I just started Taz last night. I think that from reading these posts I have developed some false symptoms;) Sympathy pains? Hehe. After years of Differin and Retin A (used after a BP cleanser which I found on this board will cancel out the retinoid). I waited 30 minutes to apply. I felt a bit of tightness about 1 hour after applying. I also felt that my nasal passages were dry. This morning my pores looked smaller-tighter...? I always have some sebum in there...always. It was still there. I am hoping that it all clears out. I washed with Cetaphil this AM and noticed the drying peeling skin. I was using the Cetaphil cleanser as a lotion, but this morning I pulled out my C&C SA combo lotion and used that. I am not sure about using the SA in the AM after a night of Taz. I wonder if it's too much.
The Dr. wouldn't give me the meds I researched. I wanted Spiro, Taz, Clindamycin and Yasmin. She said she didn't feel comfy giving me all of those and the Spiro would build up potassium. So left with Yas and Taz .1%. 
I'll stick with this until the Derm appointment in February. That should give my skin plenty of time to do it's thing. If not then I hope the Derm will skip the Spiro and we can just do a course of Tane. If of course my body is ready for it.
So Day 1: Slight tightening, slight drying of nostrils and slightly more peeling than on Retin A Micro .1%.
Also experimenting with Aleve. Starting soon.
Initially my skin was improving slightly with this product but now, after 2 full weeks... its just getting worse. so frustrating. My skin is really flaky too and its hard to even wear makeup without it looking horrible after an hour or two!! My derm also gave me these Nicomide supplements... anyone in here used those?
I haven't tried to nicomide but have been on tazorac a while-generally your skin will worsen when beginning in retinoid. I've had tons of small bumps pop up, where as before it wasn't bad at all. It does get better-just be really gentle with your skin. I made the mistake of trying to exfoliate every night, which made my skin much worse. I've stopped doing that and it's much better. For more information-definantly check out prescription retinoid forum. Good luck!
I love it, I use the .1 percent gel after I went off of accutane, and it is like an exfoliator
It super speeds up the shedding of your skin, then in the morning you just rub it off with warm water and
moisturize
People that had a burning sensation..........Did you moisturize BEFORE you put it on?
I looked on the website and that's what it had on the directions, before I put it on with nothing else and it
made my skin all itchy and red so I stopped..........try it with moisturizer before applying it
I actually read that tazorac does cause depression in some people. I think it has something with supressing a gland in the brain that produces enzymes that catalyze the reactions needed to block uptake of seratonin in the brain. Drinking a large glass of ice cold water right before applying, though, causes blood to flow to th brain and negate this effect. drink a glass of cold water before applying and u should be fine. : )
One week on the TAZ and I swear it working!!! I think that cutting off the BP and using only Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser is helping things. I did start taking the Aleve nightly. I can't wait to see my face next week (after the cycle). I am TERRIFIED of taking the BC (Yasmin) and have it hormonally mess my face up.
Today I used the SA cleanser mid-day to scrub my face a bit. And my forehead looked VERY GOOD! The skin tightened up and the only pores that stood out were the troubled ones...instead of every single pore! I was able to target the trouble ones with the extractor and everything came out with ease! Maybe I have been too harsh with my skin over the years. SA, BP, AB, RA, DIFFERIN, GA...all used randomly (except the AB=tetracycline).
I am worried about adding in the YASMIN. I may wait a month and start it in January just to give the taz some time to work. But if the Yasmin acts ONLY like the Spiro portion of it I wanted, then great! But I am not ready for it.
Think I should just go for it? Or wait out the month since the Taz seems to be doing a good job?
I was on tazorac for 2 or 3 years, using it with a toner w/ salicylic acid, helped me somewhat, but never really cleared me up completely. Would be clear for a long time and then break out horribly. Since switching to DKR and BP there's been a drastic change for the better.
I actually read that tazorac does cause depression in some people. I think it has something with supressing a gland in the brain that produces enzymes that catalyze the reactions needed to block uptake of seratonin in the brain. Drinking a large glass of ice cold water right before applying, though, causes blood to flow to th brain and negate this effect. drink a glass of cold water before applying and u should be fine. : )
That doesn't make sense at all. Drinking a large glass of water will cure your depression from Tazorac?
I like to see some scientific papers on this.
2 weeks on Taz: My skin is breaking out about the same as usual for the hormonal acne portion of this month. The Aleve did seem to work for PMS breakouts but I breakout during and it didn't help for that. Dropping the Aleve.
Still dry and flaky, but I am used to that. I have added the SA back into the routine during showers. But still use the Cetaphil wash at night. I also stopped using the Cetaphil lotion and use the SA lotion after washing in the AM.
Time...more time. I dream of the same smooth skin that I have heard others speak of on these board.
Hi all, I just wanted to share my personal experience with Tazorac...I started with just plain retin-A .01% to get used to the retinoid, and then started Tazorac .1%. I cannot tell you how much I love it. it has not only cleared up my face, it's fading my scars as well as making me look younger overall. I use the tazorac at night and then a thin film of Benziq over problem areas. Now if I could only get a product to work as well on my back!
Hi QueenG. I've actually been using Tazorac .1 cream for 6 weeks. Prior to that, like i said, I used tretionoin cream in the lowest possible strength. I used that for 3 months. Prior to that I tried all the topicals- alone, in combo, you name it. And YES, i not only broke out WORSE when I first started the Tazorac, to this day I still peel around my mouth and nose. However- it's hard to argue with the results. No break-outs other than the occasional rogue PMS spot, and for those I use Benziq. For face wash, I use a Chanel gel-cream that was recommended by a derm; however I have also found Cera Ve cleanser to be equally effective and ALOT cheaper. The key with the Taz is to keep your skin moist and protected- I use an Yves St. Laurent cream, but once again, have found the Cera Ve cream to be almost as good. They are both rich and moisturizing but not greasy. I also take fish oil supplement and lots of vitamin B. Let me know if you have any hints on keeping skin from flaking wth the Taz. I will say this, though- I have used every foundation on record to cover my acne, and now i don't even have to wear foundation. Just thinking about it makes me happy!
Hi QueenG. I've actually been using Tazorac .1 cream for 6 weeks. Prior to that, like i said, I used tretionoin cream in the lowest possible strength. I used that for 3 months. Prior to that I tried all the topicals- alone, in combo, you name it. And YES, i not only broke out WORSE when I first started the Tazorac, to this day I still peel around my mouth and nose. However- it's hard to argue with the results. No break-outs other than the occasional rogue PMS spot, and for those I use Benziq. For face wash, I use a Chanel gel-cream that was recommended by a derm; however I have also found Cera Ve cleanser to be equally effective and ALOT cheaper. The key with the Taz is to keep your skin moist and protected- I use an Yves St. Laurent cream, but once again, have found the Cera Ve cream to be almost as good. They are both rich and moisturizing but not greasy. I also take fish oil supplement and lots of vitamin B. Let me know if you have any hints on keeping skin from flaking wth the Taz. I will say this, though- I have used every foundation on record to cover my acne, and now i don't even have to wear foundation. Just thinking about it makes me happy!
Im on the 0.1 gel now
been on it for 3 weeks
first time i applied it, it burned like holy hell for 1 hour. felt like my face was on fire. lol
next few nights it just stung for a few minutes,.
-first week it reduced my breakouts
-2nd week omg i stoped breaking out
-3rd week im on a IB again, lol shit man! its rollercoaster.
i had acne since i was 16 im 26 now. tried all the products out accept accutane ( last resort )
i feel your pain guys.
Thanks for the responses:) I can't use Taz more then 1 every other day and at times every 3rd day. Fo rme, my skin looks a lot better but it's still clearing. I have had mild acne since I was 16 and I'm 29 now. I seem to be resistent to a lot of treatment because my skin is soo sensitive. My MD told I could be in my 50s before the acne stops-I was depressed after hearing that, neither of my parents really ever had pimples. I keep wondering if the Taz keeps improving your skin the longer you use it? I hope so-I have been on it 3.5 months.
Thanks for the responses:) I can't use Taz more then 1 every other day and at times every 3rd day. Fo rme, my skin looks a lot better but it's still clearing. I have had mild acne since I was 16 and I'm 29 now. I seem to be resistent to a lot of treatment because my skin is soo sensitive. My MD told I could be in my 50s before the acne stops-I was depressed after hearing that, neither of my parents really ever had pimples. I keep wondering if the Taz keeps improving your skin the longer you use it? I hope so-I have been on it 3.5 months.
im in the same boat it started at 18 and im 30 now..........have been on the taz .1 gel for almost the same time as you, the bad thing is its making my face all flushed
but it's clear.....dunno if i should lay off or moisturize more
I've been trying this new thing where I leave taz on for 2-3 hrs and then wash off-my skin seems less irritated that way. I also put on the neutrogena for combination skin which seems to ward of the flakiness. does anyone use some type of gentle exfoliant? I've tried sa and it seems to make my skin more irritated.
I've been trying this new thing where I leave taz on for 2-3 hrs and then wash off-my skin seems less irritated that way. I also put on the neutrogena for combination skin which seems to ward of the flakiness. does anyone use some type of gentle exfoliant? I've tried sa and it seems to make my skin more irritated.
I dunno what to do, my face is really red like it's burnt, I use eucerin moisturizer to get the flakiness off though
I've had it for about 5 days now (my directions are to apply it every night). I noticed a lot of my acne is dying down but yeah, my face is hella RED. Looks like I got hardcore sunburn and yeah Tazorac burns too. My prescription is the 0.05% gel version, too.
For morning I have to apply Duac Topical Gel and then 0.05% Desonide Lotion for the dryness.
I began taking Tazorac after the breakouts seemed to be calming down on their own. I have been on it for about two weeks, and I apply it at night, every other day, or every two days. I have a few concerns that I would appreciate any feedback on. One, I am a medium complected woman of Indian origin. The places where I apply the Tazorac,-- directly on the lesion, which were for the most part flattened at the time of application-- have now become reddened. Additionally, the area around the redness is lightened (significantly lighter than my skin tone). I have completely smooth skin now, but the redness of the former acne and the whiteness of the area where the medicine was applied is depressing. Does anyone have similar experience or any insight? (I've had little peeling, not much burning, or itchiness). I live in a hot climate (India) and use an SPF 40 on my face, (Clinque city block, with a tint). I wash three times with Cetaphil, Gentle Moistorizer. I also use concealer on the acne, to even out the spots. If anyone has any advice about what to do about the overall tone of my face or about the redness of the former acne, I would really appreciate it. Also, the best of luck to anyone who suffers from acne; I am a newcomer to skin problems, and I now know how devastating it is. But the good news is: its preventable, treatable,curable! F 28 14 days
I got Taz like 3 weeks ago. For the first two weeks, I didn't see any changes in my skin and I was on a high dose of tetracycline as well. It wasn't until last week that my skin cleared up 80%, so I'm pretty stoked right now. Not to mention the texture of my skin is noticeably softer and smoother. And it might just be my imagination or sheer hope but I think my OLD OLD red marks are fading. yay.
Tazorac made me so sad in one week i thought i was clearing up. weeks 3-5 were hell on my esteem and I cried alot. The cysts and bumps we're disgusting. this is month 2 and half and I see a difference. I still have bumps and papules but they go away after some days. I hope to finally clear up before the school year ends. My derm appointment is tomorrow and my mum says its the last time we're going because the lady doesn't do much but charge money
