anybody or their kids or spouse try Differin for acne?

[asscherisme]

I was wondering if anyone on here or their spouse or kids have tried differen for acne.

My teenage son was just prescribed it on Friday and I filled the prescriptoin yesterday.

First off, WOW its expensive! Thank goodness I have insurance! It cost $278 for a small tube! Luckily it cost me $40 for my co pay so insurance covered $238 but the pharmacist warned me that my insurance only covers one tube every 2 months so I should supervise him at first to make sure my son is using it correctly. (I would have anyway since its a prescription)

I used retin A for 20 years for acne which finally went away around 38 and at the same time my skin started peeling from the retin A so i stopped.

From what I read, the only major side effect of Differin is that acne might get worse before it gets better and that my son should be really careful about the sun due to increased risk of burning and always wear sunscreen and a hat when possible being outside (hat is not an issue because he loves baseball caps).

I would like to hear others experiences good or bad with this drug.


Did it help?

Would you use it again?

And were there any bad side effects besides sun sensitivity that I should be aware of?

I was SUPER unhappy with the dermatologist. He rushed us out before we could ask questions and looked at my sons skin, handed me the prescription and flew out the door before I could ask anything.

Unfortunately, I''m stuck with this doctor due to insurance. Its either use him or pay out of pocket because he is the only derm within 40 miles of me thats covered under my HMO.

I''m unhappy with my HMO but thats another topic. Thankfully though my prescription coverage is good.

 

[radiantquest]

I tried it and it didnt work for me. I tried tons of stuff. It seemed that topicals just didnt help. If I remember correctly I was using that at the same time as taking antibiotics. What eventually worked for me was Accutane.

 

[asscherisme]

Did you have severe acne? My sons is what I would describe as moderate. But over the counter stuff is not helping. And its bringing down his self esteem. He is a good looking boy but the acne has really done a number on his self esteem and I''m hoping this works.

My cousin took accutane and had great success with it. She told me they made her sign a form at her doctor that if she got pregnant she would have an abortion. That really shocked me about how strong that drug must be. She was not having sex so it was not something she was concerned about.

 

[kas baby]

my sister has a prescription for it. When she does use it she likes it, but she has never been consistent out of forgetfulness. maybe if this doesn''t work and he has to go in again, ask for a sample of something new to try, that way if it doesn''t work you won''t have sunk all that money into a huge tube of something you can''t use. I went in to see if there was anything we could do about the scarring I have on my face from acne. He prescribed cutivate, a lot of it, aaaaand nothing happened

yeah. definitely wish I had asked for a sample first.

 

[princesss]

I used it and it made a huge difference for me! I alternated Differin with Retin-A - I would get him a good mosturizer/sunscreen asap if you haven''t already. It made a huge difference for me in terms of skin and self-confidence. I''m so glad my parents made me go to the dermatologist - it was really amazing what a difference it made for me.

 

[charbie]

Date: 3/15/2010 10:03:16 AM
Author: radiantquest
I tried it and it didnt work for me. I tried tons of stuff. It seemed that topicals just didnt help. If I remember correctly I was using that at the same time as taking antibiotics. What eventually worked for me was Accutane.

ditto. i had moderate, not too severe acne, however my dermo was very aggressive and prescribed the accutane after about 9 months of nothing else working. it made my acne worse, but then made it so much better and my skin is still baby smooth- i get compliments on my skin now! i never imagined that given the acne i had!

 

[D&T]

yes, I have used it and it worked ok but not enough to make me super happy and it took a longer time to clear up (only a few months later, my acne came back full bloom and I was back at my dermatologist's office again).He finally put me on accutane and this was what worked for me, and it made it worse before it got better. I used this stuff about 10 years ago while I was in college. Dr. prescribed differin first before elected to put me on accutane. I wished he would have just put me on accutane (but most dr. would prefer to go to less severe of the drugs first before accutane) I wore a baseball cap for like six months since I was pretty sensitive to sun (I had to use LOTs of sunblock all the time ) my face would also dry out and no matter how much I lotioned up, I had severe flaky skin until my acne went away, I was very self conscious, a bit depressed during and my self esteem kinda dropped a bit during my regime (hopefully he doesn't feel like I did) . BTW I had moderate-severe? acne problem (all over Forehead, chin and pores underneath my eyes- the only parts that was not covered in acne were my cheeks). Good luck

ETA: I also used 'Cetaphil' cleanser in conjunction to these meds, worked well at the time. I now use 'Purpose' cleanser til this day and it makes you feel squeaky clean, since my skin doesn't work well to cetaphil now.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I have had three sons use differin. I think it worked well, but best used in connection with a sulfur medication. Differin helps long term but need the sulfur stuff to dry out any pimples that come up. I also had one
son on accutane. I personally would never ever use that medication again. There has been depression and suicide with it. I saw personality changes in my son. He was determined to use it, as he had friends
that had good success with it. It worked well, but the problem is you don''t know how it is going to affect your kid until after they start using it. There have been cases of suicide with no other warning signs.

At the time we were going to a dr. who came very well recommended. He was really not interested in acne, but in skin cancer. That should have been my first clue. He also told me that his boys had
used accutane with great results. I figured, if the dr.''s kids used it, he must feel it was pretty safe.

I then switched to a dr. who specialized in skin problems and acne. What a difference! She did office peels on my boys once a month. Costly, but well worth it. I think each office visit was about 125.00. They gave me
a lot of sample to try before we bought the prescriptions and they also had coupons from the drug companies to make it cheaper.

I would also suggest getting a Clarisonic face brush. It cleans deeper. We also use Cetaphil daily wash with it. It is the one that is clear, not the creamy one. Now my boys use Sodium Sulfacetimide 10% and Sulfur 5% lotion.
That is one product. It dries out the zit, and Novacort gel. It is a hydrocortisone gel that takes the swelling and redness out. It is a great one-two punch. I think those two products together are better than the differin.
But it can also be used in conjunction. I would just make sure your dr. specializes in acne treatment. I also think these two meds are much cheaper than the differin. The clarisonic is an excellent and worthwhile purchase in
my opinion. Both my boys have clear skin now. My 13 year old is just starting to use the prescription and when I can get him to do what he is supposed to it works great. Good luck!

 

[jewelz617]

I tried it a long time ago when it first came out. It was so pricey back then too!

Long story short it didn''t work for me. It just made my skin flake and dry out, which then made my breakouts worse because my skin was making more oil to compensate. Proactive did the exact same thing. This was after months of use. I just couldn''t take it anymore.

I pretty much had to suffer until I grew out of it in my early 20''s.

 

[Haven]

Date: 3/15/2010 10:31:51 AM
Author: charbie

Date: 3/15/2010 10:03:16 AM
Author: radiantquest
I tried it and it didnt work for me. I tried tons of stuff. It seemed that topicals just didnt help. If I remember correctly I was using that at the same time as taking antibiotics. What eventually worked for me was Accutane.

ditto. i had moderate, not too severe acne, however my dermo was very aggressive and prescribed the accutane after about 9 months of nothing else working. it made my acne worse, but then made it so much better and my skin is still baby smooth- i get compliments on my skin now! i never imagined that given the acne i had!

Ditto to everything above. I never had acne until college, when I started getting four or five big, painful pimples on my chin area at a time. My dermo first prescribed Differin Gel, which did nothing, and finally after about a year she put me on Accutane. I only took it for four or six months, and it was amazing how much it cleared everything up.

Other dermos have been really shocked that she put me on the Accutane, though, after seeing the before and after pictures I took. They said she shouldn''t have done it because my acne was not bad enough.

Anyway, Differin didn''t work for me.

 

[packrat]

Differin didn''t work for me either. Neither did the other million OTC and prescription things I used. I took 3 or 4 five month courses of Accutane and still had massive problems. I keep waiting to grow out of it but at 35 I''m getting a little testy. The only thing that has worked for me was a Skin Medica peel I had, and the Skin Medica acne skin care line. Also, I''ve been taking vitamin D like a crazy person and it''s helping tremendously.

Accutane..I had beautiful skin when I took it. However, my oil glands are incredibly over active, so I had to be on a near dangerous level before it worked. I had to sign a waiver, have monthly blood tests, and use 2 forms of birth control. I have issues now, that I believe are because of the Accutane-probably b/c I had several courses and was on such a high dose. I wouldn''t take it again. I will watch my kids like a hawk and take them to the dermatologist if their skin starts going haywire-my mom waited almost 5 years to take me, and by then it was completely out of control. We had to drive an hour each way, (for the closest derm) and it wasn''t covered by insurance.

Our office is family practice and we see kids for acne all the time, so maybe you could check into seeing your regular family doctor if you''re unhappy w/the derm closest.

 

[VegasAngel]

Date: 3/15/2010 11:58:25 AM
Author: packrat
Differin didn't work for me either. Neither did the other million OTC and prescription things I used. I took 3 or 4 five month courses of Accutane and still had massive problems. I keep waiting to grow out of it but at 35 I'm getting a little testy. The only thing that has worked for me was a Skin Medica peel I had, and the Skin Medica acne skin care line. Also, I've been taking vitamin D like a crazy person and it's helping tremendously.

Accutane..I had beautiful skin when I took it. However, my oil glands are incredibly over active, so I had to be on a near dangerous level before it worked. I had to sign a waiver, have monthly blood tests, and use 2 forms of birth control. I have issues now, that I believe are because of the Accutane-probably b/c I had several courses and was on such a high dose. I wouldn't take it again. I will watch my kids like a hawk and take them to the dermatologist if their skin starts going haywire-my mom waited almost 5 years to take me, and by then it was completely out of control. We had to drive an hour each way, (for the closest derm) and it wasn't covered by insurance.

Our office is family practice and we see kids for acne all the time, so maybe you could check into seeing your regular family doctor if you're unhappy w/the derm closest.

Same here wish accutane would have been the cure for me but it didnt work. I would stay clear for 6 months after treatment & then breakouts would return. Differin I didnt care for but I would let your son try it before something like accutane. Make sure he has a good routine (washing 2x a day, etc.)

My acne is hormonal & unless a real cure comes out it's about maintenance for me, sometimes my skin is clear other times it is just a mess. Right now i'm using Olay Foaming Face Wash, Clean & Clear Persa Gel, Paul Begoun 2% BHA, & taking evening primrose.

 

[kittybean]

I use Differin now (after a course of Accutane), and I like it. It doesn''t irritate my skin as much as Retin-A did, and it seems to have kept my skin pretty clear. I use it very sparingly--otherwise, I get a lot of irritation, flaking, and redness. Make sure your son doesn''t overdo it. I used to put on too much all the time as a teenager, then I would have horrible, flaky skin, which made my acne worse, which caused me to glob even more cream on my face, which caused more flakes, which then caused more acne, etc. It can be a vicious cycle!

One thing I''d recommend is the Clarisonic ultrasonic cleansing brush. It has made a huge difference for me and for my brothers (ages 22 and 16) in reducing breakouts. It''s not a cheap tool, but it''s definitely less than that tube of Differin! It''s important not to overuse it, either, but I think the delicate brush on the lowest setting is very gentle and effective.

 

[Laila619]

Retin A and Differin sort of worked for me. The flaky skin is a bit annoying though. Ditto everyone else, what really worked was Accutane. I just had mild acne. Good luck to your son! You're a good mom.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I used it in high school and loved it! Retin-A did not work well for me. A little goes a long way.

 

[wsu12]

I have used it as well with little success. I had mild acne, possible moderate at the very worst. Honestly, the only thing that helped was Accutane. I too, had been told by other doctors that I should not have been prescribed it. It was the ONLY thing that 100% cleared up my skin.

Kudos to you for being such a sensitive and observant parent. Acne can destroy a person''s self esteem, I would do everything in my power to prevent that from happening to my children. Accutane is a very personal and controversial subject, it''s refreshing to see how many people have taken it and still stand by that choice.

Hope the Differin clears him up!

acne.org

Great website that can provide answers to medical Q''s!

 

[vespergirl]

I tried it but did not have good success with it.

My hands-down favorite acne product is Afirm 2X or 3X (depending on how sensitive your skin is). It''s a retinol cream that has a higher percentage of retinol than drugstore products, but is less irritating than Retin-A. You can find it on websites like Skinstore.com. I like it MUCH better than Differin.

I am really missing using it right now because I can''t use Retinol products while pregnant, but I can''t wait to get back to using it after I have the baby.

 

[PumpkinPie]

I''ve tried it and it was ok - I currently am a regular user of a non-prescription benzyl peroxide and my skin is under the best control of my life (took accutane as a teen too)

 

[Indylady]

It tried my skin out and I didn''t like it. What really worked for me as a brand called Murad from Sephora; you can buy a starter kit for about $30 if Differin doesn''t work and you want to try something else out.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I tried it and it really did not make any difference that I could tell. I did not have severe acne, mild to moderate after my daughter was born.