Topical Retinoid
Acne.org’s Real World Take
Produces similar results to the two other topical retinoids, tretinoin and adapalene, which means only partial clearing, and comes with far more sensitivity and side effects when you first start using it. It probably won’t be a total game changer and don’t be surprised if it’s too much for your skin to take.
Topical Retinoid
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist? Make an appointment to get this medication. Don't have a dermatologist? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find one.
Used Tazarotene? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
November 26, 2013
Not sure! Need advice
Cons:
Made my monderate/light acne much worse
Extreamly drying
I am a 20 year old female that has tried EVERY topical and oral prescription and over the counter for acne treatment. I have been prescribed Tazorac 0.1%. I have been on it for 6 weeks. During these 6 weeks I have experienced the common "purging" effect that Tazorac has on some. In theses 6 weeks my acne has gotten MUCH WORSE! I had moderate acne when I started now I have severe acne all over my face. Mainly on the sides of my chin and the hallows of my cheeks and my forehead. With lots of cysts and white heads and they are all inflamed that are not healing and only getting worse. And the scars are not healing. I am going to try to keep doing it for the recommended 12 weeks. But I was wondering if anyone has experienced the same thing. This is my last hope before I take Accutane. Advice and others experiences with Tazorac would be amazing!
May 5, 2013
Pros:
none what so ever
Cons:
doesn't work
cause large acne cysts
drys out skin
DONT USE THIS! omg worse product ever invented i normally used epiduo but that plus summer had my skin to oily so my derma prescribe this with my insurance cost about 70 dollars it did dry out my skin, did not help with acne, it actually caused large acne cysts on my face the one was under my eye and actually swelled my eye shut. I used for about 8 months no sign of improvement the entire time dont think i went one day without multiple pimples. ugh so disappointed
April 9, 2013
Pros:
Nothing
Cons:
dry's our skin bad!
breaks you out
itchy
makes face red and sensitive
The bottomline is this. This did NOT work for me. I am 27 and have been dealing with adult acne for the past few years. I have tried everything you can think of. I understand this is a 12 week course and after that you skin should be amazing. That was not the case for me. In fact my skin has never looked so bad. I have been on this medicine for about 14 weeks. I just stopped it, did my research and have been using tea tree oil. TRY THIS STUFF. my skin has cleared up so fast and it has only been a week of using it on my face. Tazorc brings everything out in your face, it doesn't do much to clear it up, or stop it. Tea tree oil cleans out your pores and kills acne.
February 28, 2013
This product is the source of all my acne related problems. I had very mild acne when I was prescribed this product by my dermatologist, and after two months my skin was moderate and no matter what I do now, nothing will clear it up. The "purging process" lasted way more than the few weeks that the doctor said. I have cried way too many times over this stupid crap. DO NOT BUY IF YOU HAVE MILD ACNE.
November 29, 2012
Pros:
none!!!
Cons:
broke me out alot worse
this is my first review on this site, but figured this med is worth it. i used accutane a few times, with the last course being 8 yrs ago...i'm now 28. started to break out so wanted to nip it in the bud before it got worse. dr prescribed Tazorac...gave it 11 weeks, and with each week my face got worse and worse and worse...esp my chin. i know it works for some, but not me. i thought i was just going thru the "purging" pd, but i couldnt take it any more and after 2 months my derm told me to stop using it. now i'm dealing with all the marks this left on my face! I went from using conclear very rarley to cover the 1 or 2 zits I had, to now using it every day :( this med is awful. i would give this med a "zero", but 1 little happy face is the least you can rate. I'm now back to BP every night and trying zinc and B5 after reading some reviews on here.. i
August 21, 2012
Pros:
in my case, none
Cons:
made my skin oily, increased the breakouts
didn't work for me and even increased my breakouts
August 11, 2012
Pros:
pimples healed faster
Cons:
made me feel oily, didnt stop me from breaking out, expensive
this product did not help me, if anything it made me break out even more. but the breakouts healed fast.. and then there would be another breakout.
May 19, 2012
Pros:
Good for oily skin
Smooth skin when not purging
Cons:
Redness
Severe Breakouts
This was the wrong medicine for me. I've battled acne from the age of 13. I'm now 55 and my derm thought this would help my breakouts. I began breaking out during week 5 and stayed with it because everything thing I read said it would get worse and to give it a good twelve weeks. After the twelveth week my face was still broke out and the pimples were inflamed and red. So much so that I hadn't experienced that kind of breakout in years. I went back to my derm and she told me to stop. I gave this a good try and believe me it was tough cause I so wanted it to work for me. Word of advice, if this does not work after twelve weeks please go back to your derm. So sadly disappointed!
May 7, 2012
Pros:
Makes your skin renew itself SUPER quickly
Tightens your pores
Cons:
Caused many whiteheads, which I NEVER have
Made my skin super oily
Broke me out like crazy!!
I kept using this product for like 4 months. When I started using it, my skin was getting worse but I just thought that it was "purging", like my dermatologist had said it would. I was getting a lot of inflamed pimples and whiteheads, which I usually never get. I kept at it, but after 4 months, it couldn't be that my skin was purging. Maybe a month, maybe 2, but not 4!!!!!!! As soon as I stopped using it, my skin got SO much better. Within 3 days, the whiteheads were gone and the red pimples were reducing in size and were less angry. Within a month, my skin was back to normal, which for me means maybe 2-3 active lesions on the chin/jawline. During the Tazorac nightmare, I had like 30 and all over my face!! Try it if your dermatologist thinks it can help, but stop using it after 2 months if your skin doesn't get better!
March 30, 2012
Pros:
-Softer skin (good if you're a girl I guess)
Will pull out many (but not all) of your blackheads
Cons:
-Stinging and intense itching for the first few weeks of application
-If you have mild, non inflammatory acne, this will give you inflammatory acne that will last a long time
-Gives you unbelievably oily skin
-Can cause pitting scars
I started tazorac for mild, mostly non-inflammatory acne. Tazorac caused many of my blackheads and whiteheads to become extremely inflamed for weeks, and the longer they stayed inflamed, the more scarring they caused. My skin type never pitted in the past, even with the occasional monster zit that I would squeeze and squeeze. However tazorac caused one area of my cheek to form a noticeable purple pit from a blackhead that it caused to stay inflamed for 6-7 weeks. The plug popped out when I was rinsing, and it left a gaping purple pit from how long it was inflamed for. I have a few red lesions now, several purple and pretty nasty skin that really wasn't all that bad prior to starting. Tazorac also caused my skin to seep with oil, within 20 minutes after washing with even bar soap. It might be better for your skin if you have a drier skin type that would cause the inflammation to dry out quickly. But many of us get more oily on retinoids and that's when it becomes counter-productive. If you have severe acne, this may be for you. Otherwise, stay the heck away from this stuff. It'll take your mild acne and cause the plugs to come out too violently to do any good. Better to just get some microdermabrasions for the black/whiteheads. What good is getting blackheads out if you'll just be left with a bunch of scars and pits? Tazorac is for the serious acne sufferers who don't really have many other options. Just read other reports like mine where people with mild acne ended up regretting using it.
Pros:
Not sure yet