Does Tazorac cause purging?

Medically reviewed by Melisa Puckey, BPharm. Last updated on Nov 21, 2024.

Official Answer by Drugs.com

Does Tazorac cause purging and dry, irritated skin?

In the first few weeks when using Tazorac some people do report purging or a flare up of their acne which usually settles even when Tazorac is continued to be used. Tazorac is less likely to cause purging or irritation when compared to tretinoin, another retinoid acne preparation.

Tazorac is one of the topical retinoid medications which are also known to cause skin irritation or retinization during the first few weeks of treatment. The symptoms of retinization are peeling, redness, and dryness, these generally subside over the next few weeks.

Ways to reduce skin irritation when starting Tazorac if you have sensitive skin:

Start with a low strength formulation.
Apply only a thin layer to the skin.
When starting treatment apply only every other day for the first 2 to 4 weeks.
Apply for only a short period of time eg. 30 to 60 minutes before washing off, building up to leaving on overnight depending on tolerability.
Use a gentle cleanser and avoid over cleansing.
Using a non-comedogenic moisturiser may reduce skin dryness, without changing how effective Tazorac is at treating acne.

Bottom line:

When starting Tazorac you may find your skin gets worse before it gets better
Remind yourself that in clinical studies after 12 weeks 55% of patients end up with no acne, minimal acne or mild acne.
If you are worried about how your skin is after starting using Tazorac see your health professional to discuss options.

References

Tazorac Cream Medication Information: https://www.drugs.com/pro/tazorac-cream.html
Retinoid-Induced Flaring in Patients with Acne Vulgaris: Does It Really Exist? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989803/
Facilitating Facial Retinization Through Barrier Improvement: https://cdn.mdedge.com/files/s3fs-public/Document/September-2017/078040275.pdf
Why Topical Retinoids Are Mainstay of Therapy for Acne: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5574737/

Is tazarotene better than tretinoin?

Tazarotene and tretinoin work about the same when applied to the skin to treat acne, but Tazarotene works faster and in one study worked more effectively for some signs of sun damaged skin and the signs of aging. They are also similar in terms of the side effects they cause, although tazarotene may cause more irritation when treatment is first started. Tretinoin tends to be cheaper than tazarotene Continue reading

Is Tazorac the same as Retin-A?

No, Tazorac (tazarotene) and Retin-A (tretinoin, all-trans retinoic acid) are not the same, but they do belong to the same class or group of drugs known as retinoids.

Retin-A is a first-generation retinoid and was the first topical retinoid to be developed. Tazorac, on the other hand, is a third-generation retinoid. A key difference between Tazorac and Retin-A is that they have different chemical structures.

Tazorac and Retin-A work about the same when used to treat acne and are also similar in terms of the side effects they produce.

Does Tazorac help with acne scars?

Tazorac cream and Tazorac (tazarotene) gel do NOT have acne scar treatment as an FDA approved indication. Tazarotene gel 0.1% has successfully treated atrophic post acne scarring in a small clinical trial using microneedling as an active control. Continue reading

Does Tazorac cause purging?

Ways to reduce skin irritation when starting Tazorac if you have sensitive skin:

Read next

Is tazarotene better than tretinoin?

Is Tazorac the same as Retin-A?

Does Tazorac help with acne scars?

See also:

Aimovig

Botox

Stelara

Nurtec ODT

Depakote

Topamax

Emgality

Timolol

Valproic acid

Divalproex sodium

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