Accutane gel (Differin)

[Tom]

I am completing my 6 month on tane. The acne on my face was not severe, but it was nothing pretty. Now that I am wrapping this up my derma perscribe the gel form of tane. It is called Differin. I am almost 100% positive it is the genric form because that is what my insurance covers. I was wondering if anyone had any experiences with this gel. My derma told me it would help to smooth out my skin where there are red spots and it is a bit rough. At the same time he said 4x use the smallest amount possible because this stuff will dry your skin out worse than the pill form of tane. Any information or experiences would be greatly appricated.

[soultrain]

http://www.differin.com/AboutDifferin/Default...

[Edward]

Before I was on accutane my derm. gave me that differin and let me tell you its not a gel form of accutane because if it was it would have worked for me and my derm wouldn't have had to put me on accutane(pills). Yes it does dry out your skin but not as worse an accutane. It depends on how much you apply at a time, all over your face or just sopt treatment.

[Tom]

How did you use it? As a spot or whole face?

[Edward]

I used it all over my face but it really dried out my face. It made my face all dry and tight. You can use it either way.

[RoboPenguin]

Out of curiosity, I did a little bit of research. Differin is NOT isotretinoin, but it is still a retinoid. It is adapalene and has a chemical formula of C28H28O3. Although, they do have a tretinoin cream. I have two here on my desk. One is made by Alpharma and has a concentration of .025% tretinoin. Then Retin-A micro has a couple different concentrations. The one I used was .04% tretinoin.
Tretinoin and isotretinoin appear to be the same thing, at least according to Wikipedia. They both have a chemical formula of C20H28O2. Tretinoin seems to be the topical form though, and isotretinoin the oral form.

[Sarah]

I have the differin gel right now. It didn't work for me to clear my skin. And no, it didn't dry out my skin at all. I also used it all over my face.

[Kate]

My Derm prescribed it for me 3 months ago and told me it was 'Roaccutane in a gel'. It did work to a degree but my acne has now flared up again and I am back on Roaccutane tablets for the second time in 3 years. The gel did dry my skin out but if you start at 2x a week, then 3x up to every night over the course of a month of so it's not so bad.

[unknown soldier]

Nope, Differin is not accutane. It's just a topical retinoid that may be useful for very mild acne. I was on Differin gel for a year, then Differin cream (less drying), Tazorac, and Retnin-A. They're all pretty much varients of the a topical retinoid medication, and none really helped me much. The Differin gel and Tazorac definitely dried me out the most; much more than Accutane ever has -- which is pretty remarkable. In order to combat the dryness I began doing short-contact with the Differin gel and Tazorac, meaning I would put a tiny amount on my face for anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes before washing my face. It still helped reduce some of the smaller red bumps and limited the overall dryness. If I left either on all night my face would literally peel completely off within the next 2-4 days. Pretty gross and hard to look at. Maybe ask your derm about short-contact treatment. It's very common.

Good luck!

[michelle starr]

ive had cystic acne 4 since i was 12 have used accutane 3 x it worked amazing but te acne left me icepick scars ive had a full face life full hospitol dermabrasion with rotary and anything else you can think of what have you found to be the most helpful with removing scars

[michelle starr]

the above article should say full face lift

[PleaseAnswer]

Tom wrote:

I am completing my 6 month on tane. The acne on my face was not severe, but it was nothing pretty. Now that I am wrapping this up my derma perscribe the gel form of tane. It is called Differin. I am almost 100% positive it is the genric form because that is what my insurance covers. I was wondering if anyone had any experiences with this gel. My derma told me it would help to smooth out my skin where there are red spots and it is a bit rough. At the same time he said 4x use the smallest amount possible because this stuff will dry your skin out worse than the pill form of tane. Any information or experiences would be greatly appricated.

It DEFINITELY doesn't dry out your skin as bad as tane, I've been on Differin for about a month and its doing freat so far, the only places where I am dry from the Differin is around my lips. Just use lots of cetaphil lotion, or whatever you use.

[Chris]

my doctor had prescribed me differin, another cream, and some antibiotics. It didn't really work and my acne got much worse and now im starting accutane tonight.

[John]

Chris wrote:

my doctor had prescribed me differin, another cream, and some antibiotics. It didn't really work and my acne got much worse and now im starting accutane tonight.

I hope you will have wonderful, long-lasting results.

[Josh]

I'd just like to step in and make a note: If you're really, truly serious about getting rid of moderate-to-severe acne, don't settle for anything topical.

An ingestible product is the only 100% solution for cystic acne of any degree.

Avoid wasting time and money on topic products whenever possible, I always say.

[rattlehead-uk]

differin gel jus helps break down blackheads and thatS it! it doesnt even do that too good and smells suspiciciously like B.O

[Differin User]

Tom wrote:

How did you use it? As a spot or whole face?

Never spot treat with a retinoid. It won't do any good. Differin prevents peoples. Any pimple will resolve itself, differin will unclog pores to prevent new pimples from forming.

[OSU]

Differin User----Were you prescribed Differin after you have completed Accutane treatments? Is Differin to prevent future acne? If yes, is it working? Is it similar to Tarozac? I thought Accutane prevents future acne and topical products is not needed after completed with Accutane treatments.

[pimple face]

ha ha we have acne

[College Guy]

Differin works awesome for me! Probably the best face topical I tried out of duac, retin-a micro, and tazorac