Avene TriAcneal

Almost done with my first tube of Avene TriAcneal! This is my second retinoid product, and it completes my cocktail of youth in conjunction with trusty Differin Gel (Adapalene 0.1%). Unlike Differin, this is an over-the-counter product and requires no prescription. It goes for $60 on Dermstore but you can most certainly get it for much much cheaper elsewhere - consult the Google. I got mine for $18 ^.^

Despite TriAcneal being an OTC product, disclaimers are still abound:

- READ THE PRODUCT FACTS on the included pamphlet for all the cautions, warnings, etc.

- In case you missed this on the product facts, DO NOT USE IF PREGNANT OR NURSING. This warning applies to ALL retinoid and BHA (salicylic acid) items regardless of prescription or over-the-counter, spa or professional treatments! Just stay far, far away for safety's sake. 

- DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE. Consult your doctor, research and read up about it online, etc.

- PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK. It's been iffy to my skin, and may be even worse to yours. 

- CAUSES PHOTOSENSITIVITY. While on any retinoid treatment, and AHA and BHA too for that matter, sunscreens of minimum SPF30 is a MUST. No if, and, or but about it. If you don't care for sunscreens, you should NOT play with retinoid, AHA, or BHA. These products are for night use only.

Alrighty, where do I start? TriAcneal is a blend of Efectiose, retinaldehyde, and 6% glycolic acid (an AHA). It's the new and improved version of DiAcneal, which only had the retinaldehyde and 6% glycolic acid. I'd long been curious with DiAcneal but refrained because despite the many praises, the chief complaints for this product was major irritation as well as clogging.

Then summer 2012 rolled around and with a couple of months left in Japan I thought, oh hell, I'll just give it a try. Why? Because I'd been using Differin for so long I got bored and antsy and wanted to try something new. TriAcneal had been released the year before, in 2011, so there were enough reviews for me to consider. And according to the reviews available at the time, an improvement this has over DiAcneal is that it's less irritating but is still clogging if you're unlucky enough. Okay, so I was tossing the dice. Fine.

So I bought a tube and eased it into the routine, applying the every 3rd night and just as eye cream for a few weeks at first. Then July 2012 I replaced Differin with TriAcneal entirely, applying this all over the face. That July and August went by smoothly. The results came much faster than I expected, and very astoundingly visible. My skin was brighter, super smooth, and plump! Mind you, Differin didn't dull, roughen, or somehow wither my skin away. But it definitely didn't brighten, smooth, or plump! I was beyond impressed.


I moved home from Japan late August, spent 3 weeks with family, then moved again to Taiwan in mid September. That was when the nightmare started. No, it was not irritation breakout - three months into usage and the statute of limitation expired for irritation. If it was irritation, it would have happened rather quickly, like within a couple of weeks, not after 3 months! What I had was plain breaking out with heavy pore clogging, definitely not irritation. One week in Taipei and my face became clog city. I want to blame at least the clogging on Taipei's humidity and air pollution. They certainly didn't help, that's for sure!

My god, the clogging was horrific. Let's just say it amazed and disgusted me the blackheads that could hide and fit into my pores! Eeps! Interestingly enough, my face didn't clog all over. It only clogged around the temples, the hairline around that area in front of my ears, the worst under my cheekbones, and around my mouth area. My forehead including hairline, my eye area, and my cheeks kept their great results the entire time! It was definitely a very weird experience.

I came home that December and waited 3 weeks before switching back to Differin. I wanted to see if it really was Taipei that clogged up my pores. Nope, the clogging didn't clear up. It didn't even lessen. It was about the same! So I switched back to Differin, although I didn't give up TriAcneal completely, keeping it around to use as eye cream. I figured the eye areas show great results with TriAcneal, and they didn't react badly, so why stop? Plus during the drier months, Differin is sorely lacking for my dry eye areas, and this TriAcneal suffices. In fact, I will buy a new tube soon!

Last but not least, the technical details. TriAcneal comes out of the tube a pearly yellow cream that's mildly scented with a sweet fragrance. It actually doesn't not spread very well and will dry very quickly, which leads to it balling up if I apply too much or don't spread it around quickly enough. This is definitely annoying, but not intolerable. For the results, I'll deal with it, especially when it's just for around the eye area.