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Hi everyone,
I've been on the lowest strength of tretinoin cream for about four months now. A different doctor prescribed 0.1% differin gel for me, but I haven't decided whether I should switch over, as I've had some limited success with the tretinoin. Generally, my skin is very oily with stubborn blackheads, large pores, and occasional bouts of moderate acne. I had a pretty bad breakout last month and the red/dark marks on my face have refused to heal for weeks now. I do think the tretinoin has helped with the size and severity of my blackheads but the difference isn't as significant as I would have hoped. I'm wondering:
Does switching from one retinoid to another cause another initial breakout?
Does differin improve the general texture (e.g. oiliness, blackheads) of one's skin like tretinoin?
Does differin make skin sensitive to the sun like tretinoin?
I could probably answer all of these questions by starting with differin, but I'm nervous that I'll have another major breakout.....
Thanks!
My dermatologist said differin is much better than tretinoin. So far that is my experience also. I gave up on tretinoin because the initial breakout was so bad and it was so harsh on my skin. Now I've been using epiduo which contains 0.1% adapalene which is the ingredient in differin. I haven't had an initial breakout, my red marks have faded alot in a short space of time and the texture of my skin has improved - it is smoother. I still get oily but not as much as without it. I do get flaky but not as much as with tretinoin and I don't get as red. I believe it does still make your skin sensitive to the sun but it's good to wear spf anyway 
I was really nervous about trying epiduo for similar reasons why you're not sure about switching but I'd definitely recommend giving differin a go
My dermatologist said differin is much better than tretinoin. So far that is my experience also. I gave up on tretinoin because the initial breakout was so bad and it was so harsh on my skin. Now I've been using epiduo which contains 0.1% adapalene which is the ingredient in differin. I haven't had an initial breakout, my red marks have faded alot in a short space of time and the texture of my skin has improved - it is smoother. I still get oily but not as much as without it. I do get flaky but not as much as with tretinoin and I don't get as red. I believe it does still make your skin sensitive to the sun but it's good to wear spf anyway
I was really nervous about trying epiduo for similar reasons why you're not sure about switching but I'd definitely recommend giving differin a go
Thanks! I started using the differin gel a couple of nights ago. It's way more drying than the tretinoin cream and I've already noticed some peeling skin BUT there does appear to be less redness than with the tretinoin. Also, there seems to be a small reduction in blackheads already.
My dermatologist said differin is much better than tretinoin. So far that is my experience also. I gave up on tretinoin because the initial breakout was so bad and it was so harsh on my skin. Now I've been using epiduo which contains 0.1% adapalene which is the ingredient in differin. I haven't had an initial breakout, my red marks have faded alot in a short space of time and the texture of my skin has improved - it is smoother. I still get oily but not as much as without it. I do get flaky but not as much as with tretinoin and I don't get as red. I believe it does still make your skin sensitive to the sun but it's good to wear spf anyway
Hi! Differin is adapalene right? How long did you use it and how often? How long did it take to fade the red marks? Did you experience an initial breakout?