Topical Antibacterial
Acne.org’s Real World Take
At prescription strengths (15 - 20%) studies show it should help reduce mild-to-moderate acne by a significant and noticeable amount after 3 months or so of treatment, so that’s not too shabby. However, it is unlikely to completely clear the skin on its own.
Topical Antibacterial
How to Get It
Azelaic acid is available in 15% - 20% 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. Azelaic acid is also available over-the-counter in strengths 10% and lower. Here are some places you can find it online.
Used Azelaic Acid? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
March 14, 2007
Product used: Skinoren (Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream)
Cons:
It burns like hell. It made my skin very flaky and scaley!!
Dont buy this. There are better meds out there.
March 13, 2007
Product used: Azelex (Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream)
Pros:
It did fade my red marks a little bit.
Cons:
Made my face itch really badly for the first few minutes after application. Like you want to scratch off my whole face. No burning. Itching decreases after a few weeks of daily use.
I used this for 2x a day for 3 months and had zero change in my acne. If anything I think it got a little worse.
March 11, 2007
Product used: Skinoren (Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream)
Pros:
it seems to work at first
Cons:
it's kind of useless
the bottom line is, it's better than nothing, but still,i d go for something better. i got it for free , since it was compensated so i didn't really care if it worked or not.personally i think that my back acnee is worse than before
March 7, 2007
Product used: Skinoren (Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream)
Cons:
itchy...
i have a mild acme in just one part of my face
and it just wont go away... skinoren was good for the first couple of months, ofcourse it was itchy but didnt care.. now my problem is worse than ever plus plus my skin is de-hydrated..:-( its the only product that was actually working though, even for a little while
March 4, 2007
Product used: Azelex (Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream)
Pros:
fades red marks
Cons:
itches...goes away after like 3 weeks, seems to do nothing for acne, still breaking out
used it morning and night, i need to get on something else this didn't work.
March 2, 2007
Product used: Azelex (Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream)
Pros:
it seems to work, but ive only been on it for a week.. it also makes my face feel smoother
Cons:
it does itch at first... but thats about it
ive only used finacea for about a week, so far everything is going pertty good and my skin is gradually clearing. I was a little concerned about using it and almost decided to stop because of all the things about it giving people worse skin, but i figure my skin wouldve broken out already if it was gonna do that. A lot of people used this and liked it a lot, so im hoping i get good results. I used it before and i didnt like it, but that was because i was using it like a spot treatment, just dabbing a little glob on one pimple at a time.... DO NOT DO THIS... it makes your skin really dry and red for about a week in those areas. make sure to rub it in like a lotion on your problem areas... then it will probably work.
March 1, 2007
Product used: Azelex (Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream)
Pros:
It seemed to clear my skin a little at first
Cons:
Stinging on application, tight stinging itchy dry skin, acne as bad as ever but now with the addition of the dry red areas around my mouth and nose
Horrible stinging when you first apply it, having been using for nearly 7 months (by the way I read in the instructions that its not advised for use for more than 6mths-is this true?). I went back to my GP a month ago and he told me I wasn't using enough- so that night I applied the amount he suggested... by next morning the entire lower half of my face was covered with a red rash. I have stopped using it on the lower half of my face because of this, but even so 2 months later I am still experiencing really unslightly and sore dry peeling skin around my mouth and nose. My forehead, where my acne is worst has never been so oily, I have to keep blotting it during the day. At certain times of the month I don't really have any pimples as such but the texture of my forehead is really lumpy and oily, its almost like there are pimples without any redness or a head. At other times of the month, I get pimples in addition to this uneven texture and dry skin. I'm going to go back on the pill!
January 24, 2007
Product used: Azelex (Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream)
Pros:
red marks are fading, reduced break outs
Cons:
mild stinging and itching after application
My derm prescribed the Azelex cream applied in the morning with 100 mgs Doxycicline twice a day, stilling waiting for the insurance to approve the retin A for evening usage. My back is cleared up (hooray) my face looks so much better, I did notice a two new BIG blackheads which I generally don't have but I prefer that to the huge cysts!
January 22, 2007
Product used: Azelex (Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream)
Pros:
works well, on acne and scarring. way less painful/unpleasant/drying than other acne treatments. it's also not nearly as intensive a treatment as a retinoid (no liver effects, no photosensitivity).
Cons:
a little itching and burning when you first apply the product. it goes away after a couple of weeks, and you can minimize the effects by only applying the cream to completely dry skin.
this is a great product for me. i have very sensitive skin and have tried lots of treatments. many people on this forum seem to dislike the product based on reports of discomfort, but really any medication for acne will have some side effects, and this one is far less disruptive than others. i think the cream is probably better for dry skin than oily. also, as some mentioned, it does leave a white-ish film if you put a lot on, so maybe more suited to pale complexions if you're putting it on in the morning. i use mine at night.
January 21, 2007
Product used: Azelex (Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream)
Pros:
It is the only thing that works for my acne.
Cons:
It is quite expensive and difficult to find in Canada (where I'm living now). In Europe it can be found in any pharmacy and some pharmaciens sell it without prescriptions.
I've been using Skinoren (another name under which azelaic acid can be found in Europe) since 1994 . The best thing about azelaic acid is that keeps the skin young. I have a friend who is also using Skinoren and we look both much younger. Not longtime ago, we came to the conclusion that Skron is responsible for that.
Pros:
None, i can think of.