Adapalene: the retinoid for acne treatment and prevention

What’s a retinoid?

Topical retinoids play a crucial role in the treatment of acne. When you have acne, your skin cell turnover is in overdrive — as new cells are being produced, old cells aren’t being discarded as they should. These old cells, along with sebum and bacteria, clog the pores. Adapalene adjusts the speed of skin cell turnover to make sure your skin goes through the right process, creating a healthier environment for skin. Regulating skin cell turnover to a normal rate helps to keep the pores from clogging and target acne before it even starts. According to the American Academy of Dermatology’s (AAD) therapeutic treatment guidelines, topical retinoids are recommended as a primary therapy for initial treatment of mild, moderate and severe acne.

There are other topical retinoids — tretinoin and tazarotene — used to treat acne, but adapalene is the only one available over the counter. In clinical studies, adapalene has shown superior tolerability to other topical prescription retinoids, meaning Differin is gentler on your skin, while still effective.

• Adapalene is more stable to light and oxygen, compared to tretinoin
  • Stability to light means that it won’t lose effectiveness when exposed to sunlight
• Adapalene rapidly penetrates the follicles
  • Works deep in the pores where acne begins
• Adapalene remains high in concentration, deep in the pores, to help clear and prevent acne