Differin and Dryness: What Users Say

• Mad...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 18, 2017

For Acne "I have only just started this product, but I'm in love! I usually don't leave reviews, but this felt necessary-DO NOT USE IF YOU HAVE NORMAL SKIN OR LITTLE ACNE. This product is clearly meant for us more oily skin types, and I can honestly say it's worked like a dream. Yes, my skin has become a little more dry and sensitive, but that's to be expected. It cleared up my super bad breakout in about a week, and now I'm working on getting rid of my blackheads and the scars. I definitely recommend this product, and be sure to moisturize when using!!"

• Tan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 9, 2015

For Acne "I'm 16, and I had really bad acne on my cheeks especially. The first couple of nights of using the cream made my skin pretty dry and flaky. The first thing I noticed with the cream is it got rid of all my pus-filled pimples straight away. It took a while, maybe 2 months, but by then my acne had cleared up so much! There were a lot of red marks left behind, but that's alright because they're not overly noticeable and they will fade away with time. For anyone that is suffering with acne, just go see a GP or a dermatologist, overcome the fear and the embarrassment of acne because the results are so satisfying."

• Sha...
• February 12, 2017

For Acne "I started getting acne in my early 20s, and by 27, I was suffering from cystic acne. In total, I'd say I've tried 20 or more treatments without improvement. I did two courses of Accutane without improvement. About a year later, I went to a new dermatologist and was prescribed Differin gel. After three months, my face was perfect. No acne, no scars. Don't even judge it for two months. Waiting isn't fun, but discouragement can lead to quitting. Don't quit, you won't regret it. My skin did get dry and sensitive, but got better within a month or so. Don't scrub, use excessive products, and use moisturizer. Seriously, perfect skin!!"

• All...
• December 26, 2013

For Acne "I've had acne since like the 7th grade, and I didn't really bother to do anything about it because it wasn't bad, but at the end of 8th grade, it got worse, so I went to a dermatologist, and she prescribed Epiduo to me, and I used it and had clear skin for almost the whole summer. But in August, when school started, my face started getting horribly dry and peeling, and it hurt. So I went back to the derm, and she prescribed Differin (0.3%) gel, and I've been using it now for 4 months, and it works great! I have to say it does get worse before it gets better."

• mar...
• September 25, 2016

For Acne "Struggled with acne for years, and this has honestly been a miracle worker. I've tried many different treatments (different strengths of benzoyl peroxide, oxytetracycline, and limecycline), and I decided to use Differin before trying BC or Accutane, and I'm so glad I did! The first week was tough because my skin peeled rather a lot and felt extremely dry. However, I didn't experience any 'purging,' and the dryness was easily solved with a light moisturizer. After about 2 weeks, my skin was significantly clearer and was nowhere near as dry as before. The gel has been the best treatment I've used by far, and I strongly encourage you to persevere with it as it's a game-changer! My skin is now really clear, and I have so much more confidence!"

• For...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 2, 2017

For Acne "I've been battling acne ever since I was a teenager, and now I'm 23, still battling acne until here recently. I had heard about Differin, and how adapalene can help stubborn acne. I purchased the gel about 2 weeks ago, and I must say my breakouts are almost gone. I dealt with dryness and a burning sensation the first few days, but my skin got used to it after that. What helps is washing your face, applying moisturizer, and then applying the Differin. This makes it less harsh for the skin. I can't wait to see how my skin will look in 2 months. Don't give up on this stuff, it's a work in progress."

• Bea...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 20, 2019

For Acne "My dermatologist prescribed this before it was OTC, and it may have been a higher dose then, but it still works with the 1%. I do not have severe acne, but it is cystic, especially around my menstrual cycle. What I have learned to use and what my doctor recommended was to only use Dove sensitive soap with the product. I wash my face with it before I apply it. You want to be sure to use it on your entire face, not just particular spots here and there. Sometimes I could even wear it under my makeup, but at night is easiest for me, once a day. Anyway, when my skin did get really dry, my solution is always Vaseline, all over your face for one night, maybe two. It's messy and feels very gross, but worth it. I always have baby soft skin without dryness, and my wrinkles are less present after a night of this. Lastly, although I do still get cystic acne on Differin, it's less often, and they come out more easily if and when I do pop them. Hope this is helpful."

• acn...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 16, 2014

For Acne "I began to use Epiduo and Differin one month ago. At first, I was disappointed because I had unrealistically high expectations for how fast they would work, but once I got over that and realized it would take time, I was fine. I used Velocity moisturizer for the dryness, and it didn't work at all sadly, but then I switched to Cetaphil, and my skin began to improve because it was no longer too dry. My skin isn't where I want it to be yet, but looking back at older pictures before using the products, I know it's on its way."

• Cwe...
• June 16, 2017

For Acne "I've only been on Differin for about 3 weeks now, but I've been noticing huge improvements. I am going through an initial breakout but haven't experienced any burning or drying, not even the first few days. I use a CeraVe foaming cleanser, rinse, and immediately apply my moisturizer to my wet skin in the shower (to avoid water loss). I then apply Aquaphor to the skin around my lips, nostrils, and eyes. My dermatologist refers to this as preparing the orifices (to avoid any irritation or dryness). I then dot the Differin around my face and rub it in. In the morning, I wash my face with a 0.5% salicylic acid wash from Murad and apply a physical sunscreen (I use CeraVe's)."

• Car...
• December 9, 2018

For Acne "This product is awful and has made my life hell for the last 11 weeks. I am a 30-year-old with mild comedonal acne on my cheeks. Other products haven't worked for me, so after a LOT of research, I decided to give Differin a try. I knew I would experience redness, drying, and a purging period where my acne would get worse and that it's normal. I read hours of reviews where people told me to stick with it until the 12-week mark. I am 3 days away from that mark and my face has NEVER looked or felt this bad in my life. I have painful red pustules popping up every night and continued redness and drying despite constant moisturizing. It's bad enough I have adult acne and that I've been trying to stick it out with this product for 12 weeks, but this product has made it SO MUCH WORSE! I will be sure to tell everyone I know NEVER to use it. I am embarrassed and upset I wasted my time and money for the last 3 months to make my face look worse. Not only that, but now I have SCARS all over as well."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 15, 2019

For Acne "30, male, extremely oily skin. I had cystic acne, and I have some of the worst scars, and now I get the occasional huge cyst/pimple. I rotate my use of this daily-one day cheeks, one day forehead, one day nose, kind of like that, because all over every day, even a thin layer, it burns because it's too potent. On this, I realized my brow ridge and nose produced less oil, and they look less 'congested.' I've been on it 3 months now. For the first time, I've healed a cyst without a scar in my life. There are absolutely fewer lines on my forehead, my nose gets no cysts and looks smoother like my forehead. To prep skin for dryness this causes, I use the CeraVe PM moisturizer before Differin. It just dries me out too much on bare skin. I also use SPF 50 daily on my face. I live in an area with a high UV index all year."

• Jes...
• January 26, 2017

For Acne "After benzoyl peroxide made my skin worse, I was prescribed Differin cream 0.1%. Results were slow at first, but with maintaining a good skincare routine and a healthy diet, my skin showed huge improvements after about 2-3 months of use. Little side effects, some dryness, but as to be expected with any acne product and easily resolved with moisturizer. Felt a lot less harsh on my skin than benzoyl peroxide. I am left with some spots and scarring, but the effects have been overall brilliant. Would recommend sticking with it for a few months to see the best results!"

• Meg...
• November 1, 2013

For Acne "I've been using this gel for probably about 2 or 3 years now. I started getting acne in around 6th grade, whereas I didn't start my period until 9th grade. I've never had severe acne, there's just always been at least a couple of zits on my face for as long as I can remember. I had no significant peeling or dryness when I started using Differin, and I also had no immediate results. Slowly over time, however, my acne is becoming less severe and less frequent. Maybe it's because of the Differin, maybe it's because I'm growing out of it. I did stop using it last summer as a test, and my skin got worse and worse for the entire month I stopped using it. It took a solid 3-4 months after I started using it again for my skin to return back to normal."

• Chr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 30, 2019

For Acne "The purge I experienced lasted in two different waves from the end of week 2 to week 6. Yikes. However, the acne from it was no worse than what I had been dealing with already on some of my worst breakouts. I seemed to be able to combat inflammation by using a benzoyl peroxide face wash and aloe vera gel as part of my routine. For me personally, dryness and skin flaking were far worse than the purge. It took about 7 weeks for my skin to adjust to adapalene, and even with two moisturizers layered on, I had the worst dryness and slight irritation. That said, once I hit 8 weeks, noticeable improvements started happening. About half of my comedones are gone, dryness is now manageable, and hyperpigmentation scars are starting to fade a little bit. I expect all of these areas to keep improving now that I'm getting closer to the 12-week mark. This was a process that had growing pains, but I am so glad to have stuck with it. Be patient, it will reward you!"

• Ken...
• December 29, 2009

For Acne "I started using Differin when I was 12. I was going through puberty and getting the worst acne anyone has ever seen. I saw significant improvements in my skin immediately. On the downside, it dries some parts of my face and has increased oiliness in other parts, so now every morning I wash my face and apply moderate-strength moisturizer. It doesn't prevent blackheads, and I still get some pimples and boils here or there. Now I am 20 and still apply it to my whole face every night."

• Anonymous
• July 25, 2017

For Acne "Well, I've only been using this face med for a few days, and my skin burns and is super dry! I put it on at night, go to bed, and wash my face in the AM and apply makeup, but I can't wear makeup because as soon as I apply it, my face burns very bad. What do I do? Had anyone experienced this?"

• Pei...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 4, 2017

For Acne "I started using Differin last January in 2016. It was prescribed by my dermatologist together with antibiotics, and I have to say - it's the best ever! I don't know if it was because of the antibiotics, but my acne healed in less than three months, and the only thing I had to worry about was the scars. The only (common) side effect I had was dry, scaly skin. The doctor told me it was fine during our second checkup, so he gave me moisturizer. (Side note: I've been moisturizing my face since I was young, but I didn't dare to aggravate my skin, so I stopped.) And I love the fact that Differin does not discolor clothing and bedsheets. Before this, I was using Duac, it was also beneficial to my acne, but it discolored my favorite bedsheet horribly!"

• Joe...
• January 3, 2017

For Acne "Using the over-the-counter product for just a few weeks. Oily skin has always been a major problem. Seems to have knocked down excess skin oil big time. I apply early evening. I use it with Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture with Sunscreen SPF 35. Been in the sun and no burning or dryness noted. Did the beach yesterday for about an hour, no problem. I first started using every third day after reading a number of postings. Thought I'd ease into it as some reported issues using daily right off the bat. No issues. Did notice dryness of the skin before using my moisturizer. Just went to every other day. The skin has calmed down and a few flare-ups that were just not going away are clearing. End of the week I plan on daily use."

• kat...
• November 8, 2016

For Acne "I have had a horrible experience with this cream. My face is so painfully dry, even in the spots I didn't put the cream. My eyes, the crease under my lip, my nose, and the corners of my lips are so dry there are now even blisters developing. It hurts to put anything on besides coconut oil, but that's not helping, and I am at a loss."

• Anonymous
• March 19, 2009

For Acne "I love Differin. My skin is always pretty dry and red, though. It has dramatically improved my skin, but I still suffer from breakouts and blackheads. Now they are just smaller. Decent product if you have mild to moderate acne."

• Dba...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 31, 2017

For Acne "Awesome! Best thing I ever used on my cystic acne. Bought OTC Differin about a month ago, and I haven't had a cyst since, which is unheard of for me. For the first time in years, my complexion is smoother, skin is clear, and pores look smaller. Some dryness and redness at first, but it subsided. Love this stuff!"

• C__...
• October 6, 2015

For Acne "Differin XP has been a miracle product for me. As a girl who's had moderate breakouts since the age of 13 (am now 23!), I have to say sticking to this product has been very well worth it! For the first 2 months, yes, my skin was very dry and even flaky, and yes, it did turn me off a bit - but I was warned of this side effect and decided to just keep going with it. I was able to battle the flakiness with the use of exfoliants, and even in the first few months, I felt my breakouts were happening less often and were less severe. Now, 8 months later, the flakiness is no longer an issue and I find using this product has boosted my quality of life, although I still do get the occasional few tiny pimples - it does its job."

• ahb...
• January 14, 2020

For Acne "I had mild to moderate acne. By that, I mean 3-4 active blemishes at any one time. But the marks they leave behind had accumulated since they take so much longer to disappear, so I decided to do something about it. I have been using adapalene 0.1% for about 6 weeks now. But for the first 3 weeks, I only used it twice a week. My skin cleared up completely. For the past 3 weeks, I have increased the frequency to every other night. For the first two weeks, my skin wasn't showing much change. Now it is the third week into this new routine, and I am experiencing dryness and irritation around the eyes and mouth. These dry patches would burn slightly when I apply moisturizer or sunscreen. Not the best feeling in the world, but bearable. 5 new blemishes have also started popping up. 3 of these were actually small comedones that never really surfaced until now. I suspect the other two were microcomedones deep within. This is a difficult stage, but I am determined to power through."

• 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."

• Jul...
• August 12, 2018

For Acne "I have been using Differin for about two months. I use the face wash and the moisturizer at night. Using the moisturizer, I did not experience the dry, flaky skin others have. My acne is definitely better. I am able to use less makeup and less concealer now."