Hello. Since I was 12, I've suffered from moderate acne. When I was 15, I went to my first derm and she prescribed Benzaclin and Trentinoin, this stuff worked wonders and I was nearly 100% clear for a year....then it all came crashing down in the past few months, my skin has gotten sooo bad. I'm not here complaining about a few pimples, we are talking big inflamed ones on my cheeks, slight red and purple scarring (I just recently started to scar ) and four dozen comedones on my forehead, and getting acne where I never had it before (on my temples, chin, and upper lip) Basically, it has infested my entire face, I have never been so humiliated or felt so low on confidence before. Eight weeks ago, I was prescribed differin (by a diff derm) and it did nothing for me. Now, just a couple days ago, I was prescribed "Tazorac" I'm praying this medication will work for me and finally put an end to my acne struggles.

Thus, I start my Tazorac log. I will try and update everyday on my progress.

Day one (Thursday): My skin is basically the same as it has been lately. I washed with cetaphil anti-bacterial bar and applied cetaphil lotion. I waited 30 minutes, then applied a pea size amount of tazorac. My acne looks irritated because I pinched it hands off!



Day two (Friday): I think my skin looks a little better today, the redness from my pinching has gone down faster than it would have with nothing applied to it. I don't wash my face in the morning, it makes it too dry,so I just run a washcloth over it. I also applied makeup today,Physicians formula mineral powder and covergirl coverstick. These both have great coverage and don't clog pores.


Day three:My skin looks worse. There seems to be new pimples surfacing on my cheeks and new comedones on my forehead, ( I dont know how this is possible, I already have so many there!) But I know from experience, topicals take time, and I pray I'm breaking out because this product causes acne that would have already formed to rise to the surface. I even asked my derm if it would get worse before it would get better, and he said yes.

Good luck! I've used all kinds of topicals-- acne.org regimen, proactive, acne-free, retin-A, azalic acid, glycolic acid, mandelic acid, neosporin... so many different things, and Tazorac gel was the only thing that has ever worked for me. I left a post awhile back with before/after pics--

In my case, though, I honestly didn't see ANY results until around 4 months or so. My skin basically stayed the same up until around 4 months... and then it improved quickly over a span of just a couple weeks and never went back! I stil get breakouts and my skin is not perfect, but it is WAY better.

Good luck with it and be patient-- don't expect results right away.

Good luck! I've used all kinds of topicals-- acne.org regimen, proactive, acne-free, retin-A, azalic acid, glycolic acid, mandelic acid, neosporin... so many different things, and Tazorac gel was the only thing that has ever worked for me. I left a post awhile back with before/after pics--

In my case, though, I honestly didn't see ANY results until around 4 months or so. My skin basically stayed the same up until around 4 months... and then it improved quickly over a span of just a couple weeks and never went back! I stil get breakouts and my skin is not perfect, but it is WAY better.

Good luck with it and be patient-- don't expect results right away.

Thank you for telling me this Im glad it worked for you!! I have one question though..was your skin very peely at all? And did it look rough in texture because of the dead skin?

Day four -- YUCK! The acne on my cheeks is seriously red and gross, the comedones are everywhere! The only place unaffected seems to be a teensy area on my jaw. Why can't the rest of my skin take a hint!? I was looking back at old pictures while I was on benzaclin (and whenit used to work) and how clear my skin was. I took it for granted, and now I dont think I'll ever have it back : ,( Well, my skin looked extremely...rough ..today, for lack of better words. Its because of the dead skin cells I now have accumulated. Im not sure if this is normal or not, but Im praying that means taz is having some effect. I peeled the skin off in the shower, it was gross I just want to be clear! I cant even leave the house anymore.

This post has been edited by midnightlove: Nov 1 2009, 07:27 PM

yeah, my skin got VERY peely at the start-- my skin also got pretty red and inflamed off the bat, but after a few weeks to a month or so, my skin began to get used to the tazorac and didn't react to it at all, really. if your skin is peeling like crazy, that is a good thing-- it means your skin is shedding off and new fresh skin will grow back. it is basically like an acid peel-- it helps speed up skin cell turnover on your face.

also, if your skin is really freaking out, it might not be a bad idea to apply it for 10 minutes and then wash it off. that is what my derm had me do for my first few weeks to let my skin slowly adjust to it since it is such a strong topical. after the first couple of weeks, i then left it on for 20 minutes and washed it off with cetaphil gentle cleanser. i sometimes applied cetaphil moisturizer, but not always.

*Phew* That's really, really good to hear. My skin is not red or inflamed, just very flaky. I hope I have the same results as you! I checked out your pictures and your skin looks absolutely amazing!

Day 4: The red spots on my cheeks are really getting to me I hate them with a passion. My forehead peeled a lot tonight. Although my parents claim my skin looks better, I cannot be so sure. It looks the same to me, we will see if this works for me as the weeks progress *fingers crossed*

This post has been edited by midnightlove: Nov 2 2009, 09:57 PM

Day 5: I am now getting some hard-core purging. My face is SOOOO broken out with red spots everywhere.. My face feels dry and very peely. The taz stung a little today which is only a little odd because it did not really sting when I applied it the other days.

Day 6: My skin looks red again and I can see pimples coming to the surface. Im going to take that as a good thing and hope it means my skin is purging; not that the product isnt working. The comedones on my forehead that I pinched went away, which means they are now on the surface. Quite a few of them are staying under though, and some are developing into pimples.

Day 7: The redness on my cheeks appears to be going down and a few patchy places on my temples are clearing up, but the rest of my skin is still purging. I believe the reason mine is purging relatively quick is because my acne is closer to the surface than some people's are. For example, some people said it took them six months for taz to start showing any results, so Im guessing its because their acne was deeper under the epidermis. Well, I looked at my face under flourescents not the best thing to do ,but atleast I did not immediately look away.

This post has been edited by midnightlove: Nov 5 2009, 06:33 PM

dayone(week two): I pinched again, I know, stupid right? I look worse and my stubborn comedones arent budging an inch. . just want to cry
day two(week two): An Ultimate low for me: I even resort to cancelling plans and onlly seeing people at night.. When people are up close to me, I look away from m them. I hate my acne and I dont know if taz is really helping me or not. I just feel gross and broken out. Im supposed to see my boyfriend tonight and I really dont want to because of my face. I even skipped out of my halloween plans cause of my skin.

Summary of week two: The acne on my cheeks are all at a head, but I do not dare pinch them. The comedones on my forehead are starting to come to the surface, but in the sun, I can see new pimples all over just underneath the skin, Im quite upset. I dont know if the product is working, but Ill stick with it. The corners of my nose are SOOO dry, and there are still red spots on my face. I hope they will go away soon. Two new pimples popped up above my lip, so when they came to a head, I popped them. Im not popping the ones that came to a head on my cheeks. I want to see if they will leave by themselves.

This post has been edited by midnightlove: Nov 15 2009, 02:19 PM