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
May 29, 2011
Cons:
Does take a while to work - about 5 months for me.
Will make skin break out and become very flaky.
This product is AMAZING! I started using it in January 2011 after I began using birth control to help with my acne. The birth control made me break out incredibly bad at first! My gyno then prescribed me Tazorac because I had used it while in High School. It works wonders for spot treating! You will have to moisturize like crazy! If you read what the paper says that comes in the box, this product is rejuvenating the skin underneath the acne, basically causing it to, eventually, peel off. For my skin, I use a Neutrogena transparent facial bar. Just the normal one, not the one for acne prone skin. I, then, moisturize with Eucerin Calming Cream and apply Taz to individual pimples. For when my skin gets really dry, I apply Eucerin's Aquaphor to my skin to protect it from becoming dry to the point that my face feels like it's going to crack or if it's going to peel. It is also important to keep a gentle scrub on hand as well. I have used Neutrogena's Pink Grapefruit facial scrub about once every two weeks to get the dead skin off that was left over. Too many people think that you don't have to moisturize your skin when you have acne, when in fact, you do! Tazorac is great stuff, but like any acne medication, you have to let it work before you jump to conclusions. I'm glad it worked because my doctor said if it didn't, I would have to try Accutane! :( Good luck to everyone with their "journey" with Tazorac! It's yielded great results for me!
May 6, 2011
Pros:
Clears up acne within the first couple weeks.
Cons:
Makes your skin very dry and flaky
Lots of whiteheads at first.
It can take time for it to start making a difference. At first your skins gets very dry and flaky but if you make sure to moisturize every morning and before going to bed you should be good. Also skin tends to get greasy throughout the day. During the first weeks I got a lot of whitehead. But I believe that all that is really worth it especially once you start noticing the difference. It's totally worth it! I love it!
February 14, 2011
Pros:
Makes you more prone to flaking
Stings/irritating esp when you first start
Cons:
Clears Skin
Very effective
Prevents Aging/wrinkles
So, this cleared my skin. The important thing is to use it consistently and to moisturize. I also recommend using water only to wash your face or using a VERY gentle cleanser. You cannot use a harsh cleanser or bar soap with this. Be prepared to get flaky. This is how the medicine works, it makes your cell production speed up. But on the plus side, this also prevents wrinkles from forming. People who use this WILL look younger longer (look into the science, it's basically an anti-aging treatment). So you have to moisturize. Once you use this for awhile, everyday, the flakiness kind of calms down. But if you skip some days it gets pretty bad. It took 2 weeks for this to work and now my skin is clear. A 30gram bottle can last me 2 months. Use a PEA sized amount. I personally use the gel, I can't comment on the efficacy of the cream. My study plan covers this, but I believe it's 60$/tube without insurance, at least in canada. Totally worth it though.
January 27, 2011
Pros:
it works
Cons:
takes a long time to work
I have been using the 0.05 taz and I've just upped to 0.01. The 0.05 worked well for me. As opposed to many users on this board, my skin tolerated the medication extremely well (no flaking, no burning, nothing...)After about two weeks of applying a heavy cream to my skin first before applying the taz, I realized that I didn't have to , so I applied the taz directly to my skin for about 2.5 months. Everyone else is saying my skin is clearing up and I have to admit that is it is. Right now I mostly have acne scars that are fading away. I broke out like usual (not more or less) for the first couple of weeks but now when I break out the pimples aren't as big. So here's my regime.
In the morning i use apricot scrub and an over the counter benzoly perioxide wash (PanOxyl). After drying my skin, I apply over the counter benzyl peroxide medication. And lastly, I apply neutrogena or Oil of Olay lotion for the face. The nights, I just apply taz(no cream or lotion) and go to sleep. Disclaimer: I'm also on birth control so that may be a confounding variable.
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!
October 6, 2010
Pros:
Cleared up acne some.
Didn't irrate my skin too much.
Cons:
Redness/burning first week I used it.
This worked pretty well for me, the best thing I have used for acne beside Accutane. Really clears up the pimples I have, but doesn't help prevent new ones from forming.
I read online that it can help with acne scars and marks, not sure about this but maybe it does my scars and marks aren't as bad as I thought they would be since I have had acne since I was 13 and I am now 20.
September 17, 2010
Pros:
Clears acne/blackheads
Easy to use
Pores appear tighter
Lightens acne scars
Cons:
Expensive
Peeling skin (becomes less severe with use)
Abnormally oily skin (after month 4)
Dr. prescribed 0.1% Tazorac in conjunction with Acanya Gel and Doxycycline for moderate adult acne. I used the Doxy along with the topicals for 3 months and saw a drastic improvement. I've continued to use Acanya and Tazorac after the oral antibiotic regimen. My face is now flawless (minus the peeling/oily part). Skin was horribly, embarrassingly dry and peeled for the first few weeks. Skin stung and itched for the first few days when applying. Acne did, indeed, get worse before it got better. I've been using topicals alone for 2 months (5 months total w/ Doxy) and had one tiny pimple a few weeks ago. I used to break out terribly on my chin, neck and jaw during my period or ovulation. Now I have no acne at all. I tried all the non-Rx medications available. The best thing I did was to go to a dermatologist and have him put me on an effective regimen. I needed the Doxy to help clear my skin, and now the Tazorac maintains my complexion without oral antibiotics. I pay about $50 per tube, but it will last for about 2-3 months when using a pea-sized amount nightly. Always moisturize before using and be sure to wear a sunscreen during the day, even if you're not using Tazorac during the day. Skin is more susceptible to sun damage/burns when using. I would have given Tazorac a 5, but I can't seem to shake this constant peeling/oil slick combination. But, I would rather have a peely, oily face than the adult acne I used to have. I'm 29 and this is the first time in my adult life that I've been acne-free. :)
July 2, 2010
Pros:
no smell, light weight, working so far
Cons:
none yet
I've been using this product for a little over a week and so far it is working. Seeing how bad my face was breaking out before, I haven't had an increase in breakouts as some have. I naturally have very very oily skin (I use blotting paper about 2-3 times a day) and have had no problems with drying out. I use Purpose for a my cleanser in the morning and night, and Aveeno with sunscreen in the morning for a moisturizer. The few pimples I have had so far are going away within 2 days instead of taking a week and aren't nearly as big and painful (regular and cystic acne). I have only had 1 cystic pimple vs 4 before using the cream, and only a 2 other small pimples. I will report back after a few weeks of use.
May 24, 2010
Pros:
Beautiful Skin, helps with wrinkles, reduces severity of acne
Cons:
Expensive, takes a long time to see good results, when first taking it the cream can be very drying to skin
I've had severe acne since I was 13. I'm 26 now and it's still a daily battle. After trying everything under the sun my dermo decided tazorac would be the way to go. He gave me several samples of retinol products that progressively got stronger, I used one for a week before moving up to the next strength, after six weeks he had me on tazorac .05% then on the seventh week I was on .1%. This helped reduce the drying effects as my skin got used to it gradually. Granted my acne was so bad at the time even flaking peeling skin wouldn't have made much of a difference. Once I was on the tazorac my skin gradually improved. My skin had never looked so good! Now a year later I'm starting to develop cysts again. It's like my skin has built up a tolerance to it. But I started the BP during the day and the tazorac at night (don't use at the same time! They do not go well together). I am also exfoliating a couple times a week with an aspirin mask the moisturizing with either almond or jojoba oil. The combination is working really well for me. I have very insensitive skin, so if that could be why the heavy duty stuff seems to work for me and not cause problems. Tazorac can be tricky to apply, try dotting it over your face and gently rubbing it, then apply a heavy moisturizer over top. Or if that doesn't work, apply the moisturizer first, let it sit for an hour then apply the tazorac. And with tazorac less is more. A pea sized amount is all you need, any more and it's a waste and doesn't seem to work as well for some reason.
April 15, 2010
Pros:
No strong scent, absorbs quickly, dries out pimples, leaves skin softer, evens out skin tone.
Cons:
Very drying, can cause peeling, redness, itching, stings a little bit, makes skin more sensitive to sunlight.
My dermatologist gave me Tazorac to replace my Retin-A Micro. Tazorac is similar to RAM, but this is a synthetic retinoid, as opposed to RAM which is naturally derived from Vitamin A. Essentially, both work similarly. When I first started using this, I definitely felt it burn/sting a little on my face. Some people might prefer building up their retinoid tolerance... rather than using this every day/night, use it a couple of times a week, and then gradually work your way up so that you can get used to it. My skin was pretty clear when I was put on this, but I think some people might experience purging, which is common for most new acne meds (I experienced this with Benzaclin). But I'll definitely be sticking to this. It's done a great job of helping me maintain a clear complexion. If you use it during the day, you MUST wear a sunscreen.
Pros:
Gets rid of acne.
Helps with hyperpigmentation and acne scars.
Helps PREVENT new breakouts! :)