Comparison between Tazarotene 0.05% gel and Adapelene 0.1% gel in acne patients

Background: Acne is an extremely common skin condition, which has a major social and psychological impact on young patients. Retinoids have been a mainstay of anti-acne therapy. Older generation agents are slowly replaced by newer generation ones like tazarotene and adapalene as they exhibit lower toxicologic risk and less side effects and they effectively reduce the comedones and inflammatory lesions. This study throws light on effectiveness of topical Adapalene gel- 0.1% and Tazarotene gel-0.05% in order to find out a suitable option with lesser side effects for acne patients. Methods: : After clearance from the institutional ethics committee, acne patients aged >12-35 years at the outpatient area of the Dermatology department, AVBRH, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Sawangi, Wardha, were enrolled in the study. Patients will be randomly assigned in two groups wherein group A will be prescribed Tazarotene-0.05% gel and group B prescribed Adapalene-0.1% gel along with Tab Azithromycin-500mg thrice weekly for 12 weeks for both groups. Patients will be clinically assessed on every 4th, 8th and 12th week. Global acne score system will be applied at enrolment and at each subsequent follow-up for evaluation.