DifferinAcne Treatment Gel, 180 Day Supply, Retinoid Treatment for Face with 0.1% Adapalene, Gentle Skin Care for Acne Prone Sensitive Skin, 45g Tube, Pack of 2 (Packaging May Vary)

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've been using Differin gel for a while now and it's been really effective for my skin. It’s gentle but works well over time. I’m happy with this larger size—it definitely lasts longer and saves me from having to reorder so often. Overall, very satisfied!

This is not for mild acne. I don't think people with moderate acne should use this as a first resort, either.This is a retinoid if I remember correctly. It speeds up cell turnover, and increases photosensitivity. If you're using this, you MUST use a sunscreen, or acne scars will be more pronounced, your skin will get sun damage easily, and overall not look as great as this product can make you look. Do some research on sunscreens without comodegenic ingredients.I've been using the one month tube for about two months now, and I've used about 1/3-1/2 of the tube. You really don't need much. You want to apply as little as possible, and start out using it only once a week. Otherwise, your skin, starting to speed up it's cell turnover process, will start to peel, flake, among other unpleasant, dry and crackley negative effects. This can and will destroy your moisture barrier, making it 50 times easier for anything and everything to break you out. DON'T DO IT.How and when to use this:When you're getting INFLAMMATORY acne. If you're just getting blackheads and whiteheads, you can try a BHA or AHA, and start using 1-2 times a week. These are much less harsh and have a good chance of working exactly as intended. If you frequently get pustules, papules, cysts and nodules, this may be a good option for you. If you get a lot of cysts/nodules, go see a dermatologist. They can give you something stronger that will work better for you.This can also be used for texture issues, hyperpigmentation, and the like, but I recommend starting with a lower dose of an AHA product, because they are much less harsh and typically do a better job (faster, too) at fixing those issues.My issue: since 4th grade, I've had acne. I started to get cystic acne in 7th grade, and now as a college freshman, it was getting kind of annoying. I was rotating a BHA/AHA around before using this. Those worked okay, but I still had what would be considered moderate acne- not good. I DO have seborrheic dermatitis on the scalp, so it's possible I also suffer from pittysporum folliculitis (spelling may be wrong,) aka fungal acne, on the face. That BHA/AHA combo, along with a mostly Asian, hydration intensive routine, didn't do enough. My moisture barrier was incredible, though.I've used it two months now. You're supposed to wait THREE months to start seeing any true effect. This is not for the impatient. DO NOT use this with any other acne product. You need a gentle cleanser, a hydrating toner/essence/serum/Ampoule, a moisturizer, and a good sunscreen to use in the morning. An oil cleanser is also a good idea to make sure you remove all sunscreen at the end of the day.What I've noticed:The only times I get deep, painful acne, are the days where I miss that spot.I'm getting blackheads less and less.I'm getting whiteheads, but much less frequently.Nodular acne? Nope, not since before I started.Cystic acne? A few, but I'm getting them less and less.Papule/pustule/other? Still getting some, but nothing like I used to. Mostly in under eye area which is too sensitive for differin.I have not paid attention to my scarring/redness, because I use other products for those. I do think my texture is a bit worse, but I intend to work on that more once my acne is maintained.I started at once a week. Skin handled it, no problem. Went up to twice. Doing fine. Decided to go up to four times because I'm a rebel (translation: impatient.) Then, did every other day. Now I'm using it daily. My skin is a tad overexfoliated, so I've cut back to 6 times a week for now, but it's working very well.Please note: my skin can handle using 5 different high percentages of BHA products at once. Most people's skin cannot tolerate that. Slowly work your way up. Do not expect immediate effects. Use sunscreen and an oil cleanser to remove it. HYDRATE- no one is too oily for a moisturizer. I have very oily skin and the right moisturizer/toner only help, and can make you less oily. Don't overdo it. And lastly, BE PATIENT. I'm trying to work my way to being able to tolerate differin and my BHA. Not everyone can do this. This will not work for everyone, because everyone's skin is different.