Many of us look to our doctors for help to fight pesky acne when our own at-home methods fail. One treatment that many doctors recommend is Differin because it contains retinoids, drugs that make the skin cells less sticky so they don’t clog the skin. While that all sounds lovely, when we heard a rumor that Differin could actually help reduce and prevent fine lines and wrinkles, we were even more interested.
Typically, the best candidate for prescription Differin would be “patients that have open and closed comedones, or blackheads and whiteheads,” says West Palm Beach, FL, dermatologist Kenneth Beer, MD. He also told us that younger people with oily or thick skin are also ideal candidates.
As for if it helps prevent wrinkles, Montclair, NJ, dermatologist Jeanine Downie, MD, says, “Differin is a retinoid and can help decrease fine lines and wrinkles by building collagen.” Not only that, but it can also improve skin tone and texture because it lightly exfoliates your skin.
Plymouth Meeting, PA, dermatologist Marlene Mash, MD, told us that she’s used Differin off-label to help treat precancer called actinic keratosis. She’s also seen it help types of rosacea that have an acne component to them.
“A lot of dermatologists are using Differin because it’s not as irritating as as other retinoids such as retin A, so people can tolerate it,” says Dr. Mash. While some patients do experience a little irritation when they start the treatment, that typically goes away after a week or two. It’s also recommended to use an SPF 30 or higher when using this acne medication since it can make you more sensitive to the sun.
