Does Benzoyl Peroxide work?

Barny1979

I've always had spots, I'm 33 and though it's not acne, I always seem to have at least 2 or 3 spots on my face. I've used clearasil, tea tree oil, other branded face washes. I change my pillow cases regularly as unfortunately I drool in my sleep, attractive I know?!

So looking at alternatives I've not tried and people seem to be recommending a face wash with 10% Benzoyl Peroxide. Has anyone else used this and seen the benefits?

msavjd

Benzoyl Peroxide is one of the most frequently used acne treatment medications. It is the active ingredient in countless over-the-counter products, such as Clearasil and ProActiv, and is found in many prescription acne medications as well. One of the first proven treatments for acne, it has been used for decades and is still one of the most popular and successful treatments for acne.
Benzoyl peroxide is generally an inexpensive treatment, and the generic products work just like the name brands do. Benzoyl peroxide is often the first treatment choice for those suffering from mild to moderate acne.


it cures acne, seems unable to remove spots

heartbreak_star

Have you ever thought that you might be trying to hard to get rid of them? It can happen with hair too, the more you strip the oil out the more is produced.

Try cutting out the spot treatments for a few days, and use a good but simple moisturiser?

Have you spoken to your doc?

HBS x

cherylsurrey

I use benzol peroxide to keep my skin clear in the form of a cream I get from my local chemist, it's not a face wash I put it on before moisturising, a good place to get tips on how to use it www.acne.org. I follow the regime on there and my skin is now clear.

Barny1979

cherylsurrey wrote: »

I use benzol peroxide to keep my skin clear in the form of a cream I get from my local chemist, it's not a face wash I put it on before moisturising, a good place to get tips on how to use it www.acne.org. I follow the regime on there and my skin is now clear.

Which of the products do you use?

timbo58

I find using witch hazel one week alternated with tea tree oil the next works for me.
I've found that a straight iodine cream also works well but it is very orange in appearance: not good for the face, although overnight would be ok but it'll stain the bedlinen.
(I use Betadine, most pharmacies have it in Greece/Italy on the shelf but you might need to ask at the counter here).



Might be also worth making sure you're drinking enough water and have enough vitamins in your diet?
Sounds silly I know: but it often works!

System

I think this is the active ingredient in a product called Oxy10. I used it many years ago as a teenager and I recall the product was quite harsh and had a drying effect on the skin.

Nikkisun

heartbreak_star wrote: »

Have you ever thought that you might be trying to hard to get rid of them? It can happen with hair too, the more you strip the oil out the more is produced.

Try cutting out the spot treatments for a few days, and use a good but simple moisturiser?

Have you spoken to your doc?

HBS x

I have to agree with this - have suffered since I was a teenager with spots (am now in my early 40's) and have used every spot treatment going but none of them work.

I was always told spots were caused by having oily skin and that Benzoyl Peroxide will dry your skin out.

Turns out that my spots are actually caused by dry skin!! I now use baby oil to clean my make-up off, massage it into my skin and then after a few minutes wipe it off with a tea-tree cleanser then moisturise - my skin is the clearest it has ever been.

If I do get a break out then a quick dab of sudocreme soon sorts them out - it seems the secret for me was to apply more moisture not take away what was already there!

heartbreak_star

Have a quick look at this thread too

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4138145

All about skincare!

HBS x

Barny1979

I only wash my face in the morning and evening, with a face wash, I wouldn't say that's excessive!

teaandcakeordeath

Barny1979 wrote: »

Which of the products do you use?

Hi Barny. Like Cheryl I use the acne.org regime but I haven't bought any of the products from the website. I do the following regimen http://www.acne.org/regimen.html with these products:

Morning & night:
Cetaphil face wash (it's like a cream cleanser that you can use with water or with cotton wool- about £10.00 from boots and lasts forever http://www.boots.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/EndecaSearchListerView?storeId=10052&langId=-1&catalogId=11051&stReq=1&searchTerm=cetaphil&newDepSearch=&x=0&y=0#container )
Benzoyl peroxide 2.5% (you can buy this over the counter from a chemist in the UK- don't bother with 'clearasil etc. as they're more expensive, contain fragrance and you get less product- from the chemist it should cost no more than £4.00)
Cetaphil moisturiser- again about £10.00, lasts ages, isn't massively greasy and helps to prevent the dryness from the benzoyl peroxide.

I do this morning and night and I'm now far less prone to the spots I used to suffer with on my chin and cheeks. (probably about 5-10 spots per months instead of per week).

In my experience (as someone who ramped up to 10% benzoyl peroxide straight away...) less is more effective- 10% is pretty harsh (and bleaching too)- it made my skin very red, cracked and dry whereas I've never had that from the 2.5%. I'd avoid anything like clearasil and just go for gentle- slightly acidic based cleansers as they match your skin and don't strip it (forcing it to produce more oil and more spots...)

Hope that helps!