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
March 10, 2013
Cons:
May be too drying for some people. Weirdly, it is less irritating to me than Differin. Expensive with no RX plan.
Try it if your derm offers it and you have an RX plan.
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.
January 19, 2013
Pros:
Reduces cell overgrowth and clogging of pores
Cons:
Very drying: skin would peel off
Very irritating to the skin
Not very effective for hormonal acne
This is not the choice for hormonal acne, and not my choice for topicals because it is so drying. My face would be dry and oily at the same time. Epiduo works better as a retinoid and is much less drying.
January 19, 2013
Pros:
*You can see that it brings your black heads to the surface within the first week or so (purging period)
*It clears the black heads up relatively quickly, definitely quicker than they would clear up on their own (there's less inflamation)
*Your face gets a nice healthy glow
*Less irritation and greasiness so you don't look so red and bothered (if you have it bad like me)
Cons:
*The flakiness near your eyes and mouth and brow line
*That flakiness makes your face kind of itchy but DO NO itch, just brush your fingers on the spots that itch
*After using it for a while it burns and stings your face if you wash it and then put it on, but it's worth it. After using it for a little longer the burning goes away so just fight through.
This stuff works so far. and you have no idea how happy I am to say that. I'm one of those people who have tried everything. I've given up makeup, I only drink water. Here is my regimen, I wash with a scrub that prevents black heads, moisturize and at night I wash again, put cerave moisturizure on and then only put tazorac on my cheeks, temples, and brows, I have HORRIBLE acne, I hate it, but this has been pulling up black heads and clearing them in record time. It's definitely worth a try.
January 12, 2013
Pros:
reduces oiliness considerably
Cons:
for the first month or so, skin is embarrassingly flaky followed by redness and severe irritation that makes putting on moisturizer painful
As someone with crazily oily skin, Tazorac has been a godsend. It's the only thing I've ever tried that actually works! Sure, the painful stinging and flakiness totally sucks but fades over time. I also use in conjunction with BP and prescription clindamycin so I can't really attest to Tazorac's acne-fighting abilities. But it's made a huuuge difference for me oil control-wise.
December 10, 2012
Pros:
clears skin (for a long while)
Cons:
have to stay on it to get results
my acne came back for no reason after years
I had mod to severe cystic acne and this cleared me completely and left me clear for 5 1/2 years. I had beautiful skin, I mean perfect with nothing but some microscopic blackheads no one but me could see. Then, overnight literally I got the worst acne I have ever had in my life. Definitely very severe. Not sure if this made my acne stronger while it was working or what. On accutane now at age 29....
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
October 29, 2012
Pros:
Clears Skin
soft skin
Cons:
very sensitive to the sun
leaves minor scars
didnt do too much for blackheads
skin is somewhat oily
the bottom line is this stuff works. I had moderate to moderately severe acne. I had first surfaced in 8th grade when i was 13. It wasn't too bad until I hit my sophomore year. I had it spread out on forehead, neck, cheeks, chin, and back. I also had a lot of blackheads all over my nose. For a while, the only treatment i used what over the counter topical medicines such as proactiv or clean and clear. None of them seemed to work and really tried out my skin. My junior year, my acne had gotten pretty bad, so my mom took me to a doctor and he prescribed tazorac cream 0.1 along with the antibiotic, doxycycline. This was last December when i started. I would wake up take a shower to open up my pores. Right after the shower i would apply cetaphil moisturizer all over my face, directly followed by an application of tazorac all over my face (whether there was acne there or not). My face would feel very greasy right after this. I would also take one pill in the morning and one at night of the doxycycline. For the first couple of months, my face severly burned and itched. This sensation was lessened due to the moisturizer. I went through a "purging period," where I would have new pimples everyday all over my face. Thankfully, they would never stay too long. I expected this to happen, having been a reader of a lot of reviews, so I was not discouraged and continued to use this medication daily. After about 3 or 4 months, I noticed a severe decrease in acne. I stopped using the moisturizer at this time also because my skin had become used to the properties of tazorac and would not burn or itch anymore. It has been almost a year now and my face has never looked better in these last couple of years. There are usually one or two very small little zits but I dont mind them and they are barely noticeable. The only downside is that my blackheads are still present on my nose. Also, my face is always somewhat red, so i decided to start using sunscreen.
October 12, 2012
Pros:
cleared cystic acne
cleared scalp folliculitis
helps sun damage
helps overall appearance of skin, like even skin tone, etc...this drug is not meant for this...but i see some improvements in the skin tone....
oil control for oily/combination skin
way better than tretinoin, differin, etc
Cons:
drying of skin around lips
my derm claims to help sebaceous hyperplasia...not so far...i have been on this for almost 10 weeks now...may be i am not patient...i dont know...
sensitivity to sunlight, skin more susceptible to UV damage...
reduced alcohol tolerance...may be i am just getting old...lol...
eczema...very mild...i see one small spot on my left arm...i put a lotion on it...it goes away...so this is not really a con...just wanted you to know..
it worked...took some time...may be like 2 weeks to see results....i use it with bactrim-generic...i think tazorac(0.1%) is the drug that is really doing the magic....but since tazorac could take upto 12 weeks to see results...this combination would like kick start the results i guess.... before this combo, i tried minocycline(2x100mg)/day with benzaclin in the am, tretinoin/differin before bed.....i have oily skin with moderately severe cystic acne on face...there would be like couple of them on face, when they settle down, another 2/3 in a different area of face would slowly show-up, also severe scalp acne, aka folliculitis...if you are an athlete like me, you know what i am talking about..caused by all the sweat..anyways...this would leave bad scars with big dark spots...mino with all these topicals never worked for me...i would work only when i am taking them...then my derm would tell me reduce the mino doasge...then within next 2 days..the acne would come back...so this was really not working for a long term basis...i took them for like 4/5 years...lost patience like million times during these years...changed 4 derms....they all kept prescribing the same combo and asked me to be patient.....eventually i changed derm...the new doctor immediately changed to bactrim(generic..too long name to type-in..lol) with tazorac....it is working because i started lowering my dose...and the acne has not come back yet...which wasnt the case with mino and its combo topicals....big relief.....i am scarred to go into accutane-generic b'cos of all the article i read....esp. the joint pains...joint pain are a big NO NO for weight lifters... bottom line, this is a good drug to try out before accutane....please ask doctor for tazorac....tazorac is like the topical accutane...it works the same way as accutane with almost no serious side effects other than drying of skin...which skin gets used to in like a month..and drying is good foe people with oily skin...i hope this
September 14, 2012
Pros:
Works great
Cons:
takes 3 months to see results
Product works great!! You have to be patient with it. Your face will get worst before it gets better you will not see results right away. I would wash with Cereve morning and night. after washing my face in the morning i will use the acanya gel on the acne followed by the cereve am moisturizer and aveeno spf 15 or 30 even tone (cereve am moisturizer has spf 30 in it as well) At night wash with the cereve use the pm cereve moisturizer and spot check with tazorac...my face looks 100% better even the dark spots cleared up..i still continue to use tazorac on like 2 or 3 pimples that i feel under my skin..but when its time to pop the pimples they come out very easy. My insurance covered the prescription for the most part and my dermatologist gave me a coupon for it. i recommend tazorac and acanya gel.
Pros:
A small amount takes the sticky skin cells off my face which contribute to acne... seems to work for my skin which is prone to hard tiny cysts. I've found that the alternative products, like differin gel, irritated my skin much more than Tazorac. Can be used for Keratosis Pilaris as well.