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Side Effects
Tazarotene is a vitamin A derivative called a topical retinoid. It helps clear acne by promoting skin cell turnover and reducing inflammation in the skin.
Tazarotene is usually applied once a day around bedtime.
Used Tazarotene? Rate It:
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August 28, 2010
Cons:
-dry, scaly skin (especially when used in conjunction with other drying agents)
-sensitive skin, esp. when just starting the medication
-very expensive, even with insurance
I love this stuff! I started off on tretinoin 0.025%, then graduated to tazorac 0.05%. It has done wonders for my skin. My post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is 95% gone (and it was really bad); I am African-American, and we are more prone to PIH because we have more melanin in our skin. I use this in conjunction with Dan's BP in the morning. I did experience a bad purging in the beginning with tretinoin, but that's pretty common with retinoids. I still gets whiteheads every now and then, but they are tiny and resolve quickly. Here is my skincare routine:
AM - wet face, rub off scaly skin, wash with PanOxyl 10% BP (with a drop of pure tea tree oil mixed in), apply Neutrogena alcohol-free toner on a cotton ball, apply Purpose moisturizer to eyelids and undereye area, apply Dan's BP, let it dry then apply Neutrogena Healthy Face lotion to the rest of my face (you cannot apply the Purpose moisturizer on top of Dan's BP beause it piles), apply Bare Minerals foundation PM - remove makeup with extra virgin olive oil, wash with PanOxyl facewash (with a drop of tea tree oil), tone with Neutrogena, apply tazorac (no moisturizer) Ladies, I can say that I am just about comfortable without any makeup on. In the next few weeks, all the PIH will disappear, and I will ditch the foundation (reserving it for special occasions); this is something I never could have said before taz! Phew, this is a long review, but I hope it helps someone in the fight against acne :) Questions? Email me at theillestfemale@[link removed]
May 18, 2011
Pros:
-mild improvement
Cons:
-skin flakes
-horrible initial breakout!!
-takes FOREVER for it work
I have been using the .1% cream for about 5 weeks and i still don't see much improvement. My doctor perscribed me solodyn and aczone, which dont help much either.
the "taz effect" said u should be able to see improvement after a month of use, but so far i only saw some improvement from that horrible initial breakout it gave me.
basically you have to be really really patient with this medicine and hope it works. And you also have to be prepared for the worst breakout ever! the first week using this product i broke out like crazy!! and it got worse, i had a bunch of whiteheads and redpimples everywhere in my face. my acne changed from moderate to severe! it was the worst experience i ever had i felt so bad, i couldnt do anything. of course i tried to stay positive but it didnt help. the breakout lasted for about 3 weeks and now my face has a bunch of acne scars (more than before) that are slowly disappearing.
After going through that horrible breakout i just hope that my acne would improve with some noticable results! so i have another month until i actually see improvements and i will write another review as a follow up and hopefully i can write a super postive review.
and good luck to you!!
April 20, 2011
Pros:
cant think of any
Cons:
horrible intial breakout
takes forever to work (if it will even work...)
very greasy
rubs off on pillow at night/doesn't sink in skin
-only will work if you never stop and start again...if u start again..you will get another inital breakout. the reason youll want to stop is because of the breakout/not working. its just a bad cycle
this product has done the one thing us acne sufferers want the least from a product that is supposed to help us get rid of acne: IT MAKES YOU BREAKOUT LIKE CRAZY. i have been using this website for advice FOREVER, but i just now joined because i wanted to share my experience with Tazorac. for months i waited and waited and waited...saying to myself its just an initial breakout...my skin is purging. remaining hopeful. but nope..never got better. if it did i hardly noticed and my acne was still unbearable anyways. over some more months my skin was getting better...not due to the tazorac though...but then i noticed i was breaking out pretty bad again (like 4 huge pimples on cheek plus a bunch of little ones) so i was like what the hell i just put some of this on (i think the high price psychologically convinces me its really good stuff) and the next day bam. my face now has like 50 pimples. i hate my life. i cant even leave my house.
April 7, 2010
Pros:
Higher acne turnover, smooth skin, scars seem to fade quicker
Cons:
Dries out skin until your skin gets used to it, peeling, the creme is difficult to spread over your face, higher amount of nodular/cystic acne
I've had acne for seven years, starting at age 15. Tazorac is supposed to take three months to be effective -- I am on month four with no end in sight, worse acne than ever before. I am also using Differin in combination. I have used: Differin, Retin-A, Benzaclin, Salycic acid, Minocycline, Tetracycline, Doxycycline, Cephalexin, Amoxycilin, Pro-Active, Desowen, Tazarac. I have also gotten Blue Light treatment done, which has so far been the only effective treatment. Tazorac initially cleared up skin for the first month that I used it. After the first month, all hell started breaking loose. I've had cysts on my face that are literally the size of fifty-cent pieces. I've developed more cysts, and bigger ones, than I have ever had in my life. Before Tazarac I was getting two to three cysts on my face at a time. With Tazorac, 75% of my acne is turning into nodular/cystic acne. Again, I am on month four of the treatment. Bottom line: This is the absolute worst my skin has ever been. I personally would not recomend this treatment. Accutane is now the only hope I've got left.
April 6, 2010
Pros:
Cleans out my pores and keeps them clean. Got rid of almost all acne.
Cons:
Drying, some blackheads remain, small pimples if I skip one day.
Tazorac was the only thing that worked for me. I used Differin, Proactiv, Acnefree, Neutrogena , Clean & Clear, Biore, Ziana, Benzol Peroxide, Klaron, Retin-A Micro, Minocycline, Doxcycycline, and more. I have oily, sensitive skin. Everyone is different, so my review may or may not work for you. I use Tazorac at night with a very light face wash. I also take birth control for my acne. I take the generic version of YAZ, which is Ocella. In the morning, I use the face wash and then Aczone, which is another topical. I wear noncomedogenic lotions AWALYS. That means that it won't clog pores. I use Biore strips to get rid of blackheads. I use Cerave and Aveeno cream. I hope these products help!
December 26, 2009
Pros:
Speeds up skin turnover. Was not too drying for me
Cons:
Where do I start...
My derm gave me this to try for the 12 week period before prescribing it to me (samples). My ski progressively got worse, but I kept in mind that that was expected. I knew that at some point my skin would stop breaking out, and would be clear. Im done with the 12 weeks and that did not happen. My skin is the worst it has ever been in my life. My derm told me that this obviously isn't working and that we need to talk about accutane. I will hopefully be on that next week.... Taz works for some, and not for others. But if your skin is still bad after 6 - 8 weeks, it probably will just get worse...
November 19, 2010
Pros:
Drys up current pimples quickly. Improves skin texture. Minimizes pores. Once used for a substantial amount of time really does work!
Cons:
Dryness and flaking til your skin gets used to it. Can get worse before it gets better I however didn't experience this effect. Once applied feels kind of oily. Redness.
I have suffered from acne since I was 13. I am now 20. I tried everything (proactiv, clean and clear, differin, retin-A, aczone, doxycycline, minocycline, amoxicillin). My acne wasn't cystic but rather numerous white heads. Finally my dermatologist put me on Accutane. I LOVED IT!!!! It worked amazing and I love my skin while I was on it. Once I finished I was off it for about 6 months and started breaking out again. I believe it was stressed induced from starting up college again. I didn't want to go back on Accutane from a negative side effect I experienced (hairloss) so my derm put me on Tazorac 0.05% cream and increased my strength as my skin tolerated it. Now my skin is like it was on Accutane except it is a little more red but as far as clear complexion it is. I believe I didn't have an initial breakout from previously being on accutane which aided in not a lot of bacteria underneath the skin. However, I do recommend using a HEAVY CREAM before applying tazorac because sometimes when I'd forget my face would get really irritated. I think it took like 4 - 6 weeks to see the results I wanted. Try it!
March 7, 2015
Love this product.
I have always suffered from hormonal breakouts right around my cycle, often times causing cystic acne. It was never unbearable, just a nuisance. Then October 2014 I got the birth control implant, Nexplanon, inserted and I began breaking out much worse due to the hormone change. I eventually went to a dermatologist in November, who prescribed me Tazorac and an oral antibiotic. I only took the antibiotic for two days and stopped because it made me sick. The Tazorac did make me break out MUCH worse initially, about two weeks in, and my skin was incredibly red, dry, and peeling for probably 2 months. It was worse than I had ever broken out in my life. I had read that it takes up to 4 months for it to really work, so I kept with it. In January my derm. prescribed me a topical antibiotic to try instead of the oral antibiotic. Since then I've been cleansing with Cerave moisturizing cleanser in the AM, followed by the topical antibiotic and Cerave moisturizer. Then in the evening I use the same cleanser followed by the Tazorac cream. It's now been exactly 4 months and my skin is 100% clear, and I haven't had any breakouts in weeks. I no longer wear make up every day, which has NEVER happened. I do occasionally use Lush Mask of Magnaminty in place of my cleanser at night, which has been great for keeping my skin clear as well. For anyone worried about the initial breakouts with Tazorac, just stick with it and it WILL get better with time. I will continue using this product for the rest of my life.
September 3, 2010
Pros:
Clears acne, non-drying
Cons:
If used without a moisturizer, can burn skin or crack skin deeply enough to cause bleeding. Using without a moisturizer can lead to excessive flaking and burning. One must avoid excessive exposure to sunlight when using Tazorac.
Initially, upon using this, I used too much, with no moisturizer. This led to cracking my skin deeply enough to cause bleeding, as well as excessive flaking of my skin. If excessively exposed to sunlight, this can cause burning and very deep peeling. For me, the peeling was so deep, there was a very visible difference between non Tazorac treated skin and treated skin. However, after letting my skin heal and going back to retinols and other products used to promote skin cell turnover, I began using Tazorac on my cheeks, as it caused my forehead to breakout for some off reason. On my cheeks, when used over an Obagi moisturizer, it worked wonders! My cheeks felt smooth and hyperpigmentation marks began to lighten. My skin felt like new baby skin. I say felt because for a month, I have been having very strange breakouts and no longer have the beautiful skin - on my cheeks - Tazorac helped create.
January 24, 2010
Pros:
makes skin smooth as a babys butt.
Cons:
lots of redness, peeling, intial breakout at week 3 or 4 through 8, dry skin after you are off the product. made my skin very sensitive
if you don't have sensitive skin use this, if your more on the sensitive side be aware
Pros:
-makes skin peel like crazy
-sloughs away PIH
-evens skintone
-gets rid of acne
-reduces pore size