After using Tazorac, I can honestly say no.  Tazorac is a prescription acne cream yes.  But it’s based on vitamin A.  Just about every acne treatment both in prescriptions or over the counter is based on one of two ingredients: benzoyl peroxide or some type of vitamin A.  These ingredients are both extremely cheap.  But they both tend to cause side effects as well.

They both tend to cause redness, irritation, peeling, sensitivity to the sun, and various other side effects in general.  So obviously speaking, it’s not the best choice.  As far as my personal experience with Tazorac, I used it for a grand total of 12 weeks or 3 months.  My parents spent a certain amount of money, and it did nothing.  My face was red, irritated, and peeling.  But the acne was just as bad as ever.  So Tazorac is not something that seems to work.  If it does work for you, it will take several weeks, and it seems that it always causes side effects.  So obviously, there is no real balance to it, just a product that you shouldn’t be using.  Tazorac is not worth it.

Because of its ability to promote skin cell turnover, salicylic acid has recently joined some of the more revolutionary skin care ingredients.  Dr Anthony Gaspari of the University of Maryland used this revolutionary ingredient to partially cure a man dubbed the “treeman.”  The “treeman” or Dede, as he is known by his family, is a man born in Indonesia, afflicted by strange growths all over his body, which inhibited him from completing basic daily tasks.  It was eventually discovered that Dede suffered from the Human Papilloma Virus and an abnormal immune system, which allowed it to develop bark-like growths.  Though multiple experimental treatments were used, daily use of a concentrated salicylic acid cream caused 40% of the wart growth to simply peel off.

Dede’s case is of course extreme and highly rare.  But, as many producers of skin and acne treatments know, salicylic acid can be used to treat a myriad of milder skin conditions such as acne vulgaris, without a problem.  As proven by many cases big and small, salicylic acid is a revolutionary ingredient capable, in the right concentrations, of ridding you of problem acne, possibly scars, and other unsightly skin conditions without many of the negative side effects associated with ingredients like retinol.

1. Philip A. Mackowiak (2000). “Brief History of Antipyretic Therapy”. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 31: 154-156.doi:10.1086/317510.

2. Campos, Nick. Tree Man. Optimal Health: Health News And Information With A Twist. http://6keysoptimalhealth.blogspot.com/2008/08/tree-man.html