Question about Differing and sun exposure(and my review below).

How strong does sunblock have to be when using Differin? I know some people said they got very painful and ugly burns by being exposed to sun while on differin. Is sunblock something that can prevent it? HOw strong does it have to be? I have vacation in Hawaii coming up, so no way I can avoid the sun and I don't want to get painful/ugly burns on my vacation.....Any input appreciated. Thanks.

I've been using Differin for about 7-8 weeks now (the .1%). First time I tried Differin, it was PAINFUL. I know I have very sensitive skin, but the way my skin reacted was NOT expected. After only 3 days of using Differin, my face was peeling really bad (like think sunburn kind of peeling + cracking skin) and my skin constantly felt like it was burning and itching. It actually hurt to talk...any action that cause the skin on my face to move HURT. Not to mention my skin got super dry and red.

I gave my skin about 2 weeks to rest/heal and tried Differin again...but I this time I used it every other day, instead of every day. By skipping a day, my skin wasn't getting as nearly irritated...just felt a little dry, that's it....After about 9 days, I switched to using it every day. I think by first using it every other day, allowed my skin to adjust because now I'm not experiencing any of the side effects as I did with my first attempt (which was very painful and looked HORRIBLE).

Yes, my skin got worse initially, but it's slowly clearing up. I don't get those painful pimples anymore and the pimples I am still getting, go away practically overnight. I know Differin takes time to work, so I expect my skin to keep improving.

BTW, I'm 26 and although I never had acne as a teenager, it all started up around 20 for me and got pretty bad. I'd have to say I had moderate to sever(when close to my period) acne.