Avage

Avage is otherwise known as Tazarotene. It is actually commonly used for acne vulgaris and uses a type of retinoids. But some claim that it will express more skin turnover and therefore reduce wrinkles. It also uses a preservative of benzyl alcohol. There are plenty of inactives as the only active ingredient comes in a 0.1% concentration.

History of Avage

Created by Allergan, Tazarotene or Avage has been used since 1997 for psoriasis, and in 2002 a cream form was created. Multiple studies have been conducted on things like brittle nails when treated with this particular product. Since then, it has been prescribed to thousands of patients.

Benefits

Avage does increase skin cell turnover. But unfortunately, this causes quite a few problems and not a lot of results. When you increase skin cell turnover, it is a good thing if you’re trying to treat acne. But if you are trying to improve the skin in general or reduce wrinkles, you would have to replace each cell with a healthy cell. This is not achieved with retinol or for that matter Avage. They don’t have any other ingredients that could produce more impressive results.

Possible side effects

Because of the retinoids and some of the preservatives and inactive ingredients, side effects include redness, irritation, burning, itching, sensitivity to the sun, peeling, and dryness.

Conclusion

All in all, we would never recommend Avage. Though a prescription, they do not directly claim to reduce wrinkles, this is something that is implied by others. This because Allergan and the FDA know very well that retinoids do not significantly reduce wrinkles, they treat acne. It is highly specific, and they would not really deviate from those claims. Of course, considering the skin damage problems, we would not suggest it for any condition.