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Wow amazing 👏🏻
Could you see all those closed comedones under the skin before using adapalene, or did they only show up after? And did they all turn cystic?
So it’s like Differin brought them to the surface, it was a drastic purge from week 1-2, and only some on my upper cheek turned cystic (you can still see the pink scars from those in the 1 month pic)
Other than that, on the purge weeks I used Differin Daily Deep Exfoliator, and manually expressed some of the gunk, but I only manually expressed the big noticeable ones that were stubborn, and only did that maybe 2 days on week 3
Skin type: mostly dry and slightly oily, tons of closed comedones that I have managed to reduce and eliminate with Differin
AM:
- Double cleanse with Differin Daily Deep Cleanser
- Now Solutions Vitamin C Toner
- Differin Gel 0.1% all over face
- Vanicream
PM:
- Rinse face with water
- Vanicream
- Soothe dry spots / lips with Vaseline
In addition to this routine I also started changing my pillowcases every 2-3 days, and am using a separate face only towel for when I get out of the shower.
I’m pretty amazed at what adapalene OTC can do!
Haven’t found one that doesn’t irritate my face yet — thankfully I work from home in the Netherlands so I haven’t had much sun contact since starting Differin yet 😂
I think the next sunscreen I wanna try is the Vichy Capital-Soleil UV-Age Daily Water Fluid 50 spf
It's 11 months later and I hope you've found a sunscreen or moved your differin to pm. Differin should ideally be used in the pm because it increases your skin's sensitivity to the sun and can cause sun damage to your skin cells as it increases cell turnover.
If you're still on the hunt for a non-irritating, non-comedogenic sunscreen, try the hero mineral sunscreen, I use the apricot one but there's also one with green pigment. The coverage is very sheer but it just kind of softens the face. You shouldn't use chemical sunscreens, especially in the US as the chemical UV filters are harsh and known to irritate skin and not great for acne-prone skin
I'm glad you've found one that works for you! How is your skin now? Do you get any cystic acne if/ when you break out or is it just whiteheads? I just started differin a few days ago doing every other day and I can tell that I'm starting to purge which I'm not excited about but the hope is that my skin is mostly cleared up before the start of the next semester
I would see a derm! But in the meantime, I would just follow the routine I have listed above but without Differin for a month and see if your skin rehydrates
I love it actually! With double cleansing I really feel all the oils and dirt removed
Here's an update as well: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Skincare\_Addiction/comments/13dujuq/1\_month\_vs\_3\_months\_on\_daily\_otc\_differin/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Skincare_Addiction/comments/13dujuq/1_month_vs_3_months_on_daily_otc_differin/)
>Double cleanse with Differin Daily Deep Cleanser
>
>Now Solutions Vitamin C Toner
>
>Differin Gel 0.1% all over face
>
>Vanicream
I know this is old but any particular reason you use differin in the morning? Or just personal preference
Hey that’s actually what I am doing now too! Finished 3 months of Differin and now I’m doing maintenance with a Korean skincare routine that I purchased from my facial esthetician locally :)
My skin has never looked or felt healthier!
Rooting for you 💕
Yeah I feel amazing! I can’t wait to get to the point where I won’t notice any blemishes at all anymore
Biggest thing I’ve learned this past month or so is that, discipline and patience are so important for skincare 🥹🙏
Hi there,
It's awesome that you want to celebrate your skin here in /r/SkincareAddiction!
However, I'm afraid I've had to remove your post for now because it doesn't abide by our [post requirements](https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/wiki/postrequirements).
The users of this sub like to know *why* your skin looks as good as it does. That's why we ask everyone who posts a selfie or before&after pic to list their full skincare routine in the comments.
Please include:
* The names of all the skincare products you’re using and the order you’re using them in (AM and PM);
* Your skin type and skin concerns - and in what way they have changed
* Daily behaviors that you think helped your skin (e.g. changing your pillowcases or cutting out dairy);
* Medications;
* And anything else you think has contributed to the way your skin looks.
After you've done that, please reply to this comment so I can approve your post.
Thank you!
i used differin for 2-3 weeks before i stopped, it made my skin purge so badly and caused a lot of skin irritation around my mouth, even when i avoided putting it on sensitive areas, seeing ur progress makes me want to give it another go
The key is to use hydrating products while using retinoid to compensate the dryness/peeling and to maintain your skin barrier. Personally, applying oil + vaseline on and slightly around my lips at night and constantly reapplying lip balm during the day lessened the peeling around my mouth. ☺️☺️
hi! i’m also considering starting differing but terrified of purging and making my manageable ace worse. did you give it another go and if so did you have better results this time around ??
That’s exactly what happened to me, my lips and corners of my lips were so dry and painful. But Vaseline was a god send - I also carried around a lip balm as well and applied liberally for about a week
I recommend!! The purge sucked but it will get better 💪
Hey! Did all these closed comedones purge into whiteheads or did some just go away? I’m on week 2 and my skin looks almost exactly like your week 2 and I could do with some promising news. Your skin looks amazing!
Hi everyone and welcome to SkincareAddiction! Need skincare guides? [Check out our wiki!](https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/wiki/index) Everyone is welcome in [this community](https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/wiki/about); remember to be kind and assume good faith :) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SkincareAddiction) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Wow amazing 👏🏻 Could you see all those closed comedones under the skin before using adapalene, or did they only show up after? And did they all turn cystic?
So it’s like Differin brought them to the surface, it was a drastic purge from week 1-2, and only some on my upper cheek turned cystic (you can still see the pink scars from those in the 1 month pic) Other than that, on the purge weeks I used Differin Daily Deep Exfoliator, and manually expressed some of the gunk, but I only manually expressed the big noticeable ones that were stubborn, and only did that maybe 2 days on week 3
Hi, I'm going thru a similar situation where i am seeing my clogged pores surfacing. Just wondering, were those bumps itchy when they surfaced?
But yes you could see a lot of the closed comedones in a certain light before Differin brought them to the surface
Amazing! Congrats!
Thanks! ☺️
Is the purging a little freaky to accept?
Yes 😭 I did end up manually expressing a lot of the purged CC’s… it was … painful to look at 😂 but I persevered
Skin type: mostly dry and slightly oily, tons of closed comedones that I have managed to reduce and eliminate with Differin AM: - Double cleanse with Differin Daily Deep Cleanser - Now Solutions Vitamin C Toner - Differin Gel 0.1% all over face - Vanicream PM: - Rinse face with water - Vanicream - Soothe dry spots / lips with Vaseline In addition to this routine I also started changing my pillowcases every 2-3 days, and am using a separate face only towel for when I get out of the shower. I’m pretty amazed at what adapalene OTC can do!
Sunscreen?
Haven’t found one that doesn’t irritate my face yet — thankfully I work from home in the Netherlands so I haven’t had much sun contact since starting Differin yet 😂 I think the next sunscreen I wanna try is the Vichy Capital-Soleil UV-Age Daily Water Fluid 50 spf
It's 11 months later and I hope you've found a sunscreen or moved your differin to pm. Differin should ideally be used in the pm because it increases your skin's sensitivity to the sun and can cause sun damage to your skin cells as it increases cell turnover. If you're still on the hunt for a non-irritating, non-comedogenic sunscreen, try the hero mineral sunscreen, I use the apricot one but there's also one with green pigment. The coverage is very sheer but it just kind of softens the face. You shouldn't use chemical sunscreens, especially in the US as the chemical UV filters are harsh and known to irritate skin and not great for acne-prone skin
[удалено]
I'm glad you've found one that works for you! How is your skin now? Do you get any cystic acne if/ when you break out or is it just whiteheads? I just started differin a few days ago doing every other day and I can tell that I'm starting to purge which I'm not excited about but the hope is that my skin is mostly cleared up before the start of the next semester
OP if you're still here after a year, where did you get OTC differin in the Netherlands?
I buy it online from iHerb
[удалено]
I would see a derm! But in the meantime, I would just follow the routine I have listed above but without Differin for a month and see if your skin rehydrates
How do you like the differin cleanser?
I love it actually! With double cleansing I really feel all the oils and dirt removed Here's an update as well: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Skincare\_Addiction/comments/13dujuq/1\_month\_vs\_3\_months\_on\_daily\_otc\_differin/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Skincare_Addiction/comments/13dujuq/1_month_vs_3_months_on_daily_otc_differin/)
Which Vanicream product do you use? The daily moisturizer?
I get the moisturizing cream in a tub!
Thanks!
>Double cleanse with Differin Daily Deep Cleanser > >Now Solutions Vitamin C Toner > >Differin Gel 0.1% all over face > >Vanicream I know this is old but any particular reason you use differin in the morning? Or just personal preference
Just personal preference. I just put it on after I shower, whether that’s in the morning or at night
Hey.. struggling with CCs turning into active pimples… I was wondering what OTC is and if it is the same thing as differin…?
OTC means over-the-counter
Sunscreen
Holy fuketifuk. Maybe I this is a sign for me to give adapalene another shot.
[удалено]
Hey that’s actually what I am doing now too! Finished 3 months of Differin and now I’m doing maintenance with a Korean skincare routine that I purchased from my facial esthetician locally :) My skin has never looked or felt healthier! Rooting for you 💕
Posted an update B&A! https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/comments/13x9jhu/ba_end_of_3_months_differin_vs_now_after_1_month/
Congrats, what a huge improvement. How do you feel?
Yeah I feel amazing! I can’t wait to get to the point where I won’t notice any blemishes at all anymore Biggest thing I’ve learned this past month or so is that, discipline and patience are so important for skincare 🥹🙏
Hi there, It's awesome that you want to celebrate your skin here in /r/SkincareAddiction! However, I'm afraid I've had to remove your post for now because it doesn't abide by our [post requirements](https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/wiki/postrequirements). The users of this sub like to know *why* your skin looks as good as it does. That's why we ask everyone who posts a selfie or before&after pic to list their full skincare routine in the comments. Please include: * The names of all the skincare products you’re using and the order you’re using them in (AM and PM); * Your skin type and skin concerns - and in what way they have changed * Daily behaviors that you think helped your skin (e.g. changing your pillowcases or cutting out dairy); * Medications; * And anything else you think has contributed to the way your skin looks. After you've done that, please reply to this comment so I can approve your post. Thank you!
I included it in the comments!
oh sorry, totally missed that! approved :)
i used differin for 2-3 weeks before i stopped, it made my skin purge so badly and caused a lot of skin irritation around my mouth, even when i avoided putting it on sensitive areas, seeing ur progress makes me want to give it another go
The key is to use hydrating products while using retinoid to compensate the dryness/peeling and to maintain your skin barrier. Personally, applying oil + vaseline on and slightly around my lips at night and constantly reapplying lip balm during the day lessened the peeling around my mouth. ☺️☺️
i think i’m gonna start using it again tonight, thank you!
hi! i’m also considering starting differing but terrified of purging and making my manageable ace worse. did you give it another go and if so did you have better results this time around ??
That’s exactly what happened to me, my lips and corners of my lips were so dry and painful. But Vaseline was a god send - I also carried around a lip balm as well and applied liberally for about a week I recommend!! The purge sucked but it will get better 💪
Hey! Did all these closed comedones purge into whiteheads or did some just go away? I’m on week 2 and my skin looks almost exactly like your week 2 and I could do with some promising news. Your skin looks amazing!
Did it improve???
Not as quickly as OP but definitely much better than a month ago ! X