Adapalene topical and Pain: What Users Say

• Lif...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 9, 2013

Adapalene topical for Acne "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."

• HPD...
• October 16, 2019

Adapalene topical for Acne "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."

• Van...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 19, 2020

Adapalene topical for Acne "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."

• Ash...
• February 28, 2019

Adapalene topical for Acne "My experience with Differin was horrible. I know they said you may get purging, but believe me it’s not worth the pain and scarring caused by the purging process. Research for more natural remedies that are soothing for your skin. This product is designed to keep you buying more since you think it will get better over time. I have read reviews where some said it got better after months, and then purging started happening again, so this sounds like a never-ending cycle. Please beware, this is not the only acne product on the market, and believe me all products don’t cause purging like this. My skin has never looked this bad. I’m in the medical field and feel so embarrassed going to work with my face like this. I figured makeup would irritate my skin more, so I’m trying to stick it out. I have stopped using Differin and wish I never started."

• Dog...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 13, 2013

Adapalene topical for Acne "When I first started using Differin, my skin was really red and peeled for several days. After that, it started to look a lot better, but then out of nowhere, it started to break out more, especially cystic acne on my face, and my skin is really hot to the touch and painful. I hope it's just that it gets worse before it gets better."

• Hil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 28, 2019

Adapalene topical for Acne "I wanted to share my experience with Differin as someone in the middle of the dreaded acne purge. I am coming into 6 weeks, and I have to say this has been the worst my skin has looked since I first started breaking out 17 years ago. I am not only getting whiteheads that seem to burst at the most inopportune times, I am also getting a lot of actual raised acne. It is all happening in the majority of problem areas. The worst thing is that it is happening in clusters. It seems to be more painful than my normal breakouts since they come hard and fast. They also subside fast, but as of right now... more seem to be not far behind. Right now I can't help but give this 1 star because this is pure awfulness... plain and simple. That being said, I am moving forward using the medication. I will update next week and week 8 when most of the purging is supposed to be at an end."

• Pri...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 11, 2015

Adapalene topical for Acne "I used Differin, and the first month was horrible. I guess I needed to use moisturizer, especially SPF, or lotion. I got sunburned really bad all over, my face was peeling and really scabby. I just looked crazy going to school, and my face hurt so bad, so I started using it less. I even went to get my eyebrows waxed, and the wax was too hot for my face and sensitive skin, it ripped and scabbed up really bad. Ouch! But luckily, after one month of suffering, my face, and especially my nose (where I got it), was all clear, gone, and smooth! Seems like similar experiences where it starts off bad then ends up good. I now put Olay SPF moisturizer on every day and use it every other day with Cerave face wash."

• mad...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 26, 2017

Adapalene topical for Acne "I've been using this product (Adapalene 0.1% gel) for 13 months now. I had a lot of small zits on my forehead and a good amount of acne on one of my cheeks. The first week or so is the worst, it dries your skin and is very painful. After a month, you start getting huge cysts and under-the-skin pimples, especially in the areas where there were little zits before. It's embarrassing, but push through. After about three months, my skin started clearing up. I still use this product daily, and my skin is better than before I started, for sure. Around my period, I get more acne, but it goes away quickly. This product is not a fun process, but it works decently in the long run. Make sure you invest in a good moisturizer to use daily."

• Car...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 25, 2016

For Acne "I was very skeptical about using Differin cream as I had done a lot of reading and had obviously read about the dreaded initial breakout! A side note, I am also on lymecycline 408 mg (tetracycline is the same) and I'm on Lucette BC. When I first started using it, I left it on for an hour to see how my skin reacted, then washed it off. I have been leaving it on overnight now for about a week and a half. Yes, I have broken out. Any worse than usual? No. In fact, the breakouts healed, were less aggressive and red. Currently, the only side effect I've got is the corners of my mouth being a bit sore and dry. My skin is very soft where I use the cream. My advice, start slow! And use it so sparingly!! Literally the tiniest bit. I am pleased so far. :)"

• Lau...
• October 12, 2016

Adapalene topical for Acne "This gel has been horrific for my skin. As a result of taking it, I have come up with an allergic reaction on my neck and around my eyes, which is so painful, itchy, and red. I really wouldn't recommend trying it unless you are really desperate. I have read a lot of other reviews where people said this happened to them too, but the GP never informed me of the potential side effects."

• Sar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 30, 2020

Adapalene topical for Acne "Okay, so my acne was incurable, horrifying, and painful. NOTHING helped until I tried Differin. It took about 2 months to clear up. It stung like crazy, and it hurt, and it burnt, but I went through it because it was my last option. After it finally cleared up, my face was like a baby’s bum. Perfect. I love Differin, but it’s super expensive."

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

Adapalene topical 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!!!"

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

Adapalene topical 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."

• Sky...
• December 15, 2019

Adapalene topical for Acne "Do not use this, especially if your acne isn’t very bad. I would get a few spots around my mouth, nothing much, and when I used Differin, it made huge red ones come up all over my face. I continued to use it for another 2 months as it’s supposed to get worse first, but it never did get better and never worked and put me through lots of pain. Now I am stuck with dark scarring and texture all over my cheeks. I was using a recommended moisturizer, so I don’t blame the products I put with it. Differin ruined my face completely, I do not recommend."

• Pla...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 18, 2016

For Acne "I have been taking adapalene for just over 3 months now. I was very wary about starting, having read a lot of negative reviews of it online, which focus a lot on the breakthrough stage of the medicine. This is something that I definitely experienced myself, with my acne worsening at first (for me this lasted 3-4 weeks, though for some it seems a lot shorter - more like 1-2 weeks). This was a really uncomfortable period of time, in which I felt very self-conscious (even more so than before). However, it was definitely worth it. 3 months in, and my skin is acne FREE. There is scarring still, but I was getting painful cysts, and now it's just the occasional normal spot. This has made such a difference to my life. 100% glad I persevered."

• Thi...
• March 28, 2015

For Acne "Dried my skin out and almost burnt it a bit, it hurt so bad, and the only thing I could put on to relieve it was cold water. I think it must work for some, but it doesn't on people with sensitive skin!"

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

Adapalene topical 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."

• Af1...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 22, 2015

For Acne "From the age of 10, I have suffered from terrible spots and acne. At age 15, I was at my worst. I had more acne than face! My GP prescribed me the cream, and after a few days, I realized my spots were becoming alive and sore. The cream made my face dry and flaky. However, two months into the treatment, my face became almost fully clear, and many people asked if I had skin surgery. This cream works wonders, however, the initial few weeks are very horrible. Overall, if you're getting treatment for acne, GET THIS CREAM!!"

• bgu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 10, 2019

Adapalene topical for Acne "I used Differin Gel, hoping it would help with my minor acne as well as my cystic acne. I used it on my chin and around my nose. I only used the product for 6 days before it started to dry my skin out to the point where it would peel off in several layers and then scab over. It made my skin inflamed, and even lightly touching it was painful."

• Emm...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 24, 2018

Adapalene topical for Acne "This medication is okay. When I first started, I had maybe 3-4 active cystic zits. It got better after the week, and then all my acne broke loose. I had probably 10-12 painful, raging zits. It was horrible. I pushed through because I knew it was going to get worse before it got better. It did get better, but not in the way I liked. I am back to having 3-4 cystic pimples, but now I have a bunch of scars, hyperpigmentation, and leftover cysts. Differin really only made my initial breakout better, rather than fix my acne overall. It may work for you, but it did NOT work for me."

• Bre...
• June 22, 2016

For Acne "I've been using adapalene gel for approximately one week, and I am absolutely miserable. Although I am already seeing active acne clearing up very successfully, my skin is peeling to an extent that I would deem as overkill. It is at the point that I don't want to leave my house because of how bad the peeling is. Not only this, but my skin is in a constant state of pain and sensitivity. In order to try and decrease the side effects of this medication, I took to the adapalene gel website to look for tips. They suggested that I use an oil-free moisturizer to attempt to calm the burning sensation already present in my skin. Upon doing so, it was as if my skin was doused in gasoline and set ablaze with a blowtorch. Be prepared for the pain."

• kri...
• September 12, 2016

For Acne "At first, I hated adapalene. It made me break out WAY WORSE than I ever have before. I usually just had a few whiteheads here and there (especially around that time of the month), but when I first got on adapalene, I got cystic acne on my cheeks and chin. It was very, very painful, and I was very mad I even started it in the first place. After about six weeks, it started to slowly get better, but I still had worse acne than before I started. My dermo put me on Acticlate (pill) along with the adapalene gel to have a quick fix. It took a few weeks, but now (11th week on adapalene) my face is starting to be very clear!!!! I am very happy with how my face looks now, but I did have to go through a long period of awful, painful purging first."

• tay...
• February 19, 2016

For Acne "This gel has dried my skin out so badly I could barely put makeup on because my skin was flaky and very painful. It has cleared up some of my acne (I have hormonal acne), but it's definitely not worth the pain from the dryness. Steer clear of this."

• Ayu...
• January 14, 2018

For Acne "I tried many drugs like clindamycin, benzoyl peroxide, isotretinoin, but nothing worked. But this one, adapalene 0.1, is great. I've never written a review, but I have to. I'm on my 4th day, and my acne has cleared so much. Before, I used to have a lot of pain in my face due to pimples. The 1st day of using it gave me relief from pain in my face due to acne. Also, it's very important not to consume dairy products when you have acne because dairy products can cause acne. You can Google it, there are a lot of research studies done on this. Thank you, adapalene."

• Anonymous
• September 22, 2019

For Acne "I used Differin for 4 months. It did remove old acne hyperpigmentation scars, but on the other hand, my acne was worse than ever. It began to appear in other places on my face, and it was deep and painful. I still suffer their scars so far, my skin was never like this before. Totally not recommended."