Influence of Season on Efficacy and Tolerability of Tazarotene 0.045% Lotion for the Treatment of Acne

Jerry Tan; Zoe D Draelos; Melinda J Gooderham; Andrew F Alexis; Emmy Graber; Jonette Keri; Heather C Woolery-Lloyd; Julie C Harper; Fran E Cook-Bolden; Adarsh Konda; Emil A Tanghetti

Influence of Season on Efficacy and Tolerability of Tazarotene 0.045% Lotion for the Treatment of Acne

J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2023 Sep;16(9):42-45.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Dr. Tan is with the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University in Ontario, Canada.
² Dr. Draelos is with Dermatology Consulting Services, PLLC in High Point, North Carolina.
³ Dr. Gooderham is with Queens University in Ontario, Canada and SKiN Centre for Dermatology and Probity Medical Research in Ontario, Canada.
⁴ Drs. Alexis and Cook-Bolden are with Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, New York.
⁵ Dr. Graber is with The Dermatology Institute of Boston in Boston, Massachusetts and Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.
⁶ Drs. Keri and Woolery-Lloyd are with the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida.
⁷ Dr. Harper is with the Dermatology and Skin Care Center of Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama.
⁸ Additionally, Dr. Cook-Bolden is with Fran E. Cook-Bolden, MD, PLLC in New York, New York.
⁹ Dr. Konda is with Ortho Dermatologics, a division of Bausch Health US, LCC, in Bridgewater, New Jersey.
¹⁰ Dr. Tanghetti is with the Center for Dermatology and Laser Surgery in Sacramento, California.

PMID: 37720201
PMCID: PMC10503937

Abstract

Objective: The condition of the skin can vary due to weather fluctuations. Therefore, this post-hoc analysis evaluated efficacy and safety of tazarotene 0.045% lotion in warmer versus colder months.

Methods: In two Phase III, double-blind, 12-week studies, participants aged nine years or older with moderate-to-severe acne were randomized 1:1 to once-daily tazarotene or vehicle lotion. The pooled population (N=1,614) was stratified by randomization date (warmer=May to September; colder=October to April). Evaluations included inflammatory/noninflammatory lesion counts, treatment success, adverse events, and safety/tolerability.

Results: Tazarotene 0.045% lotion was similarly efficacious over colder and warmer months. Compared with vehicle, tazarotene demonstrated significantly greater least-squares mean absolute reductions from baseline to Week 12 in inflammatory (colder/warmer tazarotene vs. vehicle: -16.6/-15.8 vs. -13.2/-12.9) and noninflammatory lesions (-23.2/-22.6 vs. -17.5/-15.1); treatment success rates were also significantly higher (30.1/30.8% vs. 18.2/17.6%) (P<0.001, all). No strong seasonal trends in safety were observed, though tazarotene led to slightly more discontinuations (3.4% vs. 1.9%) and related adverse events (12.0% vs. 10.3%) in colder versus warmer months. Transient increases in scaling, erythema, and itching at Weeks 2 to 8 of tazarotene treatment were slightly higher in colder versus warmer months but returned to baseline/improved by Week 12.

Limitations: Geographical variation across study sites can lead to varying temperatures and humidity within the same months.

Conclusion: Tazarotene 0.045% lotion was efficacious and well tolerated for acne treatment, regardless of season. Year-round tolerability of tazarotene 0.045% lotion may be due to its lower tazarotene concentration and polymeric emulsion technology, which simultaneously delivers moisturizers/humectants/emollients to skin.

Keywords: Retinoid; acne; season; tolerability; weather.