How can acne be treated?

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Acne can be treated in different ways. The main thing to remember is that it will take about two months of any treatment before your skin starts to look better.

Benzoyl peroxide (in different strengths) clears up acne for many people. You can get benzoyl peroxide without a prescription. It comes in a cream, lotion, gel, soap or in pads. You spread it over the whole area where you have acne (not just dabbing it onto each blemish). Your doctor may tell you to use it once a day at first and then work you up to two times a day. If you start using benzoyl peroxide, begin with a lower strength. Use it once a day at bedtime. Before using it, gently wash the skin with soap and water. If benzoyl peroxide doesn't seem to help after two months or is very irritating to your skin, get advice from your doctor. Benzoyl peroxides can bleach your clothes, so be careful.

Antibiotics can be very good for acne. They can be taken by mouth, or used in a lotion, cream, or gel on the skin. Again, be sure to apply the lotion, cream or gel over the whole area where you have acne. Often doctors start with these but if they don't work, you may have to take the antibiotic as a pill over months.

Tretinoin (some examples are Retin-A, Stieva-A) can be a very good treatment for acne. It is often rubbed onto the skin once a day. Be sure not to get it near the eyes, mouth and area under the nose. It may seem at first that tretinoin is making your acne worse. Give it several weeks to start working. If you use tretinoin, you must avoid the sun or use a strong sunscreen. Tretinoin increases your risk of getting a very bad sunburn. Some come with sunscreen added to them. Pills are used to treat severe acne. Many creams/gels contain a combination of acne treatments such as vitamin A and an antibiotic.

Isotretinoin (Accutane) may be needed to treat severe acne. Accutane comes as a cream and may help less severe acne. It is best in treating cystic acne and to prevent scars. It is taken once a day by mouth for 15 to 20 weeks. Isotretinoin can cause serious side effects. It causes serious birth defects and miscarriages. It should never be taken during pregnancy or even one month before pregnancy. All women must use birth control while you take isotretinoin, as well as one month before and one month after you start taking it.

Talk to your doctor and follow directions carefully if he or she prescribes isotretinoin for you.

Benzoyl Peroxide in Acne

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With various forms of acne striking teens as well as adults, benzoyl peroxide is one of the most common treatments for acne. Many of the products on the market today contain benzoyl peroxide including popular lotions, soaps, gels and creams. Most of these acne treatments are sold over the counter under such manufacturer names as Neutrogena Acne, Benoxyl, Clear by Design, PanOxyl, Clean & Clear, Clearasil and Oxy.

Benzoyl peroxide works by killing the bacteria that frequently causes acne infection; known as P. acnes. While this bacteria is present in almost everyone, it begins to create a problem and leads to the presence of acne when the sebaceous glands become clogged with sebum. Redness, pain and swelling result from the infection. As the medication kills the bacteria, the excess sebum dries which may lead to some of the more frequent side effects noted for this acne treatment.

As a peeling agent, one of the most common side effects of benzoyl peroxide for acne treatment is the fact that it tends to irritate the skin. Depending on the user, this irritation can range from slight to more severe. Individuals who possess very sensitive skin are cautioned to use the medicine less often or user a weaker strength of the medication. In some cases in which the medication causes the skin to become overly reddened or even peel, it may be necessary to consult a physician. Benzoyl peroxide can also cause the following conditions:

• Blistering, crusting or swelling of the skin
• Severe burning or redness of the skin
• Skin rash
• Darkening or lightening of the skin
• Discoloration of hair as well as fabrics

Many manufacturers recommend continual use of benzoyl peroxide for optimal acne treatment results, leading to the question of whether there might be any long term effects related to the use of this product. Due to the fact that benzoyl peroxide generates free radicals, there has been concern expressed that long term use of this acne treatment could lead to the development of skin cancer later in life. At the current time, there are no studies to indicate this; however it remains a theoretical concern.

Women who are pregnant are cautioned to consult their physician prior to using any acne treatment that contains benzoyl peroxide due to the fact that the effects of benzoyl peroxide on a developing fetus remain unknown.

Benzoyl peroxide does tend to cause skin irritation, especially in sensitive skin, so individuals with such conditions as eczema or sunburned skin are also cautioned not to use it.

In a clinical study performed by the Department of Dermatology at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor; a combination gel acne treatment containing benzoyl peroxide was tested in more than 1250 patients with moderate to moderately severe acne vulgaris. The combination gel contained a 5% benzoyl peroxide solution. The most common side effect noted was dry skin with some isolated incidences of localized skin irritation.

How to start treatment with Benzoyl Peroxide?

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Benzoyl peroxide makes an effective treatment for mild to moderate acne. Start with a lotion or gel in a 2.5% strength. Higher percentages are available but may irritate the skin. Start with a lower strength to allow your skin to become acclimated to the benzoyl peroxide treatments. Move up to a higher strength if results are not seen after several weeks.

Most common treatment methods call for a thin layer of benzoyl peroxide lotion to be applied over a thoroughly cleansed and dried skin. It can be used once or twice daily. Apply thoroughly over all areas affected by acne. Do not use just as a spot treatment. Benzoyl peroxide must be applied to all affected areas of the skin, as it works to stop pimples before they erupt.

Benzoyl peroxide may bleach hair, towels, and clothing. Take great care during and after application to avoid letting it come in contact with any of these materials. You may want to wear an old shirt if benzoyl peroxide is applied to the back or body. Let the lotion dry thoroughly after your nightly skin care treatments before getting into bed at night, to avoid bleaching your pillowcase.

How Benzoyl Peroxide works?

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Benzoyl peroxide works by destroying P. acnes, the bacteria that causes the condition acne. It acts as an antiseptic and oxidizing agent, reducing the number of comedones, or blocked pores. It may be 2–3 weeks before you begin to see improvement.
One of the most commonly used ingredients, Benzoyl Peroxide can be very effective in treating mild cases of non-inflammatory acne. It’s safe for children as well as adults, and may combined with other topical or oral treatments.

While benzoyl peroxide kills existing P. acnes, it does not increase your body’s natural resistance to bacteria. So even when your breakouts begin to disappear, you should keep treating acne-prone areas. Why? This course of acne treatment kills bacteria, but it does not affect sebum production or the rate at which you shed your dead skin cells. If you stop using it, the bacteria — and your acne — will return.

Propionibacteria acnes, are the bacteria responsible for acne breakouts. They cannot live in an aerobic (oxygen-rich) environment. Benzoyl peroxide works by introducing oxygen into the pore, thereby killing P. acnes. When the bacteria population is reduced, the number of breakouts on the skin is reduced as well.

Another factor that makes benzoyl peroxide so effective is its ability to help rid the follicle of excess dead skin cells. Clearing the pore of cellular debris will lessen the chance of pore blockages, or comedones. Because of this, benzoyl peroxide helps prevent breakouts before they start.
The use of benzoyl peroxide often must be continued, even after acne clears up. Once treatments are stopped, bacterium populations can increase and acne may return. Your dermatologist can help you determine how long to continue your benzoyl peroxide treatments.

Benzoyl Peroxide in the top 5 treatments for mild acne

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Benzoyl Peroxide is one of the top five recommended treatments for mild acne, including whiteheads and blackheads. Acne affects most teenagers to some extent, but acne does not discriminate against age, sex or race.

While not a life threatening condition, acne can be upsetting and disfiguring. When severe, acne can lead to permanent scarring.

Even less severe cases can lead to scarring. While acne is not curable, it is 100% treatable with Benzoyl Peroxide.



The properties of benzoyl peroxide make it extremely useful in the treatment of mild to moderate acne. The anti-inflammatory properties will reduce swelling in infected papules and pustules, allowing a relief from the soreness that often accompanies acne outbreaks. The oxidizing factor dries out the thickened sebum or fluid within the acne and helps to alleviate the plugged pores, so that acne may heal without trauma to the area caused by popping the acne. To be most effective, one should use a benzoyl peroxide exfoliator.

Did Benzoyl Peroxide treated my acne?

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Ok, this is a quite difficult question. I found on a forum that benzoyl peroxide may be a solution in acne, so I tested it on myself last year. Since then I used more than 5 tubes of Brevoxyl 4%, which, not regularly.
It is important to apply it on a clean skin and to avoid the contact with eyes, clothes and hair (it has a bleaching effect)
Back to my acne… since I started to use twice a day Brevoxyl (Benzoyl peroxide 4%) I observed first just a huge irritation, my skin became even more red and the spots became bigger and I thought “this is the end to all my future friendships and relationships” (I was 19)
But, in a 2 – 3 weeks, my family started to say me that there is an improvement of my skin and that it started to look better. I couldn’t see these changes because I looked myself in the mirror more than 5 times a day and it is impossible to remember yourself as you was 3 weeks ago (after more than 100 looks in the bathroom mirror)
Brevoxyl at first itched and it was an unpleasant sensation, especially in the evening. And it produces and little specific smell in contact to your skin.
But, now, to answer my question in the post title – I think no, Benzoyl Peroxide didn’t treated my acne, BUT it improved my situation considerably.
And I regret I have no photos in that period (it is a little hard to put me under focus) but it was a visible difference with me between and after.