioned here. Contact your doctor if you experience any other troublesome symptoms when using adapalene.
References
- UpToDate. Adapalene: drug information. Available from: https://www.uptodate.com/contents/adapalene-drug-information?search=adapalen&source=panel_search_result&selectedTitle=1~20&usage_type=panel&kp_tab=drug_general&display_rank=1. Cited October 29, 2018.
- Cunliffe WJ, Caputo R, Dreno B, Förström L, Heenen M, Orfanos CE, Privat Y, Robledo Aguilar A, Meynadier J, Alirezai M, Jablonska S, Shalita A, Weiss JS, Chalker DK, Ellis CN, Greenspan A, Katz HI, Kantor I, Millikan LE, Swinehart JM, Swinyer L, Whitmore C, Czernielewski J, Verschoore M. Clinical efficacy and safety comparison of adapalene gel and tretinoin gel in the treatment of acne vulgaris: Europe and U.S. multicenter trials. J Am Acad Dermatol. 36(6 Pt 2), S126-34 (1997).
- Eichenfield LF, Jarratt M, Schlessinger J, Kempers S, Manna V, Hwa J, Liu Y, Graeber M; Adapalene Lotion Study Group. Adapalene 0.1% lotion in the treatment of acne vulgaris: results from two placebo-controlled, multicenter, randomized double-blind, clinical studies. J Drugs Dermatol. 9(6), 639-46 (2010).
- Ellis CN, Millikan LE< Smith EB, Chalker DM, Swinyer LJ, Katz IH, Berger RS, Millis OH, Baker M, Verschoore M, Loesche C. Comparison of adapalene 0.1% solution and tretinoin 0.025% gel in the topical treatment of acne vulgaris. British J Dermatol. 139 (suppl 52), 41-47 (1998).
- Ioannides D, Rigopoulos D, Katsambas A. Topical adapalene gel 0.1% vs. isotretinoin gel 0.05% in the treatment of acne vulgaris: a randomized open-label clinical trial. British Journal of Dermatology 147, 523–527 (2002).
- Shalita A, Weiss JS, Chalker DK, Ellis CN, Greenspan A, Katz HI, Kantor I, Millikan LE, Swinehart T, Swinyer L, Whitmore C, Baker M, Czernielewski J. A comparison of the efficacy and safety of adapalene gel 0.1% and tretinoin gel 0.025% in the treatment of acne vulgaris: a multicenter trial. J Am Acad Dermatol, 34, 482-485 (1996).
- DailyMed. Adapalene. Available from: https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=ADAPALENE&pagesize=2