Tazarotene is a prescription drug that works to even skin tone, decrease wrinkles and unclog blocked pores. It comes as a cream, foam and gel that you apply to the skin. It should be used once a day, in the evening.
Like other retinoids, it works by regulating cell activity, exfoliating the outer layers of the skin, fading dark patches and unclogging pores. It also treats acne and sun-damaged skin.
Acne
Acne is a skin condition caused by a buildup of dead skin cells and sebum (oil). This blockage causes pores to become blocked, which leads to blackheads and whiteheads. Tazarotene helps by unblocking the pores and reducing inflammation.
Tazarotene also works to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, photo-damage, hyper-pigmentation, and psoriasis. It is available in a cream and gel formulation.
Apply a thin layer of the medicine to the affected area once a day, in the evening. You should wash the skin before applying the medication and use a moisturizer afterward. Be sure to use sunscreen and avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight. Your doctor may recommend other medications to help with your acne or psoriasis. Always ask your doctor before starting any new medication.
Psoriasis
Tazarotene can help reduce the appearance of plaques and relieve itching, redness, and scaling. Your doctor may also prescribe other medications to treat psoriasis. These include calcipotriene cream, coal tar preparations, anthralin, and keratolytic agents. These creams remove dead skin cells, unblock pores, and help reduce inflammation in your skin.
Other medications that can be used for mild to moderate plaque psoriasis include topical steroids, synthetic vitamin D, and retinoids. Your doctor may also prescribe systemic treatments, which work through your entire body to reduce the immune response that causes psoriasis. These drugs include adalimumab (Humira), certolizumab pegol (Cimzia), ixekizumab (Taltz), risankizumab-rzaa (SKYRIZI), and secukinumab (Cosentyx).
If you no longer need this medication, you can safely dispose of it. Follow the instructions on your prescription label or ask a pharmacist for more information.
Other medications
Tazarotene binds to and activates the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) family. Its acetylenic prodrug is converted in the skin to its active metabolite, tazarotenic acid. This binds to RARa, RARb and RARg with relative selectivity and can modify gene expression.
In photodamaged skin, tazarotene has been shown to improve fine wrinkling, mottled hyperpigmentation and roughness, lentigines, apparent pore size, elasticity and a reduction in the number of keratinocytes with abnormal morphology. It also has a significant effect on the turnover of the epidermis and a reduced appearance of actinic keratoses.
Tazarotene can be used with other topical medications, including benzoyl peroxide, to treat acne. However, you should tell your doctor about any medications you take by mouth, including antibiotics and birth control pills. This is to ensure that the combination does not interfere with your treatment.
Alcohol
Alcohol is a psychoactive substance that has been used for many purposes over the course of human history. It has been consumed as a way of social bonding, as a means of celebrating, and as a tool for enhancing ordinary life. Alcohol misuse can have serious health and social consequences and requires concerted action at a global level to reduce its harmful use.
An organic compound with a hydroxyl group (–OH) attached to one or more carbons of an alkyl group (hydrocarbon chain). It is typically found in alcoholic beverages and is colourless at room temperature. It is a central nervous depressant, and it causes symptoms such as sweating, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, trembling, restlessness and hallucinations. It also affects balance and coordination, increases heart rate, and raises blood pressure.
Pregnancy
Pregnant women should not use tazorac, as it is absorbed through the skin and could harm a fetus. Women of childbearing potential should use reliable methods of birth control while using this medication and for two weeks after stopping it.
In published clinical trials, tazorotene has been associated with fetal abnormalities in mice and rats when administered orally at high doses, but the teratogenicity of tazarotene in humans is not known. It is not known whether tazarotene crosses the human placenta, but pharmacokinetic studies indicate that topical exposure would result in low systemic concentrations and therefore less exposure to a developing fetus.
There is no experience with tazarotene in nursing mothers, but tazarotene is excreted into rodent milk. Therefore, breastfeeding should be avoided until further data are available.tazarotene uk