Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical and Pain: What Users Say (Page 2)

• MKa...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 23, 2018

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "When I first started using Epiduo, my skin became very dry and painful. It also peeled. Within the first two to four weeks, my skin got slightly worse. However, after one month, it began to work like nothing else I’d ever used. It was great for the skin-colored bumps on my forehead and normal acne. I strongly recommend using coconut oil as a moisturizer when on this medicine. It helps profusely, and it helps minimize the initial dryness/pain/peeling that this medicine causes. It is totally worth the money and beginning side effects!!! Best thing for my acne!"

• And...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 10, 2016

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "Worst cream ever, it literally burned my face. I couldn't apply anything to my face for weeks because it was so painful. My skin became excessively flaky and sensitive, I couldn't even wash it because the skin was so sensitive. Waste of money."

• Ell...
• April 4, 2016

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "I started using this product to treat mild adult acne. I wish I would have researched it first, as I developed a horrible cellulitis infection on the left side of my face after using this product for about a month. I had to take oral antibiotics for several days, and the pain associated with the cellulitis was horrid!!"

• Fro...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 29, 2021

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "I got prescribed Epiduo one week ago, and I've been putting it on two times since then. And oh my god, it's so painful. My skin is red, and it is so dry I can barely open my mouth. I'm having to constantly wash my face with water because the moisturizer I'm using is barely working for more than ten minutes. I'm thinking of quitting the medication every second, but reading all of your comments really inspires and motivates me to keep fighting."

• Anonymous
• June 17, 2012

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "My skin peeled severely for about 3 weeks, and I went through a lot of itching and burning. The acne cream is meant for small pimples, not if you have many breakouts all over your face. The process takes a long time, 3 months, and your face hurts almost every day. But once those 3 months pass, your face looks great."

• Mrs...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 2, 2015

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "Unfortunately, this medication just didn't work for me. First off, while I understood from the many reviews I read that there may be some stinging, the pain I experienced was excruciating and didn't dissipate with time. The pain actually turned out to be an allergic reaction to benzoyl peroxide, so don't disregard it if you continue to experience pain despite careful, staggered application over a couple of months. Secondly, it simply didn't clear my acne, but it did temporarily smooth out my frown lines and fine lines on my forehead, which was an unexpected bonus. Hope it works for you, it was simply the wrong product for me (Aczone turned out to do the trick)!"

• Des...
• December 28, 2015

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "I started about a month ago, it seems to be taking a long while to start showing any difference. If anything, my acne is getting worse, but in new spots. Also, I can't use it every night as directed because the dryness and burning are too much to handle. Literally tearing up from pain. I'll update again if it starts doing its job :("

• Mor...
• August 27, 2015

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "This summer, I decided that I was finally going to begin acne treatment for my face. Surprisingly, being in the sun helped a lot, and then my doctor recommended Epiduo. I was excited to finally have clear skin. Then I tried it out for two weeks. I noticed my skin getting progressively worse. Then, after a while, I began feeling an odd burning sensation. The next morning, I woke up to blotchy, painful, burning skin. Basically, nothing could soothe it, and I started school later that week. The burning was terrible, and makeup couldn't cover it. I've tried various moisturizers, but none helped. I was stuck with skin that was a lot worse than before I started, and a blotchy, burning, bright red spotty face. I don't recommend trying this product."

• Al ...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 11, 2017

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "Epiduo has worked for me tremendously. I was having cystic acne. It was getting bad, I had a reoccurring spot above my lip. Extremely painful. The Epiduo gel exposed the core of the infection, brought it to the surface, dried, and cleared and healed nicely. Hasn't been back since. 1. This medicine brought all reoccurring pimples to the surface, drained... sore, gross, I know. Then it dried it out, minimized the site like overnight. And I believe it helped it heal with way less scarring than without intervention. 2. It dries out skin. Sloughs off all dead skin. New pimple-free skin emerged. Years of intervention and this worked! It reveals brand new skin. I'm sure it helps with scarring and wrinkles."

• Bes...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 28, 2023

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "My daughter has used this product, and her skin is burnt. She’s 14, and her skin is stinging and hurting her. I wouldn’t recommend buying it because it hasn’t worked, and she has used it for ages, but now it's stopped. I know it’s supposed to sting, but not this bad. It’s awful seeing my daughter in pain! I would not recommend it."

• Acn...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 23, 2018

For Acne "I’ve been using Tactupump for about 1 week now, and I have to say, this product is absolutely amazing. This is by far the best acne treatment out there for me, and I’ve tried everything. The one thing is, DO NOT use very much because if you do, your skin will burn. The only downside I can find to this product is that it can be pretty painful on your face and back. Before I went on it, people told me that my skin would get worse for a couple of weeks before it really started to clear, and I did not experience that at all, it just got noticeably better every day since I started using it. Ask your doctor if you could possibly use this cream with a pill form of acne treatment, such as minocycline too. You’re also gonna need a lot of moisturizer. Thanks to this product, I finally have some confidence back after just a week of using it."

• Anonymous
• January 15, 2018

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "I love this product! It really works for me! I wish I could show you photos! I have two pics of my forehead where I tried to clear up, and it went from crazy lumpy to clear slate in 20 days! Maybe I was just lucky, or this is exactly what my skin needed. I definitely would give it a go. A heads up... it is pretty painful for people like me with sensitive skin, but just think of the outcome :)"

• Mel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 23, 2015

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "Oh my gosh. I've been using this since August, and I thought my skin was truly hopeless. My skin is clear. When I was done with the three months, I still had cysts, and I was crying all the time because I missed my skin. My skin was never this bad, just comedonal acne and random pimples on my cheeks. While on Epiduo, I experienced like 15 cysts on my cheeks and forehead, and I was in pain. Be patient even after the three months. I just started doxy, but my skin has been clear for like 3 weeks, and it's beautiful and glowing. Thank you, Epiduo! You ruined my skin and saved it at the same time. It's so soft, and I have really red scarring, but it's apparently 'so superficial.' None of the scarring is deep."

• Zol...
• August 23, 2016

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "So I was prescribed this medication a while ago, but I basically gave up every time things got painful. That, for me, was about the 5th day in. I'd been told to persevere and that the pain and dryness would stop after the first 2 weeks. But I decided to only use it when I had breakouts. However, this medication brings out the acne before clearing it, so of course your acne is going to get worse before it gets better. HOWEVER, I now use it every day. I have very sensitive skin, so I can't use a lot of moisturizers because they burn. But I'm using some Garnier moisturizer and an oil-based one from Lush whenever my skin feels a little dry, and I have not had a painful night since. And no extreme dryness or flaking either. Brilliant!"

• Ale...
• March 27, 2017

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "Well... I've never had acne-prone skin. I have mixed-oily skin and I have some acne when I get stressed. That's the reason why I visited a dermatologist. The doctor recommended I use Epiduo (every night), after I wash my face with a foam (I use the same foam in the morning with a gel cream after it and a moisturizing cream, as many times as I want). The doctor informed me that this cream may affect me (redness, itching, dryness, pain), but my face got like sunburned and it was scratching me so much. I was afraid, and I stopped it yesterday. I don't know if I should continue using this cream."

• Yoo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 10, 2013

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "I am 23 with adult onset acne. I have tried so many things from natural products (honey, banana, cinnamon, etc.) to about every store-bought product in existence! Nothing helped. I've been on Epiduo for 4 days and have noticed my acne is already stopping. However, areas on my face are very dry with peeling, red, itchy, and painful to touch. Basically feels like a bad sunburn! I do expect that this should go away from other reviewers' results and plan to use a recommended lotion and avoid putting the Epiduo on the dry areas of my face for now. I am also on amoxicillin twice daily. I would recommend this so far!"

• Liv...
• April 6, 2020

For Acne "The first couple of weeks on adapalene/benzoyl peroxide are pretty painful, but I pushed through the pain, purging, and dry skin stage. All I have to say is trust the process! I’ve been using this for around 6 months now, and my face is completely clear, and if I do get a pimple (which rarely happens now), it's gone in like 2 days instead of like a week. My face was also slightly scarred, and those are all disappearing, and my face is glowing. Also, in my experience, it was best to keep my routine simple, so I don’t wash my face in the morning, I just rinse it and put CeraVe daily moisturizing lotion on. Then, at night, I wash my face with the CeraVe daily moisturizing cleanser and use the “Epiduo gel” (when my face used to burn at the beginning, I put aloe vera on to relieve some of the pain, however, it does burn putting on at first). Hope this helps!"

• Mer...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 25, 2015

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "Since using Epiduo, I broke out in painful cysts on my face. Which defeats the purpose of why I used it in the first place. Two years ago, I had the worst breakouts ever. But that stopped after four months on Aldactone. My skin went from breaking out in four to five big painful cysts on my face to one tiny pimple around my period. I don’t wear foundation or concealer, as my skin's pretty clear, but not 100% clear. Which is why I asked my doctor for a topical treatment to remove old scars. But since applying Epiduo, my painful cysts returned, and it dried out my skin so bad, it’s itchy. I used to use Proactiv, which does clear scars, but Epiduo has the same ingredient, 2.5% benzoyl peroxide, so I’m confused. Hopefully in the near future, it does clear my scars, but I wish I never used Epiduo."

• Chl...
• April 10, 2016

For Acne "I have been suffering with acne for 3-4 years now, and I have tried every cream the doctors prescribed me with, and this was my last resort as I am unable to take tablets, and there is no liquid form to treat acne. Yes, there is burning, and it hurts, but it works! I have had this for 7 days now, and the improvement is massive despite the pain that comes with it."

• Bri...
• May 14, 2017

For Acne "So I've suffered with acne basically since I hit puberty (now going on 21 years old). I've tried every type of med, cream, etc. I was given Epiduo with just a fair warning of dryness, which I assumed anyway. After starting this medicine, I began having dry, painful, red, burning skin. I read reviews to make sure this was normal, and it seemed to be. Here is my advice... stick it out. 'It has to get worse before it gets better.' I have finally found a great skincare regimen to go along with this medication, and it's amazing. My face has cleared up so much (still not 100% but mostly because of stress) as a result of this medication! The pain and dryness were totally worth it!"

• Ezz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 21, 2019

For Acne "This adapalene with benzoyl is very effective at clearing acne. Takes about 3-4 months. However, it is incredibly painful, causes immense itching/burning, and I think because it thins the skin, it left me with a scar for almost every acne lesion I had. The scars are pretty visible and annoying, so although I am very grateful it cleared my acne, I do believe it leaves your skin more prone to scarring. Hoping to find a skin bleaching product to bleach away these pesky red marks left!"

• Win...
• April 15, 2017

For Acne "I have been using this acne cream for about 6 months. Before I started using it, I was having severe breakouts mostly within my T-zone. Even though I had tried so many different cleansing products and acne-related products, my acne seemed to be only getting worse. Once I went to the doctor, he prescribed me this cream. In the first month, my face was very sore, dry, and red. Throughout the first couple of months, my face went through the purge stage, where my acne seemed to be getting worse. But after reading reviews, I decided to stick with it, and now my acne is completely cleared! My daily routine is washing my face with the Cetaphil cleanser and using my Mia brush, then applying a cream! Repeat at night but add the acne cream after the daily cream!"

• JJD...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 7, 2024

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "Wow! Epiduo really works. The first time I used the cream (pea size), my face was red, raw, and burnt for a few days. I started using it once a week, then two days a week, then three days a week, and so on. Now I have been using it since August, and I use it every other day. My face went really dry when I first started using it. I apply Vaseline around my eyes and mouth before applying Epiduo, as those are the areas that dry out. Once I’ve put on Epiduo, I leave it for about half an hour before applying the Simple Repairing Rich Moisturizer with 22% ceramide boosters. This is the only cream that gives my skin the moisture it needs. I had multiple spots before I started using this cream, around a month in, it got better. I have never felt so comfortable with my skin now. I’m so glad I braved the dry and sore skin at the start. Also, make sure you wear sunscreen every day, as your skin will get sensitive."

• Use...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 21, 2019

Adapalene / benzoyl peroxide topical for Acne "I have been using Epiduo alongside lymecycline for over a year for my acne. Using it every day on my body caused issues. After 4 days of using it daily, I started to feel pain on my skin, it felt like it was burning, leaving red patches all over. After that, I felt more bumps on my face. However, on my chest and back, it has helped greatly. Although my acne comes back near my period, the Epiduo helps a lot. I don't use it daily, just every other day on my chest and back."

• Anonymous
• May 9, 2017

For Acne "First off, let me begin by saying I am only two weeks in on starting Epiduo Forte. So far, my experience has been very painful, to say the least. As I have read countless others repeat the same thing, I assume this is normal. My dermatologist did forewarn me that dryness would result, but he did not quite prepare me adequately for the pain and burning. I wish he would have informed me or given me a special moisturizer to help combat the pain and soreness. Lastly, I do not feel comfortable rating this product yet on its efficacy, but I will say that it definitely hurts and isn't comfortable to use because you will wake up to pain and a rash that lasts about a couple of days. Best of luck."