Epiduo Review
Acne Cure
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| Before and After |
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| adapalene 0.1% and benzoyl peroxide Gel 2.5% |
Background: Prior to being prescribed Epiduo I had used Duac (topical benzyol peroxide) and oxytetracycline (oral antibiotic). Whist these helped my skin a little, it went no where near curing it. I was an emotional wreck, I suffered two years under relentless skin problems. My self esteem was extremely low and I felt like I was running out of options.
I had moderate acne including some cystic acne. It was extremely painful and persistent. At any time I would always have at least 8 active white heads and many red marks and scars. My dermatologist prescribed me this as a last resort before a course of Accutane.
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| My skin prior to Epiduo but during topical treatments |
During Treatment: When I first started using Epiduo, I was using it morning and night. I assumed that if I used it twice as often my skin would recover twice as fast. By doing this I was completely ignoring the directions of my dermatologist. She is a doctor, I was a salesperson but I knew better because I'm a latent genius. The results... My skin was so chapped and raw that I was crying, my tears stung my sore skin and that made me cry more.
I started using it as prescribed after that. Initially, my skin was very dry and very red (see photo below). My skin would go from visibly clearer, getting fewer spots over the course of a week... Then getting much worse again. It was really frustrating and disheartening. I kept thinking "I knew another topical wouldn't work, why can't they just give me roaccutane?!"
Wearing make up was a real issue, my skin was so chapped and dry around my mouth that foundation would chap off within minutes. That was really hard - my skin was very noticeably red but covering it looked worse.
After about two months, my skin started healing and was relatively clear. I still had indented red marks and scars so I couldn't truly appreciate it. I started using exfoliation and lemon juice topically to fade the scars. Within three months I was totally clear
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| During treatment - red raw and chapped |
I do still use this every night and I think that if I didn't, my acne would possibly come back. I'm not willing to take the chance... Epiduo really was my acne cure and I'd never be without it.
I will add a *disclaimer* that everyone's skin is different and what was my cure may not be yours. Just be patient and know that there is an end to what you're going through
my skin now (2012)
Summary: I didn't have high hopes for this; I've used creams with Benzoyl Peroxide with much higher percentages. The active ingredients are adapalene 0.1% and benzoyl peroxide Gel 2.5%. However I highly recommend this, it made such a difference to my self esteem as well as the way that I look.
The only downside is that I have to wait a while for it to dry before I apply my moisturiser. Solution to this is using a hair dryer on my face.
In the UK it's available on the NHS for £7.65 for a tube which lasts me around three months. I will say that you only need to use a very thin layer, I've found that using a thick layer makes absolutely no difference other than it running out faster.
Good luck with finding your cure for acne!
There's more detailed information on the epiduo website:
Edit: I've filmed and uploaded a video review to Youtube, please feel free to check it out!
