Acne Treatment Differin Gel, 30 Day Supply, Retinoid Treatment for Face

First off- i do not have the worst acne in the world but more times than not i have had a pimple or two- or more -on my face at any given time especially during pms. At 30yrs old i was over it. After doing some research not only on potential acne medications, i also wanted something with anti aging properties. After several dermatologist youtube’s later i was introduced to adapelene gel and i will never go with out it!

I will say that the first few weeks i didn’t notice a huge difference with my acne, i was still getting spots but figured it was the retinoid purge i’ve experienced before but i was noticing improvement with the overall appearance of my skins smoothness and texture as well as fine lines disappearing! I continued to use it every night and after about 4 weeks i finally realized that i not only got rid of existing acne but i have not had a single zit pop up since and i have been using it for 2 months now.
It can be drying so i will put the gel on after washing my face, wait 30 min and put on a really hydrating moisturizer.

Overall, this product has helped my skin so much, with the acne as well as just making it smooth and not as textured as before. I recommend it to everyone i know who suffers with all types of acne.

I have been using differin for over a year now (around 14 months giver or take) and did not publish a review until now. If you want an in-depth review, read on. For the tl;dr version: it works, just stick with it. Btw, i was not paid for this nor was i sent this product (although they should be sending it, given how many tubes i’ve bought).

I had the most terrible acne. No, i’m not talking about a small tiny excuse of a blemish that your friend with great skin complains about when she has her ‘bad skin’ days. My face was red and painful. My cheeks were covered all the time, and i had no area on my face where acne wouldn’t pop up. Nose, brows, chin, jaw, underneath the jaw, you name it. I had tried curology and while my skin got amazing for the first 6 months, my acne returned with a vengeance. I had tried so many things, clay masks, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, other ahas and bhas, sulfur, rosehip oil, and even supplements like zinc and milk thistle, you name it. Nothing worked at all. I was so so embarrassed of my skin, but i couldn’t wear makeup either since makeup made my acne so much worse.

I heard about differin and i figured ‘well, might as well give this a try cause it can’t get any worse’. Boy, i was wrong. It did get worse. Much worse. Suddenly i had so much more acne and i felt like crap. I couldn’t believe my skin could get worse, but it did. Differin was the only thing i was using so i knew this was it. I was depressed but i stuck with it, cause i wanted to test it for at least 4 months. I thought i might as well test the claim, since my skin is so bad already.

The first month was really really bad. It brought all underlying acne to the surface i.e. The purge phase. It did the purging for 3-4 months, but the first month was the worst. Not gonna lie to you, that first month will probably be the worst skin you’ve had in your life. Your skin will become so sensitive! Anticipate that! My skin has never been sensitive to products but while using this, my regular moisturizers and masks would sting like crazy (get stuff with no fragrance/alcohol or acids!). It didn’t affect my skin in any other way, it just stung a lot. Oh, and i used to get my upper lip and brows waxed. Not with this you can’t, the wax will tear off your skin since it gets much more sensitive. I learned the hard way. Only do threading!

However, after i waited out the terrible, terrible first month, i slowly began to see improvements. Marginal, though. I had acne, but i probably had just a tad less. And it continued that way, it kept improving. Eventually, my skin was so much clearer than before! I still had acne, mind you, it’s not a miracle drug, but it was few and far in between. There would be times when i had no active acne, which was huge for me!! My face usually looked like a connect the dots game. However, i did hit a plateau. This worked phenomenally at reducing my ugly acne all over my face to a few zits here and there, however, my issue was deeper than that. Eventually, i went to a doctor and got on spironolactone.

Now, i am both on my spiro and this. The combo of these two have made my skin so clear! I could have never imagined this day! I still need to use this, i have noticed my spiro is not enough to keep zits at bay and if i skip a couple of nights putting on differin, new zits come up. I am so much happier now that i don’t have zillions of gross zits on my face. I still get zits if i eat sugar or near my period but man, i am a long way from before! I have a few blemishes left over from before but i honestly don’t care, my skin looks wayyy better. I can hide my blemishes with a sheer foundation of spot concealing if i want.

So if you’ve read till the end, the lesson is: be patient and be realistic! Your acne did not appear overnight and will not disappear overnight. If you stick with this, it will work. However, your mileage may vary. My acne was extremely bad, so after i hit my ‘acne plateau’ i went to the doctor. If your acne is not as bad, it’s likely differin is all you need for clear skin! If you’re on the fence, confused, depressed, frustrated and/or can’t afford a doctor, it’s worth a shot! Just be patient and gentle with your skin!

I did start using this a few months ago and this is my second time purchasing it. It really really improve my skin more than i thought it would i have tried so many different acne products that don’t work and this changed my skin! I started using it in the morning but i changed it to using it at night and it’s so much better at night. When i use it in the morning my face in seemed to burn more in the sun so it was better for me at night with a good moisturizer. Just make sure to use spf in the morning.

Raise your hand if you didn’t ache back in high school but now you’re 30 years old and it spreads over your face like wildfire! Well listen up because this bottle is your ticket out of that mess! I’ve tried hundreds and i do me hundreds of different types of products to help clear my skin and this stuff takes the cake. The proof is in the pudding. Each one of these pictures was taken exactly a month apart. 6 months is all it took to almost completely clear my skin! I see some other people saying it destroyed their skin and i’m assuming it’s because they were not moisturizing after using this product. I have a very sensitive skin and at no point in the six months of using this product did my skin ever burn, and i always followed it up with moisturizer. Moisturizer your skin people. It is so important, especially when using a retinoid.

I have been ordering products off of amazon for years but this is the first time i am going to write a review. I have suffered from semi-severe acne for the past ten years and have tried many different things that promise clear skin but i have never found anything that worked. I even went to the dermatologist a few times and did not see any results with what they prescribed me. I was seriously about to just give up until i saw this mentioned on reddit with someone who had similar skin conditions as me getting results with it. Even though i knew this probably would not work as everything does, i tried it out because $14 wasn’t too much to waste. Oh boy. I have only used this since march (about 3 months) and my skin is completely clear!!!! I was literally crying to one of my friends yesterday about how happy i was to be able to do basic things without the pain from my acne disctracting me. I haven’t had a single pimple in the past month while i used to get 3-4 a day. I can’t believe the day has finally come that i can glide a finger over my skin and it is completely smooth, i can finally wear makeup, i can sleep on the side of my face, i can wear a mask without changing it from getting acne gunk on it. I finally beat acne after 10 long years thanks to differin.

On that note, here is some advice for those who have just started using this. For one, use this at night and make sure to buy a sunscreen. Differin increases sensitivity to light and it can actually make your skin worse if you do not use it with a sunscreen. For the first week or two, i would reccomend only using it once a week and gradually increasing to twice/thrice a week. If you are like me and have sensitive skin this is a must or else you may have irritation which can inturn cause more acne flair ups. Additionally, once you have started using it for the first few weeks or months you may expirence what is called a ‘purge’. Differin increases cell turnover, i.e. Speeds up the way your skin replaces old cells with new cells. As this happens, acne that is present in the lower cells waiting to come up is sped up and comes out all at once. This is what many call the ‘purge’ and i expirenced it pretty bad for the first month. But if this happens to you it may just be a sign that the product is working, so try not to quit too soon. And remember: this may take longer to work for some people and may not work at all.

But with that, i am extremely greatful for this product and hope that someone else can expirence the same joy as i did 🙂 thank you.

I got this for my son’s teenage acne. Other over the counter acne treatments have been useless. He uses this at night about every other day. It has a noticeable improvement in just a few days. Washes with cera-ve foaming face wash then applied the differen gel. It may be a bit more expensive than other acne medication but it works and is flex spending approved. He has sensitive skin and this has been non irritating. No sent that i noticed, and not too drying to his skin. If you have stubborn acne this is amazing. Saved a visit to dermatology.

If you don’t read any further in my review, please know this: it gets a lot worse before it gets much better. Hang in there.

I’m posting this in hopes this helps someone. First, some history: i’ve struggled with moderate acne from my teenage to adult years. In my early and mid 30s, my acne has turned into painful cysts that predominantly cover my cheeks, jawline and neck. I also have breakouts on my shoulders, back and chest, though they aren’t anything like my face. The areas i break out in would lead me to believe it’s hormonal. Since i’ve also had hair loss and have had cysts on my ovaries, there was a thought it was pcos, but dozens of blood tests and expensive doctor visits later, that was ruled out.

I spend countless, and i mean countless hours researching about acne. It’s ruined my self-esteem and confidence, i never feel attractive, and i even have trouble looking at people sometimes. My skin is painful due to the deep cysts and inflammation. So much so, some days i just wanted to cut my skin off. It’s been hard not to pick, but of course even if i don’t, my skin is left with red marks that are just has hard to cover up as the inflamed bumps.

I’ve tried everything over the years. You name it, i’ve tried it, and that includes acutane (but i wouldn’t stay on it due to concerns over liver damage). The only thing i haven’t tried that i heard could work is spirnolactane. I was actually prescribed it but decided not to take it, again, over concerns about what it would due to my health. I don’t even know how many dermatologist, primary care and ob/gyn appts i’ve had to discuss the matter. One derm went so far as to tell me, ‘if you still have acne at this age, you’ll always have acne.’ in other words, i’m hopeless. I hated that guy. That was told to me when i was around 22 and i’ve never forgotten it 13 years later.

Recently, i moved to a new town and got a facial. The woman that was treating me suggested differin gel. She mentioned she’d seen some success with it and that it was a fairly new otc product. I figured, what in the heck do i have to lose. Desperate, i ordered it from amazon.

And after using it for the first time, i broke out everywhere, particularly my forehead. It was awful. My only patch of clear skin was now what seemed to be infinite whiteheads. Every pore was a whitehead. It was awwwwwful!!! I immediately quit the product, and was so angry that another thing failed me. It took weeks for the whitehead breakout to clear up.

While i waited, i kept researching it. I don’t know why. And i read how people talked about it ‘purging’ the skin so people get a bad initial breakout. Ok. Well, i don’t know if it was out of frustration or a little nagging gut feeling, i decided to try it again.

And my skin got so red and dry and burned so badly. I mean, excruciatingly painful. And it turns out that’s just because i was coating on a thick layer of it all over my skin. How embarrassing showing up for work and my whole face is just red and massive flakes.

But after all that flaking and peeling, and using non-stop aloe on it (also borrowed my husband’s thick aveeno eczema lotion… It seems to really work!), i had…. Clear skin. I can’t believe i’m typing this. It’s been weeks, and my skin has cleared up 98% (i did have a couple neck and jawling cysts this period cycle, though – but they’re not as hidden under the surface as they used to be). My skin doesn’t get nearly as oily (overcompensating for the dryness of differin) or as flaky (because i’m using a little bit for the whole face with a little more added onto my problem areas). It seems to have finally balanced out.

I really just can’t believe it, and i am so unbelievably happy and feeling so much more confident than i have in a long time. I truly hope this helps someone. Shoot me a question on here if you have one and i’ll be happy to answer.

For the record, after a ton of my own research, i believe i have a sensitivity to dht. My blood test dht levels are normal, but as i understand it, sensitivity to dht cannot be measured, and i believe that may explain my female hair loss and cystic acne. I recently purchased saw palmetto extract to see if that can help — though it made me feel very faint so i stopped after a third day.

I’ll first start by saying that i’ve been using this product for a little over two months. I read a lot of journals for skin care and follow dermatologist on tiktok. That being said, i started using this product, not for acne, but because of its retinod properties that help with aging. I started by using a peasize drop only three times weekly and just recently started using it every night in my skin care routine.
I will say, you must use this with a good moisturizer, it will dry you out heavily!
Most of my readings say that you may not see any changes for up to a year, however i will say the one thing i have noticed is the shrinkage of my pores! I’ve always had large pores that would clog easily, however since using this product, i’ve iiseen a dramatic difference in not only the pore size, but also a decrease in blackheads!!
Absolute game changer.

This is a great product! But there is a side effect you should make sure you’re ready for.
I’m almost 26yrs old & i’ve been struggling with acne since i was a teen. I had been using aveeno clear complection face wash for years & it usually kept it under control. The past few months my skin just kept getting worse & worse (no change to my diet, skin products, etc.) & no idea what caused my skin to have such horrible breakouts. I decided to look into proactiv to help. I know a few people who have been on it & half loved it & half hated it. But all of them hated the price & how difficult it was to unsubscribe. That made me not want to get proactiv. I did more research & found this product, differin. It has the exact same amount of adapalene gel .1% as the proactivmd acne treatment gel. It’s basically the same product, they just charge you 2x or 3x the cost for it, depending on the size you order.
With that in mind, i order the differin gel & differin gentle cleanser. Now i did read the reviews on the differin gel. I knew it would cause dry skin. But i didn’t worry about it because i knew i had a pretty good moisturizer (bio oil is not meant to be used as a moisturizer but i accidently discovered it makes an awesome one) that i’ve been using for at least a year.
However, when i started using the differin products, my beloved moisturizer did not stand a chance. I switched to an aveeno face moisturizer & nope, that didn’t work either. My skin felt raw. It was so dry, it started to peel which then made my skin feel raw, itchy & so red. I started shopping around buying different face moisturizers & every one i used made my skin feel like it was set on fire. It burned. I guess because it was raw, i’m not sure. I didn’t want to stop using the differin product because i had read in other reviews that the dryness & peeling was normal & a good sign that the product is working (hard to believe, i know), all i had to do was use a good moisturizer.
So i did some more research for what i could use for very dry & itchy skin. A few websites suggested a number of things that i already wasted money on except petroleum jelly (aka vaseline). I know… Vaseline? On my face? It’s really thick, won’t it clog my pores? I had given just about everything else a try & my skin was screaming for relief. A website said the thickness of it helps prevent waterloss in the skin. So i decided to give it a try.
Oh my goodness…. It worked!! After a couple of days the dryness, peeling, & itchiness was almost completely gone. After a little over a week, no more redness, no more rawness & no more anything. Well i still had acne, lol. The greasy texture takes some getting use to. I apply small dabs & rub it in, leaving a thin layer to soak in.
Okay, i found an excellent moisturizer to combat the drying side effect of the differin products. Since i’ve been using all three; differin gel, differin gentle cleanser, & vaseline. My skin is looking amazing.
I started using the gel daily but it was/is too much for my skin. So instead i use it every other day but i use the cleanser & moisturize daily & nightly. You will go through a ‘purge’ phase. This is normal for most acne products, even proactiv. So don’t be scared away when this happens. Think of it like it’s digging out all of the built up junk that’s been lying under your skin, waiting to pop up at the most inconvenient time like a date or job interview.
For me, it’s been about a month. I battled the dry skin side effect & patiently waited out the purge phase & now my skin is truly looking amazing & so much better. I still have acne but only about 50% of what i had when i started. Your skin might take longer or less time to purge before clearing up. Just be consistent. Be patient. Don’t chicken out. And be realistic, this is not a one week or one month cure. It’ll take time & you’ll have to continue using it even when you’re acne is gone. Or else it’ll come back. So you might as well buy the 2 large bottles. I’ve already order again & plan on using these products long term.
My advice…. Buy this product!! You won’t regret it. Just make sure you have a really good moisturizer.
I would add a photo of my skin now but it wouldn’t mean much because there’s no before photo so you would have no idea of how bad my acne was when i started. Just know, i’m very impressed after one month.

This gel works but it requires alot of patience, endurance and skin maintence on your part! I used it for approximately 5 months and my skin went from having constant acne and bumps to mostly clear skin. After all the treatment, i do get one or two acne on my tzone area but nothing as chronic and constant as before. This product is not for everyone as its really harsh on the skin

be warned you will get worse before you get better! Dont be alarmed if you break out more the first few weeks. I didnt see result until around a month in when the acne started to decrease.

You will have to keep up with your skin care everyday for it to be successful. Wash your face with a cleanser before apply, i reccomend applying at night. You only need a pea sized amount and dab a bit on your entire face then spread it out. You must use moisture after application as it will dry out your skin and is super painful at first. Personally, the first week or so was the worse part. Its extremely uncomfortable with a constant stinging sensation. I kept the fan on my face to relief some of the pain and stinging. You must apply sunscreen on your face in the morning as it makes your skin sensitive to the sun!

They say to apply it everyday on packaging insert but you can start with everyother night for the first week just to acclimated with the senstive skin and discomfort and then transition to every night.

The process is going to take at least 3 months for best results so alot of patiences is needed

Here is what i did to avoid the fate of purging and negative skin rashes…..

Don’t:
1) don’t use on raw exfoliated skin. Wait a couple days after exfoliating.
2) don’t use a sudsing cleansing soap prior. Use a mild hydrating cleanser.
3) don’t use after getting your skin waxed or shaved.
4) avoid hot water and steam before use.
5) do not go stand in the sun after applying (retin works by thinning the top layer of your skin which is usually used for protection against the sun). Don’t take your chances!
6) do not apply to eyelids or neck or other thin skin areas including the inside of your wrists. You can apply vaseline to these areas if needed to protect them.
7) don’t freak out if your face flakes and don’t scrub the flakes off. Moisturizer is your friend.
8) don’t scratch at your skin if itches or burns, stay calm, rinse it off with cool water. Apply a gentle cream and then apply a cool wash cloth. Consider diluting before using again.
9) don’t assume because your neighbor next door can use twice a day on fresh scrubbed skin with no adverse effects, that the same will be true for you. Adverse skin reactions can take weeks or months to heal from.
10) do not apply generously all over your skin. Pea size only on face.

Do:
1) plan on using once or twice a week at first for the first month. Remember ‘sparingly’ is your motto.
2) have a natural moisture barrier on your face first. Be sure you have not scrubbed your skin raw or clean prior and make sure face is danp prior to applying.
3) if you have ultra sensitive skin, apply a gentle moisturizer first before applying differin. Allow to dry before applying differin.
4) do apply a creamy moisturizer after if needed. Wait five minutes before you do.
5) do also apply sunscreen religiously if you will be outdoors. So important!!!!
6) do research ‘purging’ and what you can do to minimize or avoid it.
7) do remember that this product is a medication and not your typical otc cream. Use sparingly and with caution.
8) do remember that moisture is your friend. After cleansing, avoid drying your skin with towels. Avoid air drying as well.
9) do remember that with this product ‘less is more’. It is potent stuff! Once or twice a week treatments alone will make a difference.
10) keep a good repair cream on hand in possible event of harsh reaction or irritated skin. I recommend ‘first aid beauty ultra repair cream’. This stuff is amazing. Hydrocortisone cream can also be used.

Most importantly: it takes 6-12 weeks of patient and measured use before seeing positive long term results for acne. It can take up to a year before seeing positive results for aged and wrinkled skin.

My results:
i started out at a twice a week and had no reaction except for mild redness, itching and tingling the following two days afterwards. When i tried to increase to three days a week, i started having issues. The solution to this was to revamp my skin care routine (listed below). After that, i was able to switch pretty rapidly to nightly use. The game changer was adding first aid ultra hydrating cream.

I’ve included my before and six week after photos. My acne is gone and my pores most definitely shrunk. I used the same room and lighting and i notice that my skin has become much brighter and lighter. My guess is in removing the thing top layer of skin, we no longer see the old tanned skin i had. So far, i am happy with the results.

I am 38 years old. My long term goal is to prevent deep wrinkles and shrink my pores and hopefully reduce white milia bumps under my eyes as well as all random acne and age spots. I know from researching this can take months and years so i’m feeling patient.

My current differin application:

my morning routine:
– cereve hydrating cleanser
– after rinsing, i apply timewise vitamin c serum with the added f acid.
– then, i apply a thin layer of sunscreen: la roche-posay anthelios with mexoryl sx
or cerave spf 30.

*note: i believe the vitamin c serum helped with quicker skin cell turnover rate to prevent purging.

In the evenings:
– i double cleanse: first i use yes to coconuts uktra hydrating creme cleanser. After i rinse that off, i cleanse with cerave hydrating facial cleanser.
– i allow skin to stay damp.
– i then apply a pea size amount of differin to my face (never on neck or eyelids).
– after about minutes, i follow that with first aid beauty ultra repair cream.
– i apply cerave skin renewing serum to my eyes and neck and chest.
– note: i only use retin a products at night to decrease sun sensitivity. In the mornings, i use all my other acids and vitamin c.

Be aware that most of the negative reviews on here are mostly due to user error and lack of knowledge in the product. There is no reason to have terrible breakouts or harm your skin. I’m horrified people are using this on their neck right away. Poor skin! This is a potent product.

Good luck!

I’ve been an athlete all my life, and with the constant sweating comes constant ache struggles. I decided to try this cream, and the results have been very pleasing! I’ve been using it constantly once a day, and with in the first week my ache has improved a lot! The only downside is i noticed it drying out my face when i first started using it. I have just made sure to put a little moisturizer on after applying the cream. This seems to have done the trick, and i haven’t noticed any more dryness.

I use this weekly. Or twice weekly. It doesnt have a scent. I am refusing to purge and break out alot so i do little by little. Not too shabby stuff.

Great for clearing blemishes

This was recommended by my dermatologist. It’s supposed to, after regular long-term use, clear up acne, slough off old skin to activate new, smoother skin growth, reduce scarring, and help with wrinkles. I’m on my first month, and so far it’s just like retin-a- which i could never tolerate long enough to get results from. It’s very harsh. It makes your skin verybred and burning. My biggest problem area is my chin & around my mouth. I get whiteheads & pimples. After about a week this area flaked, but no effect yet on the breakouts. I’ve used it on my entire face, including around eyes, and so far nothing else has peeled or flaked. I just have the redness and burning. I’m going to try my hardest to give it the 3 months it says it could take to get past this phase & hope for results. It’s very important to stay out of the sun while on this product regiman. I use it at night & wash it off with a creamy gentle cleanser in the morning & use a gel moisturizer & sunscreen during the day. It’s a hard treatment, but it’s shown to have good results on others, so i hope the suffering will be worth it. If you have sensitive skin, watch out. Sometimes the burning pain at night keeps me up. Only use enough to provide a thin layer over skin.
The box is big, but don’t be fooled- the tube is tiny. It’s a 1-month supply. Good luck!

I have only applied this item to my stretch marks maybe like 7-8 times in 2 months and my stretch marks are starting to fade !

Son says this helps with acne

I’ve used differen around 2020 or 2021, and bought it on hopes that it will treat my acne. It works well, for people that is starting to grow acne, i recommend this a lot, as it helps out. This treatment works well, combined with a good face wash, this will indeed work. However, in the last couple days i didn’t do face wash, and still using differn, i started getting plenty of break outs. So, please pair it with a good face wash.

Good spot treatment for my random pimples. Doesn’t over dry.

I honestly don’t know if this product is what it claims to be because it wasn’t sealed. But based on the results from my skin i actually think it’s the differin gel.