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
July 6, 2014
Curse in a bottle
So I have always had bad acne but never any whiteheads anywhere just crazy blackheads and many of them all over my face, neck, chest and back. My doctor told me that tazorac had less side effects than retin a so I decided what more do I have to lose because my face is already disgusting. Unlike everyone else I did not experience the initial purging at all. In fact it all cleared up within a week. As weeks went on, it would progressively get worse and worse and in places that I have never ever had gotten acne in my life. And they were mostly pussy gross whiteheads. They hurt, they were big, and out if the ordinary. I am currently on week five of this medication and to make matters worse I am starting to get scaring like crazy. My chest, neck and face have never looked worse in my life. I am told to keep using it but I'm afraid that it will leave terrible long term effects. I would not recommended this at all, i don't ever go out because makeup doesn't even cover it and I am depressed and withdrawn from everything. Save yourself the depression and just go on accutane if you can, those are my future plans and my last glimmer of hope.
June 26, 2014
First 3 months horrible, last 3 months great, afterward horrible
I am a female with moderately severe acne, and I used Tazorac for 6 months when I was around 17 years old. I am 19 years old today. The first few months, my acne got a lot worse (purging), and I also suffered from very flaky, irritated skin. (I was using it with moisturizer, too!) In fact, I would carry a bottle of moisturizer with me, and I asked my friends to point out any flakiness so that I could whip out my bottle of moisturizer to use on the spot. Some days, I would use moisturizer about 6 times an hour. However, around months 5 to 6, my acne got a whole lot better. (I remember getting a lot of compliments on my skin around this time.) Also, in the areas that the acne healed, my skin was completely smooth and had no scarring or hyperpigmentation. (I still deal with hyperpigmentation of my skin after the acne lesions heal on benzoyl peroxide these days.) However, after month 6 on Tazorac, I recall my acne getting a lot worse (almost as bad as the purging months of Tazorac). After that, I stopped using Tazorac and began using benzoyl peroxide, where I noticed a noticeable improvement. However, I feel like the overall effect of Tazorac on my skin has been more negative than positive: I ended up with acne in spots I usually wouldn't get acne. Even then, though, I believe Tazorac helped immensely with my forehead acne (or perhaps that was due to puberty). These days, though I am on benzoyl peroxide, it seems like my acne is getting out of hand again and resisting its treatment. I am not sure what to do at this point because benzoyl peroxide is what is recommended by this site. Most of my severe acne is around my mouth area (between my nose and mouth, and on my chin). It has even started spreading outward to my cheeks, where I have never had acne before. :( Anyway, I hope this review has been helpful. Good luck!
June 21, 2014
The best thing I have ever used
I am 19 years old and have struggled with acne since I was around 12 years old. I've been seeing the same dermatologist since I got my first pubescent break out and nothing has ever worked as good as my Holy grail in a bottle Tazorac. It does leave your skin extremely sensitive for the first few weeks so I would avoid waxing your eyebrows, lip etc. From my experience you should only wash your face with non-salicylic soaps and cleansers, It'll only exacerbate the issue of dry skin and peeling that comes with the first few weeks of using the treatment. ALSO stay out of the sun as much as you can and if you do go out in the sun please wear sunblock. I restarted my Tazorac regimen a week or so ago due to my acne reoccurring after being taken off my year long course of antibiotic I take for my Kidney Disease to start a new one. I was out in the sun and experienced a burn around where I had applied the tazorac the night before. Overall I love Love LOVE this product. I cant wait to see the results I will have in a few more weeks. Best of luck to everyone. Ari
June 14, 2014
Super harsh on sensitive skin
I used tazorac for two - three months and saw very little improvement. I endured the horrible initial breakout, and afterwards extreme redness and peeling that made my face look blotchy and awful. If your skin is not very sensitive and you are willing to stick it out for the full twelve weeks, I'm sure you'll get good results. I noticed the pimples it did get rid of quickly looked nice and smooth with no scarring afterwards, so that was nice. But take caution if your skin is easily irritated and you don't want something that will take a good 3-4 months to see any kind of results.
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!
November 23, 2013
spot treat only!!
Pros:
helps deep acne
Cons:
dries out skin
leaves skin red
I have moderately severe acne, which had been (mostly) taken care of by some bactrim and spironolactone, but now that I'm in grad school and stressed, it's back. I use tazorac sometimes to spot treat deep acne. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If I spot treat for more than a few days I will get really ugly dry skin lines around where I put it on. I recently made the mistake of putting it all over my chin and nose area (the gel seemed to be less harsh than the cream) and did that for a few days and yesterday my face was dry and peeling and red. I tried putting on some sensitive skin lotion and it BURNED like CRAZY I had to wash it off right away. Back to very small area spot treatments for me...
September 21, 2013
Meh
Pros:
Cool blue face under black light
Gets rid of some whiteheads
Cons:
Dries skin out a lot
You become "blue face/smurf/Navi" after one game of laser tag
DO NOT PLAY LASER TAG WITH TAZORAC ON! That is, of course, unless you would like a glowing blue face. You can look like an alien and combat acne at the same time. This is only under a black light so don't you worry.
August 14, 2013
Improvement after 4 days.
Pros:
smoother skin
tighter pores
reduced appearance of wrinkles & fine lines
Cons:
can sting if you don't wait the 10 minutes after washing skin to apply
makes skin a tiny bit flaky but you can wash it off
it didn't turn me into a supermodel ....yet
I just started using Tazorac .1% a few days ago and already see a noticeable difference in my skin. It's smoother, pores are tighter, and it looks younger. Some of the fine lines around my eyes have gotten a lot less noticeable and my skin just looks moist and more plump. I hear that Retin-A and Renova are also great wrinkle reducers. I may try them next but so far so good.
July 10, 2013
Finally!!!! Clear skin!!!
Pros:
Ease of use (apply nightly)
No irritation, burning or peeling
Clear gel formulation; dries quickly
Cons:
Can be very expensive without insurance or coupons
I have tried Proactiv, Clean & Clear, Acne Free, Oil Cleansing Method, Acne.org Regimen, Alpha Hydroxy... I could go on. I used each of these methods for a minimum of three months each. NOTHING has worked like Tazorac. When I finally decided to see a dermatologist, she prescribed antibiotics (Amoxicillin 500mg twice a day for two weeks) and Tazorac (used every night). My nightly regimen was (1) dissolve makeup with 50:50 mix of castor & olive oil (2) wash oil off with pure castile soap (which I make myself from scratch) (3) apply thin layer of Tazorac. My cystic acne is GONE! I usually have 5-6 erupt around my period and stick around for weeks, but since being on Tazorac, that doesnt happen anymore. My acne marks are fading, my skin is smoother. I now use a mineral foundation powder instead of the thick cream foundations I used to. I would watch those Proactiv success stories on TV and sadly wonder if I'd ever have clear skin. Now I'm one of them! :) I pay $75 per tube becos I dont have insurance but one tube last 3-4 months which comes to $19-$25 a month = totally WORTH IT!
June 23, 2013
Didn't help the way I imagined it would
Pros:
Tightened Pores
Got rid of zits
Got rid of a FEW whiteheads
Cons:
Dries skin out/peeling/redness (which can be worse than acne itself)
Does not clear all acne
Doesn't work in the time frame it says it will
I started using Tazorac after experiencing no results with Differin. I struggle mainly with whiteheads and the occasional deep zit. When I was prescribed with Tazorac, I was so optimistic, mostly because my dermatologist acted as if it were a miracle product. After three full months of using Tazorac, though, I can say that it did not do any miracles (for my skin, at least). Granted, it got rid of a few whiteheads, but that's about it. If anything, it only left me with severe dryness, peeling, and redness. I ended Tazorac last March, and I am still dealing with these symptoms. To make things worse, my skin is still breaking out in whiteheads. I believe I just cannot handle this product.
Pros:
Not sure yet