[Acne] why is Differin doing the opposite of what it’s meant to do? (More comedones)

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I’m starting week 5 of Differin OTC and I just feel crushed—out of nowhere my cheeks are getting bumpy and congested. From under 10 comedones to 50 or more. During the last 6 months my hundreds of closed comedones slowly disappeared without much effort on my part except for benzoyl peroxide wash, occasional Stridex and MUAC mandelic peels. since my routine was working I didn’t change it. I added the Differin to tackle the biggest CCs I get in the apples of my cheeks (they scar horribly) and to maintain the smooth texture I achieved in the rest of my face, but now I’m getting comedones again on my jaw?!? This is what my skin looks like as of today http://imgur.com/JO2BeTqI started with Differin 2 nights for a week, then 3 nights/week, then 5 nights/week to everyday. I didn’t experience any irritation or dryness but I’ve scaled back to every other day just in case. I’ve made no lifestyle/detergent/diet changes and my routine has been the same for the past 6 months:AM5% benzoyl peroxide washRinse face after 5-10 minutesApply Avene Tolerance Extreme Emulsion to damp skinBiore UV Watery Essence if I’m going outPMBioderma sensibio micellar water (if I’m wearing sunscreen/makeup)Cetaphil gentle cleanser (I introduced this over two months ago and it didn’t give me problems, I used to use the Cerave hydrating)Avene tolerance extreme emulsion on damp skinDifferin 0.1%Vaseline on my lidsI’m trying to narrow down why this might be happening and so far I’ve got:it’s the Cetaphil cleanserDifferin just Does Weird Stuff™️ to your face until suddenly 3 months later it makes you look like a porcelain statueIt’s fungal (please god no not again)My skin is just irritated from the Differin; I have noticed some raised red patches under my eyes/under my lips (I don’t apply Differin there)These are just microcomedones that weren’t visible to me and the Differin has brought them to the surface (I couldn’t find sources for this anywhere)I expected a purge. I really did—I looked at all the comedones on my face (around 10) and braced myself for 10+ breakouts. What I didn’t expect was more comedones. I know I’m only in week 5 but it is so so so disheartening. WTF is going on?! Has anyone else had a similar experience? Did it help to stick it out with the Differin/retinoid?This was the only picture I could find of my skin before differin (barely any comedones compared to now)http://imgur.com/B31VEEO
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