Acne.org Products
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
January 26, 2012
Cons:
Takes up to 12 weeks to see actual changes (so you can't just give up at week 7 because it's "not working"); you have to complete the 3 months to accurately assess if it's the right product for you.
Probably you will have the purging period. I have to be honest, it really sucks. I recommend sleeping a lot to help time pass faster. It lasted all the way until the 8th or 9th week for me because my pores were so clogged.
Dry, flaky skin, burnt sensation. At times hard to even smile!
Bottom line: Tazorac works for me. Today people at my work place said, "You're just glowing!" And I was not wearing any makeup. That's called the Taz Effect. But I went through hell to get here, I kid you not. My face was just littered with even more acne, whiteheads, blackheads, etc. during the purging period. It was so horrific that I couldn't even put on makeup. No amount will cover the bumpiness and might aggravate it, so I just stuck out the ugly phase...unfortunately for me, it was so much longer than I expected. And for you pickers, DO NOT PICK YOUR FACE ON THIS MEDICATION!! No really, get your picking under control and stop before you even start using Taz. The urge to pick will be very very strong when you're purging and waking up to multiple new uglies everyday. Go to [link removed] for support. Your skin is an organ and should be treated with respect. Think about it, do you go squeezing at your liver daily? There are so many reasons to stop picking, but especially important on retinoids because your skin is so thin. I've got a few scars to prove it, and hoping they'll fade more over time. I hate to sound dramatic, but Tazorac gave me my life back. To be able to live and focus on yourself and your happiness and enjoy life without giving a second thought to acne. To be one of those "normal" people without spots all over. It's simply amazing.
May 30, 2011
Pros:
-leaves skin soft
-gets rid of acne
-best form of retinoid cream out there
-didn't make it worse in the beginning
Cons:
-drying
-redness
-may take time to work
-costs a lot without insurance
It works stick with it! the best facial treatment I have ever tried. This works even faster in combination with tetracycline or any other form of oral antibiotic. So far its working already and I'm on my second week. The combination of antibiotics and tazorac really does work faster to clear up your acne. Ill tell you why, well antibiotics reduce swelling and gets rid of the bacteria and the tazorac speeds up the cell turnover and removes dead skin cells and therefore renews the skin and also fades scars and hyperpigmentation. (Tip- USE A MOISTURIZER BEFORE USE!)
Its absolutely vital that you get a gentle cleanser and a moisturizer. Those are the three steps to this regimen for this product to really work!
March 28, 2011
Pros:
Lifts dead skin cells to brighten skin
Fades marks away
Smoother skin
Smaller pores
Makes pimples smaller
Cons:
Takes a LONG time for it to work
Greasy
Initial breakout (maybe a few weeks into the treatment...skin might look worse than before)
Flaky skin
Doesn't work well by itself
I've been using Tazorac since November,but it took my skin a long time to show REAL improvement. Your skin will breakout after a few weeks with Tazorac,but that's supposed to happen(it seems awful,but it gets better.I promise). You're only supposed to use a pea sized amount, but that wasn't working for me so I use a big dollop and dot it onto my cheeks,nose,chin,and forehead. For some reason my skin wasn't getting any better until I used a large amount...this is just my experience so you might not want to take any chances with your skin. A good moisturizer is necessary to get rid of the annoying flaky skin. It's almost April,and I must say that my skin looks way better. I use Tazorac at night,Dr.Sheffield's ClearZit in the morning, and I wash my face with a paste of baking soda and water. This product works,but you need a lot of patience with it.If you give up on this product,it won't be as effective. My skin is brighter,my scars have almost completely faded away,my pores are a lot smaller,and my acne...words don't even explain how much better my skin is! My acne is pretty much nonexistent,but I still use all these products to maintain my current skin condition. Good luck to all of you!
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.
September 5, 2009
Pros:
Purged out all of my pores; My skin stopped looking and getting so oily through the day; Eventually cleared up a lot of the acne that had purged
Cons:
Eight week initial breakout, worst breakout of my life; Face got extremely red; Face peeled all the time; Awful Flaking; Skin overly dry ; No waxing; Emotional Impact
Anyone whose used this product for less than the recommended three months/twelve weeks shouldn't be reviewing it. My skin initially, in the first two weeks, looked decent, wasn't oily anymore, still had stubborn mild/moderate acne. By week three I was in total despair - my skin was red, flaky, and I got the worst breakout of my life. It lasted from weeks three to eleven, because I was determined to give the Tazorac/Duac/Minocycline trio a fair shot, but emotionally, I was a wreck. By week ten, it began to heal. I wasn't really purging anymore, and my redness was fading. Now, at week twelve, my redness has mostly faded, my skin is still incredibly dry and flaky, and I'm more or less back where I started: mild/moderate acne. But I'm not really getting any new acne, so I'm going to give Tazorac a little bit longer to work its magic. Overall, I'd say it's worth a shot, but not if you can't handle an overly long purging period. Not for people with sensitive skin. Moisturize a ton.
August 16, 2010
Pros:
- Heals Acne
- Overtime (many months or so >.>) it also helps fade away acne scars
Cons:
- leaves weird filmly residue on face
- freakin expensive
I've been using tazorac in conjunction with the antibiotic minocycline for a solid 4 months at least Every Night..Ugh Mildly mind numbing routine? Yes. Worth it? Hell Yes. I had moderately severe acne in gr. 9 - 11. I had mostly huge cysts that couldnt go away...I got called Rudolph several times when I had a giant one on my nose, I couldve sworn it was a boil instead >.>
But after several months have passed, I have nearly no acne at all (i still get acne here and there, usually gone by the next day though) . Just the post-pigmentation that was left behind, but luckily that's starting to fade away too =)
I've heard people say that their own skin peeled and have experienced pain while using tazorac. Personally, I've had no terrible experiences myself and I have pretty sensitive skin. Also I recommend those who want a faster healing process for post pigmentation to try an aspirin mask at least once a week, I find that it helps a Whole lot =D you can find many different recipes online if you just google "aspirin mask". Also, for people with oily skin and can't seem to find the correct cleanser (trust me, i know how THAT's Like >.>) I also HIGHLY recommend using OCM "Oil cleansing Method" You can also Google that up for recipes and information. it may sound disgusting but you really can't say anything until you try it right? =)
December 14, 2009
Pros:
i turnovers skin production really fast, so even if you do get acne it goes a away fast.
i have been using this product for almost a year. this site helped me with the support i needed for the first couple of months of dreadful side effects. all of the horrible side effects have pasted and the product is still very effective. although, i still breakout right before my period or when i am experiencing a high amount of stress. i started taking a multi vitamin with vit a in it. i believe it has helped with my skill tone. part of this product working successfully is eating healthy, not wearing 8lbs of makeup & taking overall good care of your body. if you do those things you will see results. i balance bwtn the .05 & .1 --- your acne will get better, i promise! just keep your head up and you are sure to see results.
September 7, 2011
Pros:
Cleared up hyperpigmentation
Softer skin
Cleared up acne
Easy to apply
Cons:
Can be price without a prescription
Can overdry your skin if you misuse
I am a dark-skinned Latin. Usually after breakout, I get hyperpigmentation as my skin heals. Hyperpigmented areas take forever to disappear. I discovered Tazorac about a year ago through a new dermatologist, and it has truly worked wonders. It did not cause me to have any breakouts because I took an oral antibiotic while using Tazorac. My dermatologist worked on my acne from the inside with doxycycline and Tazorac as a topical. I apply a pea sized amount to the affected areas, my cheeks and chin. I have not had any breakouts and the Tazorac has cleared up my hyperpigmentation and made my skin softer. I can also say it gives my skin a youthful look. I get many compliments on my once uneven toned and acne scarred skin. It has given me so much confidence in my skin. Be careful not to apply too much, because it can dry your skin out, and if you live in a dry climate, definitely use a good moisturizer and try to avoid avoid sun. If you use the product correctly, you can have a skin success story.
June 20, 2011
Pros:
Made skin much smoother
Greatly reduced amount of pimples
Only need a pea-sized amount for whole face
Cons:
Takes a long time to work
Somewhat greasy
Got worse before it got better
Pricey
I've had mild acne since I was 14, but this year it turned severe for some odd reason (I'm 25). It was terrible--big white postules all over my face and neck. I was desperate so I told my dermatologist to be aggressive with treatment without resorting to Accutane. Here is my regimen:
Morning--
Wash face with Cetaphil mild cleansing bar
Wait 10 minutes for face to dry
Apply CeraVe moisturizer (important to prep your skin with lotion before Tazorac)
Apply Tazorac
Apply Neutrogena coverup and mineral foundation (which lessens the greasiness/redness)
Evening--
Wash face with Cetaphil bar
Wait 10 minutes for face to dry
Apply Acanya gel
Apply CeraVe I also take Solodyn (antibiotic) and Spironolactone. Things stayed the same for the first three weeks of treatment. By the fourth week, my acne became much worse. I was very embarrassed, but I knew that I needed to stick with the treatment. I began to notice improvement by about 7 weeks.
It has now been 12 weeks and my skin feels much smoother and most of the acne has subsided (I just have a few pimples around my mouth). I am also left with red scars, but my doc said they would fade eventually. You will probably become discouraged with this medicine because it makes your face much worse after a few weeks. But don't give up--you will eventually see results!
April 17, 2011
Pros:
clears up acne after 2 weeks
use with cleoticin phosphate 1 percent lotion
and neutrogena acne body wash
Cons:
dries skin
cause alot of flaking amd irritation
causes an initial break out
i have had bacne since i was 12 it was disgusting and finally a few years later i went to my regualr doctor who prescribed tazorac along with cleotcin phosphate 1% lotion i used one in the morning and one at night in the begininng it cause a horrible outbreak but within 2 weeks it totally cleared up but i added neutrogena acne body wash whatever its called as a claner which totaly worked but now i have mild acne scars
Pros:
Teaches you patience, haha
It will work, trust in the Taz
Pimples go away quickly
Evens out your skin tone, fades post-acne marks
Gives you back freedom
Taz Effect, aka glow
Shrinks pores
Anti-aging over the long run