Generic Name: adapalene
Brand Name: Differin topical
Drug Reviews Drug and Medication User Reviews
Im in my fifties and i used it to get rid of brown spots and it didnt do anything!
It's a great product, but user MUST be cautious!! Only use a very gentle, fragrance free, sulfate free cleanser in the am followed with a SPF moisturizer. For pm routine, again gentle cleanser and moisturizer. Wait for that to dry. Pea size (absolutely no more!) Amount of adapalene followed by moisturizer again. Apply adapalene every other night until you feel comfortable adding every night. DO NOT USE A TONER! This causes further irritation and increases the likelihood you will get a bad reaction. Also, if you notice extreme dryness around mouth, apply Vaseline or something similar after moisturizer and before you apply adapalene. This will help. Cleanser, moisturizer (SPF in the am as well VERY IMPORTANT!) and adapalene ARE THE ONLY PRODUCTS needed until your skin adapts to this product, which will be a few months. Then you can start to add other products to help with scars or what not AND you educate yourself on how to incorporate them into your skincare routine. Side note, it's recommended to introduce your skin to one new product at a time.
I've been using differin gel for about 2 years now. My routine consists of washing face with cetaphil gentle cleanser once a day at night and washing face with cold water in the morning, applying cetaphil moisturizer twice a day, and applying differin over my entire face and lower jaw area after moisturizer at night. I never used the gel everyday, and imo you don't need to unless your face tolerates it well. I only use once every couple days in the beginning and twice a week now. I started noticing improvements right away but there were multiple purging phases where my skin got better and then worse and then repeat. Noticeable improvements were noticed after 2 months and after half an year my condition has remained stable - with some closed comedones and a few small pimples on my jawline area only. Overall I'd say my acne has improved around 70-80%. People who say this doesn't work either overused it in the beginning or didn't stick with it long enough to see results, I believe this is the best topical acne medication there is (maybe trentinoin is also as good?) and certainly worth trying for at least half an year before deciding to hop on accutane.
I am 16 years old and around June last year I started to develop mild-moderate acne around my chin, cheeks and jawline. It wasn't cystic but my face was always inflamed and very textured which made me pretty self-conscious especially being around my friends who had perfect, clear skin. I tried many over the counter facial washes and treatments plus also tried home remedies but nothing seemed to make much difference. I became sick of being so insecure so I went to the dermatologist and he prescribed me with Differin Cream 0.1% Adapalene. I spent hours looking at reviews and received many mixed opinions regarding the medication and although I was really nervous to try it I decided to give it a go. I would cleanse my skin, moisturise then apply the Differin every night and after the first week I didn't notice any difference, good or bad, in my skin. By week 2/3 my skin purged a little bit (as expected) but it was no where as bad as the reviews I had read claimed, but that was just my experience. Throughout the first weeks my skin would flake if I applied the Differin too close to my mouth, I have oily skin anyway so it didn't make my skin too dry apart from that. Once the purge subsided my skin began to clear and all those nasty pimples faded away. By week 6 my skin was completely smooth, only leaving red marks behind which Differin still continues to fade along side vitamin c and other products to get rid of my scars. It's now week 13 and for the most part I'm super happy with my skin and so grateful for this amazing medication. If you're worried about purging or any other side effects please trust me when I say it differs for everybody and the wait is so worth it because this product truly saved my skin :)
I had been using benzoyl peroxide for a long while with ok results. I still would have 2-3 zits on my face sometimes (mostly around my time of the month) but looking back it wasn't too bad. I just started to notice my skin was looking dull and congested so thought I needed to change up. My dermatologist suggested Differin last time I saw her, so after much research I decided to give it a try. I knew there was going to be a purge phase so I thought I was prepared. I was not. I look like I have a disease on my face. After week 8 and seeing no improvement and suddenly developing itchiness that was driving me crazy, I made an emergency appointment with my dermatologist. I am now on 3 medications to counteract the effects of differin. It may work for some but unfortunately I was not one of those people. I regret it so much. Please be cautious, because I now have months of recovery ahead of me.
I’m use to having at least one active spot on my face at any given time, differin has really helped me. I found I was developing moderate acne about 2 years ago and I tried everything else. Skincare products, diet supplements, and cutting out dairy. It helped but differin was the gold star. I can see in the reviews many people have issues with this but you just have to give this a lot of time to work and be patient. It took maybe 3 months for this to stop flaring up any spots and start to work. Now my skin is completely different, I love this stuff. Most effective skincare product out there, makes me angry I wasted so much money on skincare products that weren’t prescription. If you try this, you need to change your skin routine to make it work around differin. Use a gentle or hydrating cleanser to wash your face at night, then apply your moisturiser, then differin. It will still work fine, just the moisturiser makes it less harsh for your skin. apply it everyday or build up to applying it every day. Always best to use it at night as it sensitises your skin to the sun. Apply spf during the day. Don’t apply it too close to your eyes, nose crease or chin crease as it will make your skin there peel. I don’t understand why this isn’t more widely discussed. Give a go, be patient and see if this works for you.
Terrible stuff I’ve been using it 3 months now and my skin is an absolute mess it’s still bright red and peeling I have Lumps and bumps every where . I do not recommend.
Here's the trick I've found to reduce peeling and discomfort. Wash your face with an extra gentle cleanser, dry with a clean towel and then let air dry for several minutes. Apply a very thin layer of Differin over your entire face and let dry before going to bed. Leave on overnight and then wash your face again in the morning with the same extra gentle cleanser. Immediately apply a good amoutn of a non-comedogenic, fragrance-free lotion moisturizer (I use CereVe). Use Differin only once a day. At almost 60, my acne was worse than ever even after trying a multitude of treatments. Yes, the first weeks using Differin my face peeled and peeled. Sometimes the skin would peel off before its time and leave a red, raw area. But overtime, the peeling has subsided, the blackheads around my nose and checks are noticeably fewer and the whiteheads and Milia are almost gone. I haven't had a full blown acne breakout since I started Differin and the nice side effect is after all that peeling, I have fewer acne scars and shallower wrinkle lines.
Give it time. It took longer than 12 weeks to work for me- It took about 4 months for me. I previously had severe acne "aggressive" cystic acne where I was ashamed to go out in public, and now it's mild to moderate acne. Drs wanted to prescribe me accurate, which I cannot take because of mental health. Differin has been a lifesaver though, but you have to be patient. My acne is not gone, but Differin has been a success, I only wear thin layer of makeup now by choice, and my foundation and concealer routine used to take an hour before differin. I also use benzoyl peroxide-clindamycin gel which compliments Differin well. STAY PATIENT! The first month is hard because your face will get extra sensitive, but Differin is worth it i promise.
This product actually works, it does have drying and peeling effect but that help to fade scars away with time. For cleaning your skin before applying is important but make sure the toners you use are not containing alcohol or have active agents in them. I clean my face with a face wash and sometimes toner and then before applying I wipe my skin off with water to reduce those cleanising agent of products I applied and then apply my gel with cotton and make sure you dont touch it tip or leave it open. I have great result withing 21/2 weeks of using this gel, helped with scars and winkles have also reduced.
Differin is a NIGHTMARE. I knew it would make my skin worse at first, but it never got better. Improvement in 8-12 weeks? Hardly. I finally gave up after 20. 20 weeks of suffering all for NOTHING. My face is worse than it ever was in 56 years. I'm sorry I didn't quit it sooner. It's been a month since I stopped and my face is still a mess. Previously, I only had a few pimples here and there, but this stuff has destroyed my skin. When others tell you "Be patient!" don't listen. Just because it worked for them doesn't mean it will work for you. Don't suffer and hide in your house for 5 months like I've had to. Huge pimples, clusters of them, and peeling so badly, my face bleeds. And makeup only makes it worse. Best advice I can give is DON'T USE THIS or you will regret it.
this product is terrible. i have been strictly cleansing and using toner and applying this at night for around 5 months now and all it has done was make my acne so much worse. i have whitehead’s and blackheads EVERYWHERE with at least one new one every day. i haven’t seen any improvement whatsoever in my skin. it’s red, splotchy, and very oily. it is very easy to use, just squeeze it out and apply onto your face.
I have tried hundreds of medications from over the counter to prescription and I've also tried proactive. For some reason proactive worked for a month then never worked again. And its the same with all acne medications for me. I thought this would be different but all it seems to do is make my acne worse and oily. I used to have dry skin but since using this my skin is so oily I feel I have to clean it every couple hours.
I have struggled with acne for a few years now. I have tried so many different washes and treatments but decided to use differin. I've used it for about a month and this week I started to see a difference in my skin. It's amazing! I just bought another tube!
I am 23 years old and have never experienced acne besides just recently, so I decided to try differin since it was advertised to be specifically for adult acne. I have been using it for 2 weeks and have decided to stop effective immediately. The product does say on the warning label that it may not work for a few months or that it may cause acne to worsen but no where does it say the pain you may experience. My face physically hurts to the touch. It hurts to wrinkle my forehead.... it burns to wash off my makeup. Not to mention that my face is peeling like I have a terrible sunburn. I guess I accidentally got the cleanser on my lips one day and the skin on my lips started to burn and peel off. I would not recommend this product at all. The side effects are no where near minor or manageable.
I started using Differing when I was 15. I prefer the cream over the gel. I am now 30 and it remains the only acne medication that works for me. Yes, in the beginning you may experience dryness and/or redness, but it does subside. When I switched insurance companies it was no longer covered so I went about a few months without being to use the medicine everyday. It was noticeable. It is worth paying $200 plus for the Differen, but I have to use it sparingly.
I'm 28 have been struggling with acne since I was 10. Never went to dermatologist, for a while birth control pills worked but not anymore. I started getting Huge puffy pimples between my cheeks and my ears and a lot of scaring, had enough, it's really starting to affect my self esteem not to mention that my face is always dry and the make up doesn't blend, my skin gets itchy, just horrible. my doctor prescribed differin. Have been using for a week, started in the middle of a cold and extremely cold weather. It has been terrible. Burning sensation, peeling, redness, more pimples... Looking forward for the time to go by to see if it really works! Just so tired of this acne :(
I just started using differin at night since my doctor told me that it would help my acne. My face has been burning and itchy for the past few days and apparently that is a common side effect. I'm hoping that it goes away soon as it is pretty annoying having red spots around my nose and forehead.
I have been using differin for a month now and my acne has gotten worse. i am hoping that it will clear in the next few weeks as people have said. Dryness hasn't been very bad at all. Wish me luck!
I never had acne as a teen, however in my 20's, I was so embarrassed to have full-on break outs. This medicine works. It does take awhile, maybe up to 8 weeks to see any improvement, but it does happen. Now that I'm in my late 30's it's still a part of my daily routine. My only complaint is that our new insurance company does not cover it, so I have to pay out of pocket. At 200.00 a tube, I use it sparingly, believe me. I hope one day it can be sold over the counter.