Differin and Acne: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Med...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 14, 2023

For Acne "I used this for over four months, and the purge never ended, so I called it quits. My skin was better before I used it, so that helped me make the decision to quit. I used it every night after cleansing and before moisturizing. My routine is very minimal, but I am no stranger to skin care, and so many products cause pimples on my face. I’m sad this didn’t work for me, and I don’t like that people say you just have to stick it out for long enough because for some people it just doesn’t work."

• Car...
• September 25, 2018

For Acne "I purchased this product after seeing the commercial for it several times. I had tried everything OTC and thought that this might actually work. It didn’t. I’ve had moderate acne for about 5 years, and it always comes in spurts. I really didn’t notice anything the first week of using it. In the second week, I noticed my acne getting worse, and by the third week, my acne was unbearable. I had the worst acne of my life, and so I finally did research because I hadn’t before I started. All the reviews I read said that it gets worse before it gets better, but usually starts really working after a month or so. I decided to stick with it and kept hoping it would get better. It didn’t. After 12 weeks of using it, my acne was awful. I had developed more scars than I ever had before. I threw it away and went back to my old routine. My face started clearing up right away. Everyone has different reactions, but I wouldn’t recommend this product to any of my friends."

• SD9...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 29, 2017

For Acne "This is a miracle in a tube! I had moderate to severe adult acne and would have breakouts on my cheeks, jawline, and chin that would leave dark marks for months. I have oily/sensitive skin. At first, the gel burned a lot, and I got a few more pimples, which are side effects of the product. But now, after about a month, my skin is adjusting and looks better than it has in years! Little to no pimples and dark marks are fading! My routine: Morning - wash face in lukewarm water with Dove Exfoliating Soap, then apply Aveeno Clean Complexion moisturizer. Makeup - e.l.f. Blemish Control Primer and BB Cream. Night - same as morning routine, but add Differin gel after washing face with soap, and apply Aveeno moisturizer about an hour afterward if needed."

• paw...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 20, 2020

For Acne "I have struggled with acne since I was 18 years old. I am now 25, and Differin is the ONLY thing that has cleared my skin. I tried so many things before Differin and went to dermatologists that only recommended me Accutane, a treatment that I really didn't want to do. I started using the Ordinary retinoid about 6 months before Differin, so I had a lot of purging before and really feel like I prepped my skin for Differin by using lighter retinoids months before. At first, I did break out a little bit, and my skin sometimes is slightly drier, but those days I don't use Differin and deep moisturize, and I am totally fine the next day. I have never had clearer and brighter-looking skin in my life, and I feel so much more confident now. I would say you definitely have to take it slow and prep your skin, but for me, it has 100% worked."

• She...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 29, 2018

For Acne "I've always suffered from acne and couldn't find anything that worked well. I saw Differin online and decided to give it a try-after all, this hormonal acne has been with me since I was a teen and I am now in my 50s. The first and second week of use was awful. Whiteheads were all over my face! I was so ashamed to go out. Now I am in week 3 of using Differin and I am glad to say my skin is clearing up! It's smooth and glowy, and the breakouts are clearing up. Dead skin rolls off my face, revealing new improved skin! My complexion is starting to smooth out and the dark spots are fading. I purchased the full line of Differin products and I like how everything works together. Please stick with the routine: cleanse and use gel at night, apply moisturizer as necessary, and be determined and patient with the process. It really does work! For me, I had nothing to lose since nothing worked anyway. It was best to give it a try!"

• Sor...
• August 5, 2017

For Acne "I used this acne gel before. First time by itself. It irritated my skin. My skin was red, dry, and patchy. I stopped, thinking maybe this was like a reaction. To later find out, it takes a little while to get used to. But as for the second time, I used the whole range. The cleanser, the gel, and the moisturizer. Then I started to see the difference everyone has been raving about. It has been only 3 weeks, but my skin is softer and less patchy. My forehead acne has completely gone away. But my chin cystic acne is apparent. But it had definitely gotten smaller. However, this product made me break out like never before. Basically, my whole face became a whitehead central. But it is working. My acne marks, scars, and acne are less apparent."

• ra2...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 28, 2021

For Acne "I started Differin in April 2021. We're in December 2021, hoping for it to make my skin look better. I had a pimple here and there, but nothing really serious compared to after using Differin gel. It made my skin much worse. I was hoping a lot from this product after hearing a lot of good reviews on it. It caused me pimples in places where I never had acne. And I still have 2 tubes that I bought in advance because I was so confident about it. Now I’m on month 9, and I think I’m willing to stop using it. I don’t recommend it."

• Jan...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 6, 2021

For Acne "I have been using Differin for more than a year now. I am so disappointed with the cream. I had clear skin earlier and had 2-3 acne spots and some warts. I asked my dermatologist to recommend me something for my acne because for warts there was different treatment going on. She recommended me this and told me it will be showing results in 3-6 months. It has been more than a year, and I have used 3 tubes already. My cheeks are full of pimples and acne. Earlier I had a problem on the right side of my face, but after using this cream, both sides of my face. I am going to stop it today. I have had enough of Differin."

• Jan...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 6, 2021

For Acne "I have been using Differin for more than a year now. I am so disappointed with the cream. I had clear skin earlier and had 2-3 acne spots and some warts. I asked my dermatologist to recommend me something for my acne because for warts there was different treatment going on. She recommended me this and told me it will be showing results in 3-6 months. It has been more than a year, and I have used 3 tubes already. My cheeks are full of pimples and acne. Earlier I had a problem on the right side of my face, but after using this cream, both sides of my face. I am going to stop it today. I have had enough of Differin."

• ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 22, 2022

For Acne "Well, this acne cream is a roller coaster. I have been using Differin for about three months now, and I have been left so, so upset with the results. I started off using it every three nights and gradually upped how often I was using it until it was every night. I thought that this would reduce the purging, however, I could not have been more wrong. Every day I was waking up with a new cystic pimple, and for someone with mild acne, this was really alarming because I had never had to deal with these before. There were not just slightly sore cystic pimples, we are talking sore for weeks cystic pimples, and I am still left with the aftermath. This cream is shocking. It may work for some people, but it definitely didn’t work for me and has completely ruined my skin. Never again, do not use this unless you are willing to endure the lengthiest and most painful three months of your life. I would NOT recommend. Find ANY OTHER ALTERNATIVE!!!"

• Bro...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 3, 2021

For Acne "This product has positively changed my life! I did my research so that I use it correctly. I only wear it at night with my normal skin care routine. My skin has never been this clear. I did break out the first week, but I kept at it, and it’s almost completely gone. I have no noticeable acne. Wear sunscreen no matter what race!"

• Kal...
• November 27, 2019

For Acne "I've been using Differin for a little over 2 months now. I was struggling with hormonal breakouts and closed comedones for a long time and decided to go for it because nothing else was really helping. I got rid of everything in my skincare routine with SA or glycolic acid in it and simplified it just to double cleansing with a mild cleanser, a moisturizing gel, and Differin. I definitely had a purging phase, my skin looked the worst I ever remember it looking, I had acne all over my cheeks. I had a breakout of literally 8-9 cysts clustered on my chin. It made me feel really self-conscious! However, I'm starting to see some real improvement, I'm not getting as many comedones, and the ones I did have mostly vanished. The acne I do get though is kinda painful and appears in places I normally would never breakout in, like my temples. I realize it's a little early to be making judgments on it, but I feel confident that I'll continue to see more improvements with time."

• kuu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 8, 2021

For Acne "Tried it, really wanted it to work, but my dermatologist recommended that I should stop using it. My skin started purging at the end of my first week of using it. It’s now my 3rd or 4th week, and I'm still purging, like crazy. I got a lot more acne than before. My face hurts to touch, and it's heavily irritated. I actually got some kind of allergic reaction, at least my dermatologist said so. Really wanted it to work, and I was so willing to push it through the purging part, but I guess it just wasn’t for me. I know it’s an OTC acne medication or whatever, but please discuss with your dermatologist before using it!!"

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

For Acne "I began to have breakouts after the mastectomies... had to take hormonal pills. I tried so many things, went to a dermatologist and tried stuff. What really worked was a skin regimen and taking a low-dose antibiotic (doxycycline). Then my daughter told me about Differin. I have been on this for almost 3 months. There has been some good clearing up, dry patches where the blemishes were. My face is very oily, and so this didn't bother me. I never moisturize because of the oil.. all of them make my skin break out even more. Expect to have some breakouts as you get used to this. I am almost down to the wire, things are clearing up slowly but surely. Medicare doesn't cover lots of meds like this, so OTC."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 19, 2020

For Acne "I’m too old for this. I had some hormonal acne, which didn’t surprise me since my skin is sensitive and acne-prone. My dermatologist friend suggested Differin. What an awful experience. My skin looked worse even after 3 weeks that I had to stop using it. I had a lot of large cystic acne, like a teenager, horribly embarrassing. Stopped it cold turkey and went back to 2% benzoyl peroxide, and they went away in a week. Never again."

• Jho...
• June 26, 2017

For Acne "Had my derma check-up for my moderate acne on my cheek and chin, and she prescribed me this (Adapalene) Differin Gel 0.3. For the first week, I saw a little improvement on my cheek as the tiny pimples somehow disappeared. By the way, I have some cystic acne on my cheek and chin. For the following weeks, as I saw the improvement, suddenly came the breakouts in my 4th month. Hoping this is the breakout I've read about before the clearing process of the medication. Is anybody here who had the same situation before?"

• Kei...
• June 21, 2018

For Acne "So I have been using Differin for the past few weeks, and I see somewhat an improvement, but I also see a lot more pimples, and I don’t know what to do. Do I keep using Differin on it or not? These pimples are making me so insecure about myself, and I don’t like it."

• Sha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 21, 2018

For Acne "I decided to give Differin a try. I started with the occasional cystic bump, mostly hormonal. As stated in the disclaimer, after two weeks my face broke out. Then, as the weeks progressed, it was clearer and smoother. By week 8 to 10, it never looked better. Now it has started to break out all over again, bad. Worse than it's ever been. I'm at week 12, and I don't know whether to continue or give up. Help!"

• Aq2...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 8, 2017

For Acne "Love this stuff!! I have been using it for a month, and my skin is less oily and definitely starting to look clear. I am still in the purging phase. Keep sticking it out, though. I still get breakouts during that time of the month, but they are not too bad. I occasionally get cystic acne, I believe I only get them when I accidentally have gluten. Differin helps the breakouts for sure!"

• WTF...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 6, 2018

For Acne "I'm reporting back after not knowing whether to keep using this product or not... For 2.5 months, I had acne for the first time in my life because of Differin! The skin 'purging' never got better. The bleeding from just washing my face left spots that took forever to heal. My face hurt for weeks. Red, flaky areas around my mouth, I'd itch and get tingles. I had a million bumps under my skin, uneven, leathery, burnt skin. I stopped using Differin, and now it's been 2 weeks of washing with antibacterial soap/charcoal bar, applying hydrogen peroxide as a toner, and then 2 drops of tea tree oil mixed with salicylic acid clarifying moisturizer, and my face is super soft. All my dry skin patches are gone, I have no pimples, no blackheads. Very upset I wasted my time thinking this product would work. ***THE ONLY THING I would recommend it for is fine lines and wrinkles (I'm 32), and it does wonders to apply to forehead and laugh lines with no irritation. Hope others find this useful."

• Bel...
• March 29, 2017

For Acne "I've been using this product for 5 weeks now. Before this, I have mild acne on the forehead and cheeks. I went to the dermatologist, and the specialist prescribed me this product to apply on my entire face every night for 2 months. And after 1 week of using this adapalene cream, my acne gets worse and worse. Pimples keep popping out everywhere on my face, even on areas that have never had pimples before. I am still using it because it does say on the brochure that the product's effect may be seen after 8 weeks. I'm using Aiken Tea Tree Oil for my pimples so that they will 'shrink' and heal quickly. So for the time being, I'm just gonna bear with all the acne on my face and wait for the miracles of Differin Adapalene cream to work."

• Bel...
• March 29, 2017

For Acne "I've been using this product for 5 weeks now. Before this, I have mild acne on the forehead and cheeks. I went to the dermatologist, and the specialist prescribed me this product to apply on my entire face every night for 2 months. And after 1 week of using this adapalene cream, my acne gets worse and worse. Pimples keep popping out everywhere on my face, even on areas that have never had pimples before. I am still using it because it does say on the brochure that the product's effect may be seen after 8 weeks. I'm using Aiken Tea Tree Oil for my pimples so that they will 'shrink' and heal quickly. So for the time being, I'm just gonna bear with all the acne on my face and wait for the miracles of Differin Adapalene cream to work."

• Fro...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 30, 2020

For Acne "Alright, so I just finished my 6th week of using Differin, and I decided to switch it up. Also, if you're new to reading this, maybe read my other posts. Anyway, I decided to start putting this on every night after moisturizing, and let me tell you, my skin is flaky. It's weird because my skin isn't really dry, the top layer is. Later, I woke up and looked in the mirror the other day, and I could rub off the dead skin, kinda satisfying tbh. Anyway, since I increased my dosage, I started breaking out, but it'll hopefully go away soon."

• Lan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 29, 2021

For Acne "I’ve struggled with acne for the better part of my teen/adult life (I’m 25) and had tried every product under the sun. My acne is mostly hormonal. Before I started, I had about 2/3 pimples a week around my chin and jaw area. I started applying Differin every other night, to ease my skin into it. After a month, I applied it every day. The purge was real and long. A month in, I already had so many pimples, despite easing my skin into it. Another month later and it hadn’t gotten better. When the 12-week mark hit, I expected to see at least a small difference, but there was none. I wanted to keep going until 5/6 months because some people seem to need that long, but by the 4th month my acne was so cystic and painful, it hurt to sleep on my face. So I stopped. My skin is very sensitive. I am now using only a gentle cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen in hopes to heal my skin. Maybe I should’ve persisted, I’ll never know since I won’t be trying this again."

• Jam...
• April 29, 2015

For Acne "I have had acne on and off for around 5 years now. I am a 22-year-old male. I moved to Dubai, and it got gradually worse over time. I started taking Epiduo for around 8 weeks, and it helped a little. I then came off it due to my skin being pretty sensitive. My dermo prescribed me Tetralysal and Differin. Now the Differin is very delicate on the skin, in my opinion. I have taken it for around 2 and a half weeks. I am currently going through the initial breakout, and it's bad. My general skin tone is tons better, but we will have to see!"