Brief Answer: Acne and Adapalene Detailed Answer: Hello and welcome to healthcaremagic. I am Dr. Kakkar. I have gone through your concern and I have understood it. Deriva ms gel contains Adapalene which is a topical retinoid. It is an ideal medication for maintenance of improvement. You could use it every alternate day for maintenance. Acne is a recurrent condition and once your acne is brought under good control with oral and topical antiacne medicines, you should still continue to use a cream/gel e.g topical retinoid (Adapalene) for maintenance of improvement. Topical retinoids are ideal for maintenance of improvement because they are comedolytic as well as antiinflammatory, thereby preventing the formation of new acne. For acne, you need to be constantly taking care care of your skin till at a particular age, there is a tendency for new acne to form. To summarize: It is absolutely fine and actually good to use it for a long time because acne is a recurrent condition. regards

---

Brief Answer: Topical retinoids Detailed Answer: Hi. Topical retinoids increase the rate of keratinocyte turnover resulting in an increased rate of follicular proliferation and differentiation. This results in decreased follicular occlusion and faster microcomedone clearance which is responsible for there beneficial effect in acne. Retinoids loosen the bonds between these dead cells in the Stratum corneum (SC), allowing them to let go of each other and flake off more easily, exposing the smoother, more radiant skin beneath. So I suppose it's true to say that "retinoids thin the dead layer of skin." They make the dead cell layer of the SC look more compact so that it can more easily reflect light. Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids (AHAs and BHAs), scrubs, chemical peels and microdermabrasion all have the same effect. This is the reason that you should be especially regular about using a daily sunscreen if you use any of these products or treatments, because they remove a bit of sun protection, that's normally offered by the dead skin cells. Retinoids may thin out that dead superficial layer of epidermal skin, but they actually help thicken the living dermis underneath. The dermis is the important layer when it comes to skin aging because wrinkles occur in the dermis. The dermis contains structure-giving collagen, elastin to keep skin elastic, and hyaluronic acid (HA) to give skin volume by helping it hold on to water. Retinoids are therefore good for the skin because they prevent and reverse ageing. So that is an added advantage of using a topical retinoid. regards

---

Brief Answer: You are welcome Detailed Answer: Thanks for posting your concern at Healthcaremagic regards

---