DifferinAdapalene Gel 0.1% Acne Treatment, 45 gram, 180-day supply, 1.6 Ounce (Pack of 2)

Hi, chronic adult acne sufferer here. Here I am, one whole year later. If you are brave enough to STICK with this thing for at LEAST 2 months, you won’t be disappointed.I will of course start off by describing my personal experience. My first 2 weeks were rough, but I was fully prepared for the struggle, after reading all about the initial "purging" stage. And still I almost wanted to quit 7 days in because of the irritation and peeling. I would wake up in the middle of the night sometimes because my skin feels like it's burning and ants are crawling all over it. Throughout the day, a light breeze that sends little strands of baby hairs tickling my skin is enough to inspire the urge to simply claw the skin off my face.I don't mean to scare anybody away haha but I want you to be FULLY prepared. Everybody is different, and you might be lucky enough that the irritation is on the milder side. But you will for SURE experience some kind of sensitivity, it is unavoidable and PART OF THE MECHANISM of action. The irritation MEANS the adapalene is doing its work! Think of it as skin boot camp! So many people use it for a few days, panic and quit right off the gate. I’ve heard one beauty guru on Youtube refer to his experience as “like getting a chemical burn that I never want to experience again”. Don’t be discouraged! Have no fear! Be brave!Moisturizer sandwich for the first 2 months! Moisturizer (bottom bread) - Differin (meat) - moisturizer (top bread).Apply moisturizer after showering when your skin is damp (whenever you shower during the day), then apply Differin in the evening or at bedtime, wait 15-20 mins for it to absorb, then apply moisturizer on top of the Differin. A light lotion is enough for me, I didn't need any hardcore Eucerin or even the recommended Differin moisturizer pairings. Just use what you normally do in your existing routine, and basically do extra layers on top to help ease the dreaded initial irritation.After about 3-4 weeks of diligent use, your skin will start to feel tight and bouncy, almost like baby skin, as if the old skin layer has shed itself to make way for a brand new layer of skin.To me, it’s like a cycle that will repeat itself when you make Differin a part of your routine (like brushing your teeth). Here is what is sort of looks like:Occasional breakouts and skin feeling a bit flaky/oily/weird & crummy --> Differin will work its magic --> breakouts will shrink and heal almost overnight --> old pigmentation/scars will fade and baby skin achieved for a while --> repeat cycleAnother downside that may dissuade you: the price. It IS expensive but I am still working on my 1st tube almost one year later! It is a BIG tube and with this deal you get TWO TUBES. This will be more than enough to cover you for at LEAST 6 months, as long as you are using the correct amount (if you are running out before 6 months you are using way too much and NOT reaping any extra benefits). The instructions say once daily thin layer all over… but after about 4 months my skin had improved so much that I was no longer abiding by this regimen. As your skin improves you will find that you no longer need to be so stringent. Now I only use it sparingly and almost sporadically, often skipping a few nights in a row, always a very thin layer, almost like a spot-treatment concentrated more on the few active breakouts and pigmentation scars. The swelling goes down overnight, and the scars fade over time.Short of going on oral isotretinoin (which I am way too scared to ever try), birth control pills that might make some people’s acne even worse, aldosterone-blocking drugs and other much scarier medications with way riskier side effects, plus other hosts of expensive dermatologist treatments, adapalene (the active medicinal ingredient in Differin) alone is a sweet little miracle. All it takes is a lot of PATIENCE and PERSEVERANCE, but trust the science! Adapalene will deliver.Differin is NOT an overnight cure. It is not really a “cure”. And it will NOT work at all if you jump in using it as spot-treatment only (like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid). But it is the MOST effective thing you will find over-the-counter without a prescription. My skin is not crystal clear, I still get the familiar hormonal chin/jawline pimple beard, and the occasional acute stress monster breakouts, but it is now a 1/10 - 2/10 case of adult acne (with much-improved oil control and texture) compared to the 5/10 - 7/10 horrendous suffering I used to have to endure.TLDR: READ THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE BOX. BE PREPARED. BE PATIENT. DO NOT GIVE UP!!!

I was at my wits' end struggling with acne still at age 45. My skin type is combination/oily. I tried everything, expensive skin care routines, facials and treatments. For me, most of these actually seemed to irritate/make my breakouts worse. I had used Differin in my 20's when it was only available by prescription so I was delighted to see it avail without one so anyone struggling with acne can now easily get it. All I can say is - it REALLY works!!! A little goes a long way so these tubes last awhile - it is well worth the money even if shipping to Canada. You have to give it some time to get the results as the directions say (6-12 weeks) but it is worth it so you must stick with it even if you don't see immediate results. I'd describe my adult acne as moderate. For me it was very drying (and part of this is normal during the retinization phase). So after washing my face, I applied moisturizer and allowed that to dry for at least 5 min, and then applied a thin layer of Differin. You don't smear on a thick layer. I'm using it every other night instead of every night and it has smoothened my skin and completely cleared it. For more severe acne probably best to use daily as directed. There's some great tips for using this product from a Dr. Dray on YouTube.

After using this once as a teenage when it was on prescription, I decided to give it another try for adult acne (I'm 36)-- most of my acne was along my jaw line and chin area and worsened due to all the running/sweating I do training for marathons. After reading all the reviews I was really concerned with the possibility of worsening my acne before seeing improvement (purging) but luckily this did not occur.I started using it on October 1 2018 and decided to give myself a full 12 weeks before I made any decisions and I'm happy to say it worked! I will occasionally have one or two very small breakouts due to hormones but they are not nearly as cystic and prolonged as before and my skin overall is much smoother and less uneven looking. I feel like it has also lightened old acne scars and general discoloration on my cheeks.I use it once at night and apply a thin layer after using a witch hazel toner (with rose water). In the first 4-8 weeks I noticed dryness only around my eyes and would apply a Neutrogena eye cream to keep that area from getting too raw. I have been using Cetaphil gentle cleanser and will apply moisturizer on top of it at night if my skin feels dry.Overall I'm very happy I made the decision to give this a try!