I bought Differin gel after watching Dr. Dray’s YouTube videos, which say that Adapalene is an effective treatment for acne.
I have noticed over the last year that I keep breaking out, more than I used to, particularly on my chin area. Previously when watching Dr. Dray’s YouTube videos I was interested in using Differin gel for anti-aging purposes but when I saw the price of it, I decided I coulnd’t spend the money. But since I’ve been having acne-related skin care issues, I am more than okay with spending money to fix my problem skin care.
The Before
This is me during one of my most recent acne flare-ups.
I have a pimple patch on, which helped a lot I think, but I needed to find a solution that would treat my problem skin at the source, and to preventative, rather than help with it after it flared up. By the way, I have three pimples all under that one patch. It was horrific!
Tips for Using Differin Gel
- Wash face with gentle cleanser (removes dirt, oil, makeup and sunscreen), then rinse.
- To a wet face, apply moisturizer. Allow skin to dry completely.
- Add ointment, like Vaseline, to areas of face with thin skin (corners of mouth, corners of nose, and around eyes). This will prevent the retinoid from those areas.
- Get a pea sized amount of Differin gel onto finger and dot onto face (dot the chin, forehead, cheeks), then use fingers to spread evenly over face, avoiding eye area.
- The next morning, wash and moisturize face as normal and apply a sunscreen.
Other Tips for Success:
Dr. Dray recommends not using cleanser and moisturizer products with other active ingredients so that you’re not adding extra skin irritation to the mix. At least at first when your skin is getting used to the Differin product. After time, you can incorporate other products.
The sunscreen I am using is the elf tinted glow sunscreen. I’m not sure if she would recommend this one, but it is what I have so I am using it. Check out her video linked below to find out which sunscreen she recommends.
Dr. Dray also recommends not wearing makeup because the skin will already be irritated, and the makeup can add to the irritation. That’s why I like using the tinted sunscreen by elf, because it also has a glow finish to it.
My Results:
Week 0 - Before Treatment
Week 1 - Treatments on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The pictures below were after 2 applications. Basically, it is the same as the before pictures. I didn't experience any noticeable change in my skin after these application. I will keep this post updated as I continue using Differin gel week-by-week.
- Absolutely no feeling of irritation, no tingling, burning, redness, etc. Nothing.
- After day 3, I noticed I wake up with less shine (sebum) on my face, skin appears more even toned
- After day 4, old zits under lip that still had clogged pores (I didn't pop them) now feel like coming it surface, feels like that will be able to release clogged pore soon
- A little itchy/burning around my nose and lips
- No extra redness
Week 2 - Treatments on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
- Slight tingle/irritation feeling around lips, nose
- Less shiny in morning (less sebum)
- No extra redness
- Skin appear more even toned (maybe cheeks are even less red than normal)
Week 3 -Treatments on Monday, Wednesday
- Less tingle around nose (almost no irritation at all)
- Less sebum/shininess in morning
- No irritation on application 2
- Dry flaky skin around chin (forehead and cheeks are fine)
- I have noticed irritation (skin burning sensation) when using other products on the off days (i.e. micellar water, hydrating lotion), so I may back off on using Differin gel one day or not washing my face on the off day (just using water to splash my face)
- Because I had the feeling of irritation, I skipped Friday’s treatment
Week 4 - Treatments on Wednesday, Friday
- Because I had the feeling of irritation last week, I skipped Monday’s treatment
- 2 pimples formed on forehead
- Several on face coming to surface (under eye, below lip on chin)
Week 5 to 7 - Treatments continue Monday, Wednesday, Friday
- Gradual pop up of deep clogged pores that I could always see sitting under the surface
- With every application I could see a difference in skin tone, clarity
- I could see peeling/flaking skin, mostly around the lower part of my face/chin and sides of my cheeks
- When I had more peeling skin or flakiness, I took a day off and then kept on my weekly skincare schedule
Week 8 Onwards - Treatements continue Monday, Wednesday, Friday
- skin appears to be used to Differin gel
- Skin is mostly clear, although I am still having at least one minor pimple every now and again (usually coinciding with my hormonal cycle)
What to expect using Differin gel:
- Dr. Dray says you might experience quite a bit of irritation for several weeks when you start using the product.
- She also says you might experience a few weeks of something called “The Differin Purge” where your acne actually worsens for a few weeks while the acne comes to the surface.
- Using the product every other night (as compared to every night), will help lessen the irritation you experience.
- Dr. Dray says you can expect to see improvements in your acne within the first few weeks of using Differin.
Learn from Dr. Dray
I encourage you to check out Dr. Dray’s YouTube channel and all her videos on Differin to learn about all of her Differin recommendations. Watch her video on YouTube called Differin: Tips from a Dermatologist Acne Skin Care, to learn straight from Dr. Dray. This is where I got the information to try using Differin for myself and write this blog post.
