Topical Anti-inflammatory
Efficacy
52%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Topical Anti-inflammatory
Acne.org’s Real World Take
An anti-inflammatory that takes weeks or months to kick in, so you’ll need patience. Provides modest benefit in some users. It’s never hit the big time in acne treatment. But it’s an interesting way to target acne on a purely inflammation level.
Topical Anti-inflammatory
How to Get It
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.
Used Dapsone (Aczone®)? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
January 10, 2014
It's not a miracle cure - but it DOES work!
Cons:
Expensive
I have adult acne - I never had acne in my teens - and it has been a struggle to get it under control. The type of acne I have is cystic with large nodules that are very painful with several angry red pustules, and a lot of scarring. I have been on a regimen of retin-a 0.05% at night with Aczone in the morning for about 6 months, and I have had really good results. Do I still get acne - yes. Is it like it was before - definetly not! When I do get a cluster of pimples (usually right around my period) I double up on the Aczone and even put it on under my Retin A at night, and it clears up withing 2 days. I will say that this product is very expensive (with just my insurance I have to pay $90!) HOWEVER they offer coupons a lot on their site so I wind up paying around $25 for a 30g tube, which is worth it to me. A tube lasts me far longer than a month, because I use it for spot treatment only.
December 10, 2013
Made my acne worse
Cons:
Irritated face, much more red
Face was flakey but still oily
Made acne worse, so many white heads
I was prescribed this and Tretinoin in august and used them up till november (about 4 months) when i decided to give up on them. While i was using these two products (along with solodyn) i noticed my acne only got worse than its ever been before. When i stopped using them, i went to the dermatologist and we decided i would go on accutane. Now ive been waiting the month finishing all the paper work and the ipledge and the bloodwork meanwhile my acne has cleared up so much that im questioning wether i still want to do the accutane. This product really irritated my face and i was so red all the time. I got a lot more acne on my cheeks which ive never had before and so many white heads on a daily basis. On top of it all my skin was flaky but still oily at the same time so makeup did not help. Personally, this did not work for me at all and ive only been seeing improvement since ive stoped.
December 6, 2013
Aczone..
Pros:
No burning
No peeling
No redness
I've been using this for a month and no results. Good thing that it doesn't burn and peel my face. I have really sensitive skin. I'll just continue on.
November 25, 2013
Aczone user for almost 1 year. 15 yrs old, moderate/severe acne, dry/sensitive skin
Pros:
Reduces scarring and pore size
Doesn't dry out skin (good for sensitive skin too!)
Wears well underneath makeup
Cons:
No major effects on acne
EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE!!! $75 per tube
My derm. originally put me on Aczone because my acne wasn't too severe, but I would get tons of blackheads, whiteheads, papules, pustules, and a few nodules. This cream is a good alternative for someone like me who has very dry skin but yet still has acne. I have been using Aczone for almost a year now, and it hasn't done much for my acne. The most it has done for me is reduce scarring and maybe slightly reduces the amount of pimples I get. The only reason why I continue to use this stuff is because I do feel it somewhat keeps my acne under control (whereas it would freak out). I'm going back to the derm. soon, so hopefully I can try something new. I have to admit though, that when you put it on after washing your face it leaves the skin looking/feeling very nice and smooth. I think it might slightly reduce pore size too, which is a plus. Bottom line is, if you're looking for a treatment for serious acne, or to see long-term results this isn't the product for you. It has also been a money pit...which sucks so much. $75 per tube!!!
November 11, 2013
Pretty Good
Pros:
Doesn't dry out skin
Helps most whiteheads and small pustules
Good consistency
Cons:
Doesn't help big pustules/cysts
Can be greasy if used too much
I have been on Aczone for a little less than a year. I really like the consistency of the gel and it doesn't dry my skin out at all. The bad news, it really didn't prevent the big pustules and small cystic pimples I would get around my chin. It is slightly greasy so I tend to load it up at night and put a light coverage during the day. I started accutane a week ago (for the big pimples I get) and I can still use aczone without it drying out my skin (i just put it on problem areas to prevent the IB). Overall its a pretty good product and keeps most of my acne at bay without damaging my skin!
October 28, 2013
Good
Pros:
scentless
leaves skin feeling refreshed
can be worn under make-up
Cons:
expensive
Wonderful product. Although I still have breakouts, they're a lot more controlled, and don't last as long. I use this twice a day (full face), and also throughout the day for spot-on treatment. Once I feel a bump, I apply the gel, and then usually by the next day, the bump is gone. For whiteheads, usually by the next day or two, the pimple is cleared. In terms of scarring, I've noticed somewhat of an improvement. In terms of dryness, I feel like I've used so many different products (benzaclin, tactuo, differin, clindamycin, etc...), so my skin adapts really well to different products, thus my skin does not get dry with this product. In fact, I never need to moisturize since I've been using it. Note that I'm using this product in conjunction with Doxycycline-Hyclate antibiotic oral pills.
October 6, 2013
pretty impressed!
Pros:
reduces inflammation
slow but sure results
Cons:
dries up skin
I wouldn't call this a miracle cream, but it does its job! I had a really bad acne flair up a few months ago and I was prescribed aczone (and xiana) to use daily. Of course I wanted a quick fix, but aczone says it works best after 12 weeks.
I was patient. Now it's 12 weeks and I would say my skin looks about 75% better! No big breakout clusters, just a few spots here and there. I have dark spots left from my acne but I would much rather have those than pimples. I am pretty impressed with my results, especially after seeing almost no difference for the first month. You just gotta push through and your skin will eventually calm down! I would suggest putting it on, letting it dry for ~10 minutes and then putting a moisturizer on top because it really dried me out. I understand different Rxs work different for everyone, but for me aczone really helped my skin.
June 28, 2013
Works!
Pros:
Dried Up Pimples
Not Over-Drying
Cons:
Stops Working After A Few Months
Back in January I started to break out really bad. I never used to have bad skin, but now I do.. I went to the Dermatologist in March and she prescribed me Aczone and another oral medication called Oracea. Aczone immediately started working on my skin and drying up the pimples without drying my skin out. It worked for 2 months, then it stopped working, sadly.. I think my skin has become too immune to this topical medication and that's why it stopped working. I'm going to try a few drug store topcials and see how they work, and I will probably go back to using Aczone regularly in about two months. Overall Aczone works well in the beginning but after using it daily for a few months I found that it stopped working on my skin.
June 22, 2013
Helps reduce some cysts, but not all
Pros:
reduces the size of some cysts
It doesn't dry my skin
Cons:
takes some time
pricey without insurance
I'm 30 years old. I have been battling with acne since I turned 23! My dermatologist prescribed Aczone along with antibiotics ever since he noticed the cysts, so I've been on this medication for years now. Aldactone helped tremendously in the past, but I stopped taking it because after 2 years, side effects started happening. I went back on antibiotics (now I'm on Birth control and Bactrim DS) and I am struggling again with cystic acne, but worse than before. That's why I am really testing Aczone. I do notice that it slowly reduces the size of some pimples. Sometimes it works overnight, in a week or not work at all. At that point, I have my dermatologist inject some cortisone directly on my huge pimple. For the price and the amount of product I get, I am not too happy with it.
I recommend Aczone because it might work faster on other people.
February 23, 2013
Pros:
Gel consistency (helps in absorption)
Works Fast
No initial breakout (at least for me)
Targets inflammation
Good as overall treatment AND spot treatment
Cons:
Drying
Must be used twice a day to really see results (which gets tricky because of mentioned dryness)
A bit of a chalky feel when it dries
Expensive without coupon
This product was my transition from Accutane and it has worked great ever since. I can't say its completely cleared me up but it has kept my acne in check with minimal side effects but with very effective results. I recommend it for those who have had dead ends with BP or retinoids.
Pros:
No Smell
Good for Sensitive Skin (Non Drying)
Little goes a long way