My teenage (15 yo) son recently finished Accutane, about 6 weeks ago. He had very severe cystic acne. Accutane cleared him beautifully, with minimal side effects.
His derm has now prescribed him Tazorac 0.05% gel. He wants my son to start using it to keep his pores clear & to prevent the acne from coming back. My son is very prone to blackheads & clogged pores, which is how the cysts begin, of course. In fact, he still has some clogged pores/small blackheads which I am very scared will become inflamed & grow into big red cysts.
My dilemma is, how do I know the Tazorac will work like the dr. says? He's a skin dr, so of course he only makes money if people have bad skin, not clear healthy skin. I have read a lot of bad reviews on Tazorac, so I'm scared to let my son try it. It sounds like it's very harsh, and even has caused returning acne. He would be using it mainly as prevention, but my thinking is, why mess with the skin now & take the risk when he is still clear? If I knew for sure it was going to keep him clear, of course he would be using it.
So- anyone who has used Tazorac AFTER Accutane, after getting clear- please tell me your experience! It would be oh so helpful. I don't want to make the derm. mad by not following his orders, but I also don't want to screw up my son's (finally) clear face!
Thank you 
My teenage (15 yo) son recently finished Accutane, about 6 weeks ago. He had very severe cystic acne. Accutane cleared him beautifully, with minimal side effects.
His derm has now prescribed him Tazorac 0.05% gel. He wants my son to start using it to keep his pores clear & to prevent the acne from coming back. My son is very prone to blackheads & clogged pores, which is how the cysts begin, of course. In fact, he still has some clogged pores/small blackheads which I am very scared will become inflamed & grow into big red cysts.
My dilemma is, how do I know the Tazorac will work like the dr. says? He's a skin dr, so of course he only makes money if people have bad skin, not clear healthy skin. I have read a lot of bad reviews on Tazorac, so I'm scared to let my son try it. It sounds like it's very harsh, and even has caused returning acne. He would be using it mainly as prevention, but my thinking is, why mess with the skin now & take the risk when he is still clear? If I knew for sure it was going to keep him clear, of course he would be using it.
So- anyone who has used Tazorac AFTER Accutane, after getting clear- please tell me your experience! It would be oh so helpful. I don't want to make the derm. mad by not following his orders, but I also don't want to screw up my son's (finally) clear face!
Thank you
Tazorac is a very potent retinoid. There are a few other topical retinoids for acne, but some dermatologists consider tazarotene to be the most potent retinoid.
Retinoids are great for maintenance treatment, and help with hyperpigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles.