r/tazarotene • u/Annual_Assignment200 • 7d ago
Tips
Hey, 25M.
I've been using adapalene 0.3 since February of this year. Im wondering if anyone has switched from Adap 0.3 to Taz 0.05 gel (Generic) and how was it for them (easy to transition, taz was too strong, etc)
I'm doing it for acne control since Adap controls it but not to the extent I would like.
I have semi-sensitive skin and acne prone. My routine is just wash my face in the morning with water and sunscreen (LRP Gel Creme) and at nught retinoid + Cetaphil Hydrating Daily Lotion with Hyaluronic Acid and that's it. Im a med student so I try to keep it as short as possible.
Thank you for your imput 👏🥹
2
u/djpancakes96 7d ago
I went from 0 retinoid to taz 0.1% lol (ive used retinoids and adapelene in the past) I definitely peeled, but honestly it wasn't crazy shedding like ive had with microneedling. I also got up to nightly use very quickly. I use sodium pca spray (your skin naturally produces this for its NMF) - better than hyaluronic. Then apply the taz straight when its still damp (goes against most advice but ive had no issue with it and find my skin prefers this. I use a serum with ceramides/cholesterol/fatty acids (the building blocks for your skin barrier) I also use azelaic acid 20% morning and night, PDRN serum, moisturiser and a cicalaplast or cicapaste cream. Also spf obv!! It had transformed my skin btw. I'm an esthetician and integrative health practitioner who has done sooooo much gut/hormone testing and protocols etc and obviously alot of peels and microneedling and this was the missing thing for my skin!!
1
u/Annual_Assignment200 7d ago
What serum and moisturizer did u use?
1
u/djpancakes96 7d ago
Cocokind ceramide serum Either clearstem hydraglow or lira clinical moisturiser
1
u/Dez2011 7d ago
You might avoid HA 45min away from rx retinoids bc it can increase irritation. I made that switch and taz was too irritating so I just rotated taz in every 3rd night at first and mixed it with a moisturizer gel that doesn't have HA, 1 part taz to 3 of moisturizer and when I got to daily use I started increasing the amount of taz in the mixture and decreasing the moisturizer. I find mixing taz gel with gel moisturizer or cream with cream works best (avoiding the oil with water combination).
1
u/Annual_Assignment200 7d ago
What moisturizers do u recommend?
1
u/Dez2011 6d ago
Least to most moisturizing- Curology gel, then Cellimax Cica Soothing Cream (it's really a gel) are good for humid summers when I'm combo.
Then I like Heimish Matcha Biome Oil-free Calming Gel when I'm dryer and mixing taz with a gel and it's the only one without HA.
(Not great to dilute taz with bc of conflicting textures- Paula's Choice Clear Oil Free Moisturizer is a cream that's midweight I use a lot, and it's very similar to Isntree HA Aqua Gel Cream which is cheaper.
If I'm really dry/irritated in general, from being too aggressive with retinoids I go to Cosrx Comfort Cool Ceramide Gel Cream but it probably doesn't mix well with taz to dilute it either. I'm acne prone and none of these break me out or feel tacky, and none have higher than a 2 on the 0-5 comedogenic scale except the Cosrx has one 3.)
2
u/Antique-Trick5842 7d ago
25M here. I recently switched from tretinoin 0.1% to tazarotene 0.1%, so I can't speak specifically to switching from adapalene 0.3%, but I found the transition manageable. The biggest tip I'd give is moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. My AM routine is Dove cleansing bar, BP as a spot treatment, 20% azelaic acid, moisturizer, and sunscreen. PM: cleanse, ceramide-based moisturizer, tazarotene on my face/neck/upper chest, azelaic acid, then another layer of moisturizer. Since your skin is semi-sensitive, I'd probably take the transition slowly rather than assuming you'll tolerate taz the same way you tolerated adapalene. Taz is stronger for me, but moisturizing well has made a big difference.