Generic Name: Differin for Acne (adapalene-topical)
"So...I never comment on these sites, but I HAD to for Differin. It works so incredibly well when nothing else would, such as salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, expensive face products such as NU Skin, no dairy diet, etc. Of course, the purge did happen, and improvement wasn't linear (It would get better and then worse and then better and then way worse) but eventually it got good and stayed that way. It took around 4 months though for it to be consistently good, SO STICK TO IT. That's the only advice I have. JUST STICK TO IT AND DON'T GIVE UP, and it will work wonders."
"YOU HAVE TO STICK WITH IT FOR AT LEAST 4 MONTHS, AND YOUR SKIN WILL GET WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER. But Differin is very worth it! I see all of these bad reviews where people give a bad review and wonder if they used the product right and read how it works. It works by pushing everything in your pores out and stripping your skin, making your face worse for a while, but then it will clear right up. You may peel until your skin gets used to it (only took me a week). Stick with it! Not only does it get rid of the acne, it makes all of your skin better. My dark spots and redness in general gone away. My face is so much healthier. Don't leave reviews until you have given it at least 4 months, that's very important. It WILL take a while to clear up. That's how it works. I've been dealing with acne for 20 years, and absolutely nothing else worked. This is the first thing that has ever worked."
"I began using Differin after I had an experience with some mild acne. The first two weeks were horrible - my acne went from mild to severe in a matter of days. However, that's how the medicine works. It pushes the acne out and allows your skin to heal. So even though the first two weeks are hell, it does work. Once the initial breakout clears you're home free."
"Differin was recommended to me by a dermatologist for my acne. I'm a 30-year-old woman and my acne was a little bad for my age but not commonly cystic, mostly blackheads in the T zone. Differin absolutely destroyed my skin. I used it for 4 months in total and never got past the 'purge' stage. My acne increased threefold at least and is now only just recovering, 3 months after cessation of use. I got acne in places I had never gotten before. If this happens to you, don't go the full 4 months - your skin is not right for this medicine. It will cause terrible damage."
"I started Differin 3 months ago. I began with inflamed hormonal acne on my cheeks and chin. My dermatologist prescribed me clindamycin topical, and recommended I also use Differin. The first month I did not notice a difference in my acne, but I did notice my overall complexion was looking more even. The second month the purging started, and it was bad. Then it would seem okay, and then get bad again. Push through this, I know it's hard, but purging is essential for clearing your skin with this medication. I started to get breakouts in new places which was rough. I'm now on month 3 of Differin and I have no active breakouts! I do have some red marks on my cheeks from hyperpigmentation, and I'm now using some serums to help with that, although the marks will fade naturally with time. Be consistent and persevere because this medication does truly work, I promise! It will be a rocky road but there is a light at the end of the tunnel :)"
"I am a 29-year-old female who has suffered from severe acne vulgaris all my life and was recently diagnosed. I used everything known to man, and when I finally saw a dermatologist, he prescribed me this as well as a face wash. The first two weeks, I had experienced redness, peeling, pain, hot to touch skin (I used cocoa butter to soothe it) just as the doctor said I would, but later into the 3rd and 4th week and even now, my skin is extremely clear and almost flawless. The difference expedited the shedding of my skin and caused the old dead scarred skin to peel off, revealing new soft, youthful, and unscarred skin. My skin is very beautiful now, and I will continue to use this medicine until my acne subsides. Great product."
"I have mild acne and I was starting to get really frustrated with it, so I saw my doctor. He put me on Differin and told me to use it on only the spots themselves and not on my whole face. I did this before bed. When I woke up the next day I was amazed to see that all my spots were flat and much less red than they had been the previous night. I would definitely recommend Differin for people who have mild acne as well."
"I love Differin. I seriously cannot live without it! My face is acne-free for the first time ever! In the beginning, yes, you might not notice any changes but just keep using it day after day and after a few months, you'll see the progress."
"Did my fair share of research on this and finally bought this after being on Proactiv for 6 months (most recent product, many trips to the derm, and hundreds of $$). I use it at night followed by Hydro Boost for extra dry skin. I use Cetaphil cleanser AM and PM and Cetaphil lotion AM/as needed along with Differin PM and Hydro Boost PM. I had minor peeling and small bumps on my chin for a few days. Honestly, though, after reading the reviews, I was prepared for way worse. Don't let the reviews scare you from trying this. I'm 29, had acne since 13, and finally, I'm close to clear and my skin is glowing. Plus, my forehead wrinkles disappeared and it's only been a month."
"I have mixed feelings about whether I would recommend this to other people. I am on week 13, and my skin is totally clear and has been for 10 days. However, my skin was extremely bad throughout the entire first 3 months of using Differin. The purging was worse than anything I have ever experienced and particularly gruesome-looking. I actually felt like I couldn't leave the house. Also, this would happen very seriously in concentrated areas. As soon as one had begun to heal, another would appear directly next to it, 5 times over. I now have substantial pigmentation and scarring. It's emotionally distressing not to see any progress for 3 months! Throughout that time, it would often suddenly look better, only to look much worse a few days later. I often mistakenly thought the purging had ended. I think Differin works if you persevere for 12 weeks, but if I had been aware of how traumatic the purging process would be, I probably would have tried alternatives."
"Skin type: oily + very, VERY acne prone. Summary of review: DON'T GIVE UP even though the purge sucks!! The Differin purge lasted for about 16 to 18 weeks for me, but keep in mind that everyone's skin is different. It was horrible. My skin was dry, and waves and waves of nodules and cystic acne would spring up overnight. But all of those side effects started to disappear around week ten. Pimples would still appear, but they would come and go and barely leave a mark since the PIH scars faded so quickly. I still have some discoloration from the purge, but overall my texture has evened out, I haven't had a single pimple since, and my skin has become less oily than when I started. So don't be discouraged! The results at the end will be so much better than dropping out midway during the purge finding new products. So yup, the purge sucks. But stick through it! The results will take some time, but it's so worth it! Good luck, and don't give up!"
"I’ve had severe cystic acne breakouts all over my face since the age of 18. I’ve tried every topical treatment, from cheaper drugstore washes to expensive ones from Sephora. I thought topicals would never work for me, and I thought I would have to just accept acne as a part of my life...until I tried Differin. I’ve had very minimal experience with dry skin side effects, but the effectiveness at getting rid of the acne itself was immediate. I use the gel as a full face mask and leave it on for 10 minutes. After that, I use oil-free, sensitive moisturizer. From other reviews, it seems like other people had a hard time when starting Differin? I didn’t experience this at all. Within a week, my skin was clearer, and new breakouts went away within a day or two. For me, the results were quick and painless. But my skin is built like steel and can withstand a lot. If there’s anyone else out there with very acne-prone, treatment-resistant skin like me, try this."
"I've been using Differin for 13 weeks now, and I'm still breaking out in painful cystic acne EVERYWHERE. I've got 10+ cystic pimples on my forehead, whereas I've never had them there before, and it's been two weeks, and they're still not gone. It's painful, itchy, makes you self-conscious AF. I hate it. If your skin isn't too bad but you're thinking about it, find an alternative. It's not worth it. I feel like I have depression because of this."
"I started having acne problems after a series of surgeries. I tried many different things to get rid of my acne, but nothing worked until I tried Differin. I've been using it for 2 years already, and since then, I've been acne-free. I still use it at night on occasional acne breakouts, and all disappear the next morning. Awesome acne medication!"
"I have had hormonal and regular breakouts since I was near 16 years old. I suffered with minor to severe acne. I tried everything (and I mean that) to maintain my skin. In October of 2019, I was doing research and found Differin Gel. I was skeptical at first, it seemed to be a hit or miss with the reviews. I decided to go for it and purchase it at my local Walmart. In the 1st week, I saw no difference, when weeks 2-3 hit, my skin had NEVER been this bad ever. But I knew from reading online that the purging stage was no joke. My skin was purging hard. I had big, painful breakouts everywhere. It became very hard to be confident. I barely wanted to leave my house, let alone look at anyone without feeling insecure. By week 12, my skin was clearing up quickly. If you have the patience, try this product because the RESULTS WERE WORTH IT. My skin has never been this clear before. No matter how hard it gets, DON'T STOP. I will continue to use Differin for A LONG TIME."
"Patience, patience, patience! I have been using this product for 14 weeks. The first two months were awful. I had tiny little whiteheads ALL over my face. Add my cystic acne into the mix, and you can imagine how upset I was. I honestly felt like stopping this product, but I decided that I'd tried it for 2 months and wanted my skin to get used to a routine. I AM SO GLAD I WAITED IT OUT! I currently only have one, YES ONE active pimple on my jawline. I have suffered from acne since I was 22. I'll be 27 in a few months, so this is honestly a miracle for me. Don't give up, guys. It took me 14 weeks to finally see clear, beautiful skin again!"
"So far, so good! I've been using it on and off for a while, but now I've finally started using it regularly, it's really started to work! One tip, though: make sure you wash your hands properly after using it. I didn't, then rubbed my eyes (having put it on before bed) and got really dry skin on my eyelids, which was super painful!!!"
"I’ve been on Differin for around 5 months, and I have to say, this product has really made a positive impact on my skin. It is so soft and pretty much free of active acne, albeit I have some hyperpigmentation issues to work on (which Differin is helping with). DO NOT QUIT. I broke out so bad for the first three months and wanted to stop, but I kept pushing forward. It really does get better. The Differin purge is real, but conquerable!"
"Honestly, I have a love-hate relationship with Differin! It cleared up my pimples, BUT made my skin so unbearably painful that I had to stop using it. My skin was stinging literally all day, and I couldn’t even apply a sensitive skin calming moisturizer. I also had awfully scaly and flaky skin on my eyelids/around my eyes, even though I was extremely careful NOT to apply it there."
"I am a 28-year-old male who was very fortunate and never had acne as a kid or throughout my college years. Around my 27th birthday, I started breaking out. Initially, it was not too bad, and I thought it was stress from growing up and dealing with adult issues. However, it kept getting worse. I tried all the OTC meds, and that was a waste of hundreds of dollars. I went to a dermatologist, and I was put on Differin, and it is great. The first 6 weeks were rough, and I thought about quitting it a lot. I stuck with it, and now my face is clear. The main thing for new users is to know that it will not work overnight and will probably get worse before it gets better. Stay with it."
"Sophomore year of college, literally over a couple of weeks, I developed severe acne all over my cheeks. I went to the dermatologist, and they gave me Differin. I definitely would wake up and need to put lotion on my face because my face was visibly dry and had dead skin coming off. After about a month, I started seeing results and had fewer pimples on my face. After about 6 months, my face was clear, but I still had acne scars. I had treatments done at the dermatologist to help those. It's been 5 years, and now I get complimented for my skin all the time. It's great! Still using Differin every other week and Cetaphil face lotion every day."
"I started using this topical medicine a few weeks ago. Within the first 7-14 days, my skin was a bit dry and peeled a little bit. This is just the medicine beginning to work and exfoliating any dead skin cells. However, after about 2-3 weeks, I started to see a huge improvement in my skin. Before using, I had moderate acne, and now I would classify it as light. Make sure you use this medicine at night and wash it off in the morning. Also, after you put the medicine on your face at night, put a moisturizer on your face (preferably Cetaphil or CeraVe). During the day, do not expose yourself to prolonged sunshine as the affected areas will get red and feel greasy (not a pleasant look and feeling). This is a great medicine, but give it time."
"I have had acne right after I got out of high school (which is weird, right?), and I have tried all kinds of stuff (proactive, Paula's Choice, and a long laundry list of other stuff) and none of it has really helped. I tried Differin, and I must say my skin is really smooth and has way less acne. I must admit when I first tried it, my skin didn't fare well with it and began to peel horribly. After reading a few posts from other people, I used a moisturizer first and then used Differin, and no longer did I have dry, peely skin. I used CeraVe cleanser and their AM and PM moisturizer, and now I can say my skin looks fantastic with Differin and CeraVe. Acne takes time to heal, and Differin will make a difference for you!"
"Differin was absolutely awful! I was using a prescription tretinoin for anti-aging/clear skin purposes but I lost my insurance and the medicine is about $400 without insurance. I figured "yay, i can buy differin, its similar and OTC now" BIG BIG BIG MISTAKE!!!! My skin normally has one pimple at a time, AT THE MOST every 3 weeks around my cycle. I'm currently battling multiple cystic outbreaks and its week 5 of my Differin journey. I wanted to give it a chance but I stopped cold turkey 3 days ago because this is traumatizing. I'm going back to my old routine. Please be careful with this product and if you decide to try it, do it only 2x a week for 3 weeks, 3x a week for the next 3 weeks, 4x a week for the next 4 weeks and so on because it WILL ruin your day"
"I used to have severely clogged pores as well as scarring from cysts, but once I was prescribed this cream, it cleared everything. When I first started using it, I found that it caused my skin to have extremely dry patches, and they would flake up. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but I would avoid talking to people up close. If you honestly want it to work, you need patience! The first 2 months, you'll notice just a lot of flaking of skin, but after the 3rd month, my skin was clear, and I had a naturally clear complexion. I honestly never had such great confidence in my skin. I was able to stop wearing such heavy makeup foundation to cover up scars and moved on to BB creams or even nothing at all! The key is patience!"
