Acne.org Products
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
August 27, 2010
Product used: Azelex (Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream)
Cons:
Leaves my skin feeling very greasy.
Constantly trying to wash the grease off my face, which makes my acne feel worse.
Using it twice a day (as per doctor's recommendation), at night is ok but during the day it's difficult to wear makeup over the top. Makes my skin very sticky and has increased my morning routine by about 45 minutes (while waiting for it to 'dry' as much as possible).
First few days it stung a little when applying, now every time I apply it makes my ski
Hasn't changed my acne whatsoever, is leaving my skin very greasy and difficult to wear under makeup. Will persevere for another couple of weeks to see if it makes any difference, but so far nothing. Not as bad as some side effects I've had, but of everything I've tried (10 or so different pills and/or solutions) it's been the least effective.
December 5, 2012
Product used: Skinoren (Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream)
Pros:
It works!
No side affects
Reasonably priced (in NZ)
Cons:
Could do with a bigger tube?
I'm a 32 year old male. Suffered from acne since early teens. Derma said I would have adult acne into my 40's. Tried roaccutane when I was younger, antibiotics, BP cream, Salicylilc acid etc. and nothing worked. I don't know how I didn't know about Azelaic Acid but I'm so glad I do now! - Been using for 3 months and my skin is clearer than it has ever been and there are NO side effects to this cream. No flaky skin, no sensitive skin, no sun sensitive skin just clear skin! Use it twice a day after cleansing with a mild cleanser like cetaphil. Apply generously to the entire affected area, this isn't a spot treatment. I rub in over chin and cheeks area. A 30g tube lasts me about 3 weeks. NOTE! - Give this treatment a chance. It takes at least 4 weeks to start working but after that you will notice a continual improvement. Good luck! There is hope! :)
July 30, 2013
Product used: Finacea (Azelaic Acid (15%) Gel)
Happy with it, will continue. Need to take extra stuff though
Pros:
Dries pimples very fast
Really smooths skin texture
Cons:
Leaves white residue (if you put on too much)
I hope this will be helpful to someone, I will try to be short: I have PCOS and have had acne for... 7 or 8 years now D: I've taken Roaccutane, birth control pills, tried all sorts of creams. Right now I'm still taking birth control pills but I'm quitting in a few days. I don't want to depend on them for the rest of my life, plus, they never cleared my face completely. I started using Finacea about a month ago, and at the same time I started taking zinc, chromium, and primrose oil. Even though my face gets kind of oily, especially now that it's summer, I have no blackheads and no pimples whatsoever, I'm really really happy right now, I hope I can keep things this way. After I quit the pills I plan on taking DIM and maybe licorice extract, or some sort of anti-androgen. Also, I drink lots and lots of tea! Green tea and spearmint tea are great.
March 22, 2011
Product used: Azelex (Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream)
Pros:
-Didn't itch or burn for me like others mentioned
-No irritation
-Goes on smooth and dries clear
Cons:
-Made my dry/normal skin become and oil slick
-can be expensive w/o insurence
After 3 months on Accutane my acne went from moderate to ligh/non existant...I get an occasional pimple. I was put on Aczone to maintain my skin(that stuff is amazing) I ran out and decided I wanted to give Azelex a try..I applied it to my forhead and chin since those are my problem areas. It made my skin dry at first but I used moisturizer afterwards and then my skin returned to it's normal condition. About a couple hours later my skin felt like I had this thick film over it, I took out my blotting sheets and I was amazed at how oily this made my skin! It's not a coincidence since it's only oily in the areas I applied Azelex, that and the fact I haven't been oily for over a month. Everyone is different since some people say it's too drying. Try it because it might work for you.
May 6, 2015
Product used: Finacea (Azelaic Acid (15%) Gel)
Works wonders on acne & the skin texture
The ONLY thing that has helped my acne for the past 10 years, has been birth control, but for health reasons I had to stop taking them last year and I was petrified of the horror to come. I tried Salicylic acid, then benzyl peroxide and zinc. SA didn't do much, BP tore my skin apart (I have very dry and sensitive skin), and Zinc only made my hair grow like crazy. I decided to take this matter to a doctor, who prescribed Finacea and told that it has great effects but takes about 2 weeks to work. I'm now 4 weeks in (I was patience as hell), and the real difference has happened now. So I wouldn't give up on this after a week. My extremely dry skin is smooth as a baby's butt, I have some scarring left but only get about one or two small pimples per week. But it's the texture of the skin that's the most impressive part! This also works great under make-up, just make sure you blend it well. A little goes a long way, it might itch a little bit but it's not too bad (for me it means, it's working). Apply it before your moisturizer (I did it the other way before). For me this is the closest equivalent what birth control would do to acne.
July 10, 2015
What face wash have you been using?
April 5, 2016
The itching means you have to wait longer after washing your face. Usually its 30min-hr if its itching, just means it irritating it
December 22, 2013
Product used: Finacea (Azelaic Acid (15%) Gel)
fades hyper-pigmentaion left by acne!
Pros:
fades hyper-pigmentation
clears mild acne
Cons:
expensive
finacea 15% gel works good on acne it makes pimples come to its head then they pop on there own.
but i have notice that this topical is AMAZING at fading my hyper-pigmentation left by my acne. -also it is very expensive if you have no insurance.
June 27, 2011
Product used: Skinoren (Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream)
Pros:
- Really reduces clogged pores thus less pimples
- Lightens previous acne marks
- Easy to apply and doesn't smell too clinical
- One tube lasts a long time
Cons:
- Can sting/tingle the first few times of usage
- Difficult to find in the UK, my doctor hadn't even heard of it, so have to have it shipped from New Zealand
I've waited 4 months before writing on here as I wanted to give the product a fair shot. While it might not be for everyone, it HAS worked for me so if this review can be of use to anyone then I'll be happy. For the first week I only used it on alternate days, finally building up to twice a day every day. I don't know if it was the skinoren or the UV lamp I started using (Beauty Skin by Dr Kern - another fantastic product), but within the first few weeks I definitely had a purge. Not terrible, at most 6-7 papules, and certainly not as big as my previous pimples. After this my skin has really improved: I went from a lot of whiteheads (clogged pores) and papules to almost no whiteheads nor any sort of papules. While the whiteheads were 'coming out' there was some redness, but this was temporary and the marks have nearly all but faded. I still get the occasional hormonal pimple but these are much much smaller than 4 months ago and go within a few days (unlike a few weeks). I would definitely recommend this product to people who are sensitive to Retin-A and BP, as I was. Please do remember that I am using this in conjunction with the UV lamp, which is excellent. Altogether I am very happy and I hope you can be too. Thanks for reading and good luck!
January 27, 2011
Product used: Azelex (Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream)
Pros:
-Gets rid of whiteheads & ones that you picked at.
-Stops cysts in their tracks.
-Calms redness.
-Clears a lot in about a week, but takes full effect after about 4 weeks - a month.
-Very good amount in package.
-Lasts a long time.
-Didn't dry skin out.
-My insurance covered it.
:)
Cons:
-STINGS FOR A WHILEE!
-Don't put it in the crevices of your nose.. it will burn!
-Made skin oily, thats why I use it at night and not before school.
-Has a slight smell, and if I had to choose, it's not too pleasant.
-If you discontinue use for a while or for good, you'll get negative results.
-VERY creamy&liquidy.
-Doesn't work as good on severe acne.
I had this a loooong time ago, and it worked WONDERS on my moderate acne.It cleared up in almost a month. EVERYTHING. But around the "time of the month" if you're a girl, you still get breakouts, but they're not as bad. And ever since I used this, I've learned one lesson -DO NOT put it ANYWHERE AROUND your nose. I mean, you can put it ON your nose, but in the crevices, it will burn like heck. A few weeks ago, I had to stop using it because I lost the container, and after a week, it showed BAD results. Acne had struck me hard after stopping use of Azelex. But, luckily, I got it back, and everything's under control. I definitely reccomend this, it works! :) And for the price, MY insurance covered it. Without insurance, it costs about 150 or so. It's worth it, trust me(;.
April 21, 2010
Product used: Azelex (Azelaic Acid (20%) Cream)
Pros:
It works and it is wonderful, give it a try!!
Cons:
The first times you apply the cream it might itch and burns a little bit but that goes away soon after a few times.
This is the first time I review a product, I never do , I guess I am kind of lazy but thinking about all the other fellows who struggle with this issue I felt I should pass this on...This cream is wonderful, I try everything including antibiotics and nothing worked...Also, my skin is very sensitive and it tends to dry a lot. This cream cleared my skin and made all the acne marks fade away, it makes the pimples appear less often it they do at all. Give it a try and don't give up on having beautiful skin...!!! By the way, I think you can only get it with a prescription from your doctor which I think is the best way to go instead of buying a product over the counter which they usually don't work for more serious cases. Good luck!!!
June 19, 2014
Product used: Finacea (Azelaic Acid (15%) Gel)
Excellent topical for morning use.
I have used Finacea as part of my morning regimen for about a year. I love it!! My breakouts clear much more quickly, it smooths out my skin tone, and eases redness from current breakouts. One of my favorite parts--it wears fantastically under makeup! Other topicals I have used in the morning look greasy, cause peeling, or make my make up look just plain gross. But I have found that finacea works somewhat like a makeup primer as far as smoothing out skin and giving a good canvas for foundation application, it controls oiliness due to its matte finish, and it fights acne at the same time so its a win-win in my book. Even after a year of use, my face does sometimes itch for a few minutes after application, but it is very bearable and worth it. That is the only side effect--no peeling, red, raw feeling skin like some of the harsher topicals cause. I have found that it works best on the smaller pimples and does not do too much for cysts. However, I generally have many small pimples and only 1-2 cysts a month that clear somewhat quickly, so it is a great product for me. I have very problematic skin and moderate acne, so even though it has not completely cleared my skin or anything, I am very pleased with the results and would hate to see my skin without it!
July 10, 2015
What face wash do you use with Finacea?
Pros:
2 weeks in so far...
No pros that I can think of. Hasn't had an effect on my acne whatsoever.