4 replies to this topic

[Irin99]

I am going to a new doctor tomorrow and am thinking about my options for my moderate-mixed types of acne. About a year to a year and a half ago I tried Tazorac, which was far too harsh for my sensitive (believe it or not) skin. The fumes from it and no matter how I applied it caused my eyes to burn. I was also using Tazorac in the evening after washing and Duac in the morning after washing, as well as applying a moisturizer afterwards. After 2-3 really bad episodese I quit using Tazorac and found mild success with Proactiv.

My main concern is not just with the active acne but with the scarring I have. I realize that retinoids will help a lot with scarring but which one should I consider...Differin or Retin-A Micro. Maybe the Tazorac was too strong or in conjunction with Duac it was making my sensitive skin even worse??

What are your thoughts if you've tried both? What are your experiences on one or the other? TIA!

[sweetheart519]

Retin-A has been around for decades and therefore has clinical studies backing its effectiveness against wrinkles (and thus mild scarring). Differin should do the same thing, but it hasn't been around long enough to have the extensive studies done. Really it just comes down to which one works better with your skin. Retin-a binds to all receptors where as Differin is slightly more selective. This translates to less possibility of irritation from the Differin. But everyone's skin is different. Retin-a is a natural retinoid where as Differin is synthetic. A lot of derms will start you on Differin and then work up to Retin-A once your skin is used to a retinoid. But as far as effectiveness...well they both really should do the exact same thing. I, personally, love Differin. But I have not tried Retin-A. My derm was initially going to move me to Retin-A after I got used to the Differin, but has kept me on the Differin now. She said it will help stimulate collagen production just like Retin-A (which is what helps with wrinkles and scarring). Tazorac is generally considered the harshest retinoid but it gives good results. But a lot of people's skin can't handle it. Hope this helps!

[AsiaXiah]

I think it really depends on how your skin reacts. Over and over I'm hearing that there's really no "best" retinoid ~ it's more about which one your skin takes in well.

Personally, I tried Differin for 1 year, but had to switch to Retin-A Micro because I was getting way too irritated. Just like you, before the Differin, I'd been on 2 years of Tazorac (and Tazorac basically thinned out my skin so badly that I was red as a tomato).

What I felt was Differin was not as good at stopping acne as Tazorac, but much more milder. But strangely enough, for some reason, Differin made me really oily, whereas Retin-A Micro (the lower dosage, which is supposedly even less irritating than Differin) had nearly no noticeable side effects, but didn't do nearly enough to stop the acne.

So I would really try them out and see which one your skin takes in well.

Good luck~!

[smc0617]

I am going to a new doctor tomorrow and am thinking about my options for my moderate-mixed types of acne. About a year to a year and a half ago I tried Tazorac, which was far too harsh for my sensitive (believe it or not) skin. The fumes from it and no matter how I applied it caused my eyes to burn. I was also using Tazorac in the evening after washing and Duac in the morning after washing, as well as applying a moisturizer afterwards. After 2-3 really bad episodese I quit using Tazorac and found mild success with Proactiv.

My main concern is not just with the active acne but with the scarring I have. I realize that retinoids will help a lot with scarring but which one should I consider...Differin or Retin-A Micro. Maybe the Tazorac was too strong or in conjunction with Duac it was making my sensitive skin even worse??

What are your thoughts if you've tried both? What are your experiences on one or the other? TIA!

I think it depends on your skin and it's trial and error. This is my experience with retinoids

retin-a .025. .050. and .1% creams tried them all my skin was fine with .025 and .050, but .1 was way to strong. i really didn't notice much of a difference just using the retin-a by itself. i think if you have moderate-severe acne you definetly need to include a antibacterial topical/antibiotics. if it's mainly scarring then just the retinoid should be okay.

retin-a micro-forget about it....i used the gel and totally made me break out...this was back in high school so it might be different now.

differin-tried for a short period of time. i think it was a sample so i didn't use it over a long period of time.

in conjuction with them i used a gentle face wash such as purpose and the same for moisturizer...usually purpose. i didn't have much luck with cetaphil.

[peteyboy]

I think as far as retinoids go, tazorac is shown to have higher efficacy in terms of acne-fighting and anti-aging properties. I don't believe that the difference in efficacy is that significant, and especially in your case where irritation is unbearable, it might not be worth it.

I recommend differin, which was created to be gentler on your skin.

Ultimately, even though retinoids can help with scarring, it is based on theory. If it did help, it only has a small effect and probably only work on the most shallow of scars. If I were you I'd concentrate my efforts on stopping acne so that no further scarring can occur.