Duac and Pain: What Users Say

• zoz...
• December 2, 2015

For Acne "Honestly, this cream is a MIRACLE! About 3 years ago, my skin was full of spots and acne, and I had blackheads all in my T-zone, and they never went away. I went to my doctor as I couldn't stand looking in the mirror anymore. He gave me this, and yes, it gave me very bad, painful, red skin and peeling skin, but after a few weeks, it went away, and you could see a difference in my spots in a few days as my family was commenting on it. I did it for 12 weeks, and my face was COMPLETELY clear. I was so happy. Then, after about a month, it all came back, so I went back to the doctors. He said I should try the cream again but for as long as I needed it. I'm still using it now, and that was nearly a year ago. My face is clear, and it's because of this cream."

• Mis...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 16, 2016

For Acne "I was given Duac and told my skin would be slightly dry, red, patchy, etc. The first few days - no effect. After day 3, my face went bright red, extremely dry and sore, with an intense burning and tingling sensation. After stopping for a few days and having to sleep with Vaseline on my face, I finally got back to my spotty normal skin, no dry patches, redness, etc. After a few days off Duac, I decided to try it again. I used it religiously every night before bed, and NO reactions! No dryness, redness, or burning! It has been 2 months of using Duac every night, and all of my spots have gone down and stayed away! Still no dryness, redness, or burning again. My advice: STICK AT IT. Maybe a few days rest here and there, but stick at it."

• Lar...
• May 15, 2016

For Acne "I have been using Duac gel for 9 days now, and my advice to anyone would be to persevere. I have very sensitive skin, so I was expecting some sort of reaction to the gel. After day 3, my skin was so red and sore. I moisturized throughout the day, and this has really helped the patches of dry skin. On day 4, I only applied the gel for an hour, and the next night didn't apply it to the worst area. Now on day 9, the redness has completely gone, and my skin looks better than it has in years. I am so happy that I didn't give up on day 3, and that is mainly because of the reviews below. There is a chance that it will be painful that first week, but don't give up! I will provide another review once I have used it for 2 months - can't wait to see the changes!"

• Jen...
• August 19, 2016

For Acne "I went to my dermatologist after suffering throughout my teenage years with acne. They prescribed me Duac gel. The first few days of using it, my skin was fine, apart from a few red, patchy areas of skin. In my second week of using it, I was in constant pain. My face was inflamed, swollen, incredibly dry, and unbearably sore. I decided to stop using it and allowed my skin to recover from my traumatic ordeal, I had honestly never felt worse about myself. I then decided to give it another go, but this time using it for an hour a day, every other day. Once I felt my skin had acclimatized, I did an hour every day. Now I can apply it overnight without any redness or dryness. My skin has cleared up so much, but I recommend acclimatizing your skin."

• Has...
• November 16, 2015

For Acne "This gel has completely changed my life. It's been only 10 days that I am using it, and I can see a huge improvement in my skin. Scars have started fading, but I don't know why they still hurt when I touch them. I'm hoping for the best. I would suggest to people who have acne, like me, that please go and get it from your dermatologist. I use a homemade face pack on my skin every 2 days to have a healthy peeling. I guess it works by peeling the surface of the acne-prone area. Best of luck, guys. This Duac gel is a lifesaver, and it's worth the money."

• Lil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 26, 2018

For Acne "After using Duac with excellent results on my sebaceous hyperplasias and acne for two weeks, one morning I put the gel on my face and my skin became horrifically swollen, red, and painful. I also became nauseous. Even my neck, scalp, and lips were inflamed, and I did not apply Duac there. After removing the gel, I remained nauseous and somewhat inflamed the rest of the morning, but my skin eventually settled down, with residual redness around my eyelids, which lasted for days. Very disappointed that I had such a reaction after it was working so well, but I cannot risk ending up in the hospital, so I discontinued it and will speak to my dermatologist about alternatives."

• Tra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 28, 2016

For Acne "For the first 3-4 days of use, my face was so sore and skin was so dry. I have very sensitive skin anyway due to illness, but really felt as though I could have happily quit the treatment. It didn't matter how much moisturizer I put on, it felt like if I smiled, my face would crack. I carried on with the treatment every other day instead of the recommended every day, till I felt I could tolerate it every day. Nearly a month after starting the treatment, I feel it's the best thing I ever did to persevere through the first few weeks. My face is clear, still a bit dry, but nothing a good moisturizer helps."

• can...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 1, 2019

For Acne "I have acne only on my chin, which has gotten worse over time. I first used Duac last year, and it worked a charm. Then, when I came off it, my acne got worse again, and I went on prescribed acne tablets. Then I came off the tablets, and my skin got worse again. I’m now on summer holidays, and I feel horrible about my skin, so I went on Duac again. This time, my skin has become really irritated, flaky, tight, and very painful. It hasn’t worked like last time, and I go on holiday tomorrow, and I’m now panicked. I will be using a Cetaphil sunscreen, as sunscreen is a huge issue for my skin. I don’t have any sugar/sweet stuff, I avoid dairy, and I’m very sporty. My friends’ acne is clearing up, and mine is getting worse. I do everything to help my acne, from on my face to inside my gut, but nothing seems to work anymore :("

• Kat...
• July 28, 2016

For Acne "I am a 16-year-old girl, and I have mild to moderate acne in my T-zone. When I first started using Duac cream, the first couple of weeks were awful. My skin was dry and flaky, it felt tight, and it was red and raw. It was very painful when I applied the cream at night and was very hard to even get to sleep. Also, I couldn't cover up my acne with makeup because my skin was too dry! I was feeling really low and upset. But I thought I would carry on using it just in case I started to see an improvement. And thank you I did. After about the first two weeks, my skin started clearing up. My forehead especially, I had lots of little red pimples, and the majority of them cleared, as well as the rest of my face. It got a lot less dry, and the redness faded."

• Sam...
• August 11, 2015

For Acne "I love Duac! It completely helped clear up my acne last year alone! This was my most favorite acne-treating product alongside Quinoderm 10%, which I can no longer get anywhere! I rate Duac a 7/8 out of 10 as it was great but wasn't as good as Quinoderm 10%. I still use Duac every night before I go to bed. I do still have some spots/scars, but comparing my face this year to how bad it was last year, wow, big change, and I believe Duac has improved my skin so much. Sometimes it makes my skin dry, red, and sore, but that's only if I apply too much. It's keeping my skin under control, and I'm happy with that. I don't usually store Duac in the fridge. I'm hoping that eventually the spot phase, which has been going all through my teen years, will just disappear."

• Tas...
• August 29, 2017

For Acne "I've had acne since I was about 10 (I'm now 19) and had tried just about every type of drugstore spot treatment. Duac is the first thing to have properly worked! My advice would be to be wary and just gradually build it into your skin routine; it took me weeks to get my skin to be able to cope with it. Before that, my skin would be itchy, red, and painful if I applied Duac every night as instructed. However, 2 years on, I can wear it every night pain-free. Definitely give it a try!"

• Dua...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 2, 2020

For Acne "I was prescribed Duac gel by my doctor, and it definitely did not work. I get the hormonal pimple here and there, and I generally have really good skin. However, after I used the Duac gel, my face broke out a week later. I now have painful, cystic acne that is getting worse every day. My doctor said it was a reaction to the cream and to stop immediately. Still waiting to see any signs of improvement after a week of not using."

• unh...
• February 7, 2016

For Acne "Face has become very red, itchy, dry, and sore. Skin looks worse!"