Differin

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Please improve this article if you can. (April 2008)

Differin is a trade name for a medication for acne vulgaris made by Galderma Laboratories. Its active ingredient is adapalene.

It is available in a 45g tube in the United Kingdom and under the NDC 0299-5910-45 in the United States, as well as a 35g tube in Australia and a 30g tube in Argentina. It is available in either a gel or creme form. Both forms contain 0.1% adapalene, a retinoid-like compound, as the active ingredient, however a 0.2% product is approved for sale in New Zealand

Differin works by modulating skin cell differentiation and growth and therefore regulating oil production and reducing acne over a long period of time. It has both exfoliating and anti-inflammatory effects. Studies show it is most effective on noninflammatory acne.

This drug will give much better results if a benzoyl peroxide wash is used morning and night and benzoyl peroxide lotion is applied in the a.m only along with the differin used in the p.m. However, unlike Retin-A, adapalene has also been shown to retain its efficacy when applied at the same time as benzoyl peroxide due to its more stable chemical structure.