Acne Treatment Benzoyl Peroxide

It comes in various strengths ranging from 2.5% to 10%. It is one of the most common and effective acne treatments on the market today. It generally takes about 3 weeks of continual use to see improvement and the ultimate benefit will be seen in about 8 to 12 weeks.

To learn more about two of the most popular acne treatment benzoyl peroxide programs, click on the following links: Exposed Skin Care and Zenmed Skin Care. They both work to clear the skin by penetrating the pores and removing excess sebum and debris.


ACNE TREATMENT BENZOYL PEROXIDE GUIDELINES

Although benzoyl peroxide is one of the most effective acne treatment products on the market, there is a portion of the population that will not be able to tolerate any products that contain this ingredient. Therefore, until you know if your skin is going to respond favorably or react negatively to acne treatment benzoyl peroxide, proceed slowly and with caution. The following can serve as a guide as you delve into using benzoyl peroxide.

• Cleanse the face with a water-soluble cleanser.

• Apply a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide acne treatment gel, cream or lotion to a small area at night.

• Watch what happens to your skin for two days. If there is no reaction or just a very mild irritation, then go ahead and apply the product to the acneic skin.

• If your skin does well in tolerating the treatment on an every other night basis, continue this regimen for about two weeks.

• If your skin continues to respond in a positive fashion, then you may proceed to start using the product every night.

• If at any time your skin starts reacting negatively to the benzoyl peroxide acne treatment, then you can scale back the usage and/or the strength of the product.

• Once you get your acne under control and you are acne-free for about two or three months, you can reduce the frequency of the acne treatment benzoyl peroxide to 2-3 times per week.

• If you are using a benzoyl peroxide acne treatment program in which the cleanser also contains benzoyl peroxide, you will want to take care when using this product as the peroxide content may bleach your hair and/or fabrics.

• Lastly, there is no need to feel like you have got to move up to higher strengths right away or at all, in that studies have shown those products that contain the higher concentrations aren't that much more effective than the 2.5%. The main difference is that the higher strengths tend to take a much harsher toll on the skin.

There can be side effects resulting with the use of acne treatment benzoyl peroxide. The most common are flaking and dryness of the skin, which can usually be reduced with an oil-free moisturizer.

However, some people experience more severe side effects which include not only the dry and flaky skin, but also redness, inflammation, and a burning sensation. If this occurs, you might want to use the product every other night and/or use a lower strength.

Lastly, individuals with sensitive skin or an allergy to benzoyl peroxide might have a severe reaction to this product in terms of experiencing all of the above symptoms, along with a resulting rash, peeling, and extreme burning. If this occurs, stop using it and consult a dermatologist immediately.


BENZOYL PEROXIDE ACNE TREATMENT CONCLUSION

If it does not appear that you are a candidate for this OTC medication, or you are feeling somewhat hesitant to try it, you might want to consider trying an acne treatment product that contains salicylic acid. To learn more about this ingredient and its effect on acne, visit my Salicylic Acid Acne page for more info.