Q: What are the pros and cons of Tazorac?

Pros Tazorac is the most potent retinoid for treating severe acne and fine lines, pigmentation problems, and other skin concerns caused by sun damage. The medication is easy to use at home. It has a high Worth It Rating from RealSelf members, who report seeing dramatic improvement in their skin. Cons It can take a couple of months to start seeing results. Tazorac is the most irritating retinoid. Your provider will instruct you on how to avoid side effects like dry skin, tightness, redness, and peeling, but not all people can tolerate it. When retinoids are first used to treat acne, the increase in cell turnover they cause may make your acne look worse. This flare (or “purge”), which often occurs in the first week or two, will clear with continued use. It can make skin more sun-sensitive by gently exfoliating and lightening pigmentation, so it's crucial to use sunscreen and avoid tanning beds. If it’s not covered by your health insurance, Tazorac can be significantly more expensive than other prescription retinoids. “However, there is a generic version available via GoodRx at a significantly reduced price,” says Dr. Tanghetti.

Question 1

What is Tazorac?

Accepted Answer

Tazorac is a brand name for tazarotene, a prescription retinoid that’s FDA-approved as a cream or gel to treat acne on the face and body, as well as psoriasis on the body.

This topical treatment is used to unplug pores, reduce skin inflammation, and limit breakouts of acne vulgaris. It can also improve redness, scaling, and the number of plaques associated with psoriasis. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, most people using tazarotene alone have about a 50% reduction in symptoms of plaque psoriasis.

Like other prescription-strength and OTC retinoids—names you might recognize are Retin-A and Renova (tretinoin), Differin (adapalene), and retinol—tazarotene is derived from vitamin A.

The medication tazarotene is also FDA-approved to treat sun damage, including fine lines, wrinkles, loss of elasticity, uneven skin tone, and age spots. When used to treat photodamaged skin, the brand name of tazarotene is Avage—but it’s the exact same product as Tazorac cream, explains Dr. Heidi Waldorf, a dermatologic surgeon in Nanuet, New York. Both Avage and Tazorac are manufactured by Allergan.

Like all retinoids, Tazorac works by improving skin cell turnover, so dead cells are shed and replaced more quickly. Retinoids also stimulate collagen and elastin production, which minimizes fine lines, smooths the skin’s surface, evens out skin tone, and brightens the skin. Beyond treating acne, “Tazorac improves abnormal pigmentation from sun damage, melasma, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from acne,” according to Dr. Emil Tanghetti, a dermatologist in Sacramento, California.

Though they’re typically used to unclog pores and prevent pimples, retinoids like Tazorac also help reduce signs of aging.

RealSelf Tip: Your Tazorac costs will depend on your insurance coverage and where you buy it. If brand-name Tazorac seems too expensive, ask your derm about the generic version of 0.1% tazarotene cream.

Question 2

What are the pros and cons of Tazorac?

Accepted Answer

Pros

Tazorac is the most potent retinoid for treating severe acne and fine lines, pigmentation problems, and other skin concerns caused by sun damage.
The medication is easy to use at home.
It has a high Worth It Rating from RealSelf members, who report seeing dramatic improvement in their skin.

Cons

It can take a couple of months to start seeing results.
Tazorac is the most irritating retinoid. Your provider will instruct you on how to avoid side effects like dry skin, tightness, redness, and peeling, but not all people can tolerate it.
When retinoids are first used to treat acne, the increase in cell turnover they cause may make your acne look worse. This flare (or “purge”), which often occurs in the first week or two, will clear with continued use.
It can make skin more sun-sensitive by gently exfoliating and lightening pigmentation, so it's crucial to use sunscreen and avoid tanning beds.
If it’s not covered by your health insurance, Tazorac can be significantly more expensive than other prescription retinoids. “However, there is a generic version available via GoodRx at a significantly reduced price,” says Dr. Tanghetti.

Question 3

How is Tazorac different from Retin-A and other retinoids?

Accepted Answer

Tazorac is unique to other retinoids because it works via the gamma receptor in the skin. It’s considered the most effective retinoid currently available. Studies suggest that Tazorac reduces pimples and blackheads faster than Retin-A does.

It also seems to have the edge over Retin-A when it comes to treating signs of sun damage, says Dr. Tanghetti, who participated in FDA-approved trials of tazarotene for this purpose—one of which was a study comparing it to Renova, an emollient version of Retin-A. “The study showed a more rapid response with Tazorac in treating photodamage. From our studies, it appears to be the most effective and most potent topical retinoid in treating photodamaged skin.”

The downside of Tazorac, says Dr. Waldorf, is that it may be more irritating than some of the milder retinoids.

The upshot: Tazorac isn’t appropriate for everyone. The choice of a topical retinoid is made on an individual basis, when a dermatologist evaluates a patient’s skin. Some patients are better suited for the stronger Tazorac, while others will respond better to a milder retinoid, such as tretinoin.

“In my cosmetic dermatology practice, I use tazarotene to treat acne and/or photoaging in a patient who’s maxed out on tretinoin or adapalene,” Dr. Waldorf says. “Because it’s a different retinoid, it can be helpful to get a patient off a treatment plateau."

Tazorac is a product I use myself, to treat photodamage and wrinkles! I think this speaks to my confidence in the product.”—Dr. Emil Tanghetti, a Sacramento, California dermatologic surgeon

Question 4

How should you use Tazorac?

Accepted Answer

Doctors usually prescribe 0.05% Tazorac at first and increase to 0.1% if your skin doesn’t improve (and if you can tolerate it).

“Like all retinoids, it should be started gradually—twice a week for two weeks, then three times a week [every other night], etc.,” says Dr. Waldorf. It’s better to start slowly and allow your skin to acclimate to Tazorac than to overuse it and risk developing dryness and irritation.

“Tazorac is superpowerful, but you have to be so careful with the amount you apply and the frequency,” says cgwalteny, who used Tazorac gel to treat her adult acne. “I finally went down to twice a week, to keep irritation at bay.”

When Tazorac is being used for anti-aging purposes, Dr. Amy Paul, a dermatologic surgeon in Grand Junction, Colorado, says it’s sometimes used just once a week. “It’s nice for men or for people who don’t want to use Retin-A every night, because they can get relatively good skin improvement without doing a nightly routine.”

When treating acne and psoriasis, apply a thin layer of Tazorac to the affected areas, at night. All retinoids can be slightly inactivated by sunlight, which makes nighttime application ideal.

To reduce signs of aging, apply a thin film to your entire face (avoid your eyelids), neck, and even your hands. “More is not better,” says Dr. Waldorf. “A pea-size amount covers the face.”

Gels tend to have a strong drying effect, more so than creams. So when it comes to Tazorac cream versus gel, the main consideration is which you can tolerate and use on a regular basis. “Tazorac gel is the strongest of the retinoid family, so it might make you pretty red if you use it every night,” says Dr. Paul. “I have some patients who love Tazorac gel and don’t get too dry and peel a lot, and some who can’t stand it all.”

Like all retinoids, Tazorac can thin the top layer of skin and leave it more sun-sensitive. To protect the skin, it’s important to take proper precautions, like using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30+ regularly plus protective clothing if you’re using it on your body, to avoid sunburn.

Question 5

How can you minimize side effects of Tazorac?

Accepted Answer

While studies show that the medication is generally well-tolerated, common side effects of Tazorac include dry skin, burning, redness, itching, and peeling.

If your skin develops severe irritation when using Tazorac for acne or sun damage, take some time away from it. To help calm your skin, use a 1% over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream, along with a gentle, benign moisturizer.

To help sidestep adverse effects when using Tazorac for acne or photoaging, doctors recommend these tips.

Wash skin with a gentle non-soap cleanser, using lukewarm water. “Your cleanser should leave your skin soft and supple, not dry and tight,” says Dr. Waldorf.
Wait at least 10 minutes after washing your face before applying. Damp or wet skin exacerbates skin sensitivity.
Consider “short-contact therapy.” If your skin is very sensitive, start by applying a small amount of tazarotene, then rinse it off after 15 minutes, suggests Dr. Waldorf.
Use it with a moisturizer. “We have found that it’s ideal to use a cream moisturizer shortly after washing and at least 10 minutes before applying your Tazorac,” says Dr. Tanghetti. “If even with that you find significant irritation, it might be best to give yourself a drug holiday of 1-4 days, then restart by mixing an equal amount of Tazorac cream and moisturizer.” Dr. Tanghetti says his studies have shown that for acne patients, applying moisturizer first makes Tazorac much better tolerated, while still being effective.
Avoid certain areas. “The corners of the nose and mouth tend to be more sensitive and react more to the product,” says Dr. Tanghetti.

For psoriasis, doctors often prescribe Tazorac in tandem with a topical corticosteroid, to cut skin irritation. The combination can also give you longer-lasting results and a longer remission (time without psoriasis) than may be possible when using tazarotene alone. Applying a thin layer of petroleum jelly to the skin around the psoriasis plaques can help limit irritation to the adjoining areas.

Related: These Are the Next-Best Ingredients to Use If You Can't Tolerate Retinol, According to Derms

RealSelf Tip: While topical retinoids, like Tazorac and tretinoin, can be irritating for many people, there are some skin types that may experience minimal or no irritation with these products. This doesn't mean the product isn’t working, says Dr. Tanghetti. “Consider yourself lucky that your skin seems to handle these products with little irritation, dryness, or redness!”

Question 6

When will you see results with Tazorac, and how long will they last?

Accepted Answer

It can take a couple of months to see the benefits of Tazorac. “All retinoids, including the OTC retinol products, will have their primary biologic effects start to be seen in about two months,” says Dr. Waldorf. Improvement in the skin will continue for a year or more.

According to Dr. Waldorf, treating acne with Tazorac may cause your condition to seem like it’s getting worse before it starts improving after about eight weeks. “When used for comedonal acne [whiteheads and blackheads], retinoids may produce what appears to be a flare when first used,” she says. “That’s because the retinoid is loosening up and sweeping out the comedones, so you may be seeing more at the surface now. With continued use, those will clear and fewer new lesions will appear.”

The key to improving and maintaining skin benefits is consistent use over time. The occasional missed dose is fine, but you'll see the the most positive changes by making it part of your routine. If you stop using the product, you'll quickly lose the gains you've made.

For faster results or bigger benefits, talk to your healthcare provider about combining Tazorac with other skin-care products. A 2015 study suggests that retinoids and alpha hydroxy acids (like glycolic acid) produce a synergistic effect when used together. You can also supplement your Tazorac treatment with chemical peels, microneedling, or laser treatment. Just be sure to wait until your skin is fully healed before you start using Tazorac again.

“For those thinking about giving up on this medication because the side effects are too severe, I encourage you to continue with it. I will always remember wanting to throw in the towel and give up.... Luckily, I stuck with it, and it’s the best thing to ever happen to me.”—Navar77, RealSelf member

Question 7

Does Tazorac help remove scars?

Accepted Answer

Topical retinoids like Tazorac are helpful for both acne scar prevention and fading existing acne scars.

A small 2019 study found that tazarotene (or Tazorac) may be as effective as microneedling for treating acne scars. “With any treatment that stimulates collagen production [and associated lessening of scars], it will take some time to see the results,” says Dr. Tanghetti. “I typically tell my patients to wait three to six months in order to start seeing results.”

Question 8

Can you use Tazorac while pregnant?

Accepted Answer

You shouldn’t use Tazorac if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to become pregnant. Retinoids may cause fetal harm and birth defects when administered to a pregnant woman, so doctors recommend using effective birth control while you're using Tazorac.

It’s not yet known if Tazorac can be excreted in breast milk, so exercise caution with nursing.

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