What is the difference between Taxorac cream and Retin-a cream????

Thanks

Hi there Anne:

Retin-A Cream contains the drug Tretinoin = all trans Retinoic A Acid = Vitamin A acid. For your information, because I know you are aware of Roaccutane/Accutane (Isotretinoin), this is an isomer (alternative orientation) of Vitamin A acid = 13-cis Retinoic acid. Both of these drugs were commercialised by Roche.

Tazorac cream contains the drug Tazarotene. This drug was commercialised by Allergan.

The body responds to all of these drugs as super potent Vitamin A. The general term for Vitamin A analogs is 'retinoids,' so named because they were recognised as being important for vision, and are found in the retina of the eye.

From the pure drug perspective, they are of comparable potency, however the formulation has a big effect on how irritating they are to the skin. The older formulation, Retin-A gel, contains alcohol as the solvent for Tretinoin, and is quite irritating compared to the newer milder cream formulas (e.g. Retin-A Cream, Retinova/Renova Cream). The same goes for Tazorac, the cream is less irritating than the gel formula.

Side effects of topical retinoids, seen especially during the early course of treatment, include peeling, erythema (redness), dryness, burning, and itching.

Hope this is of help,

Kind regards,

Annuu

Thanks Anunu - that explains a lot. I had never heard of Tazorac cream before in NZ. I have only used retin-a cream and retinova (for some reason no longer available down here).

These work fine for me. Thanks once again for taking the time to explain the complexities of some of these treatments. Have a good day