How to Get Rid of Acne with Benzoyl Peroxide
Get Rid of Your Acne For Good with Benzoyl Peroxide
There’s absolutely no question that Benzoyl Peroxide is by far the most popular and frequently used acne medication. Most off-the-shelf acne treatments contain Benzoyl Peroxide as the main active ingredient. Benzoyl Peroxide has been around for decades and was one of the first medications proven to work against acne. If you suffer from mild to medium acne, you should probably consider Benzoyl peroxide as your first “medicated” choice to treat your problem with.
How Benzoyl Peroxide Works To Treat Acne
Bacteria are the cause of acne breakouts, specifically the Propionibacteria acnes (also called P. acnes) variety. This type of bacteria thrives in an anaerobic atmosphere (they can’t live where there’s lots of oxygen). Benzoyl Peroxide works because it introduces oxygen into the skin pores, which causes the P. acnes bacteria to die. The less P. acnes on your face, the less acne breakouts you will have.
Benzoyl Peroxide does more than just kill the acne-causing bacteria, however. It actively helps remove excess dead skin cells from the hair follicle, reducing pore blockage. If the pores are clear, comedones (blackheads) don’t develop inside the pores. Thus, Benzoyl Peroxide actively helps to prevent acne breakouts in addition to treating the breakouts. After acne is cleared up, you may still have to continue to take Benzoyl peroxide, as the acne-causing bacteria will return after discontinuing the treatment.
How to Use Benzoyl Peroxide to Treat Acne
If you suffer from mild acne, Benzoyl Peroxide makes is an effective form of treatment. You should always start off with the lowest strength (2.5%) than gradually move up (allow 2 weeks between movements) to higher dosages if you don’t see improvements. The higher the percentage of Benzoyl Peroxide medication, the more irritation to your skin will occur.
The more common treatment strategies usually involve a layer of Benzoyl Peroxide cream to be applied over all the affected areas once or twice a day. Note that you should not use it as a spot treatment since it helps to prevent the breakouts before they even start.
Possible Benzoyl Peroxide Side Effects
Benzoyl Peroxide has some side effects you should be aware of. Benzoyl Peroxide often irritates the skin, causing mild stinging and flaking. These symptoms should disappear with a couple weeks. You can apply non-comedogenic moisturizer to counter the effects of your skin’s drying. Not that if swelling and sever irritation occur, you should stop treatment immediately and consult a doctor.
If you stop Benzoyl Peroxide treatments, you could see worse acne breakouts than before you started the treatment. As an alternative to Benzoyl Peroxide treatments for mild acne, you can try Tea Tree oil, which has been proven to be almost as effective as 5% BP without all the associated side affects. Note that you can go up to 10% Benzoyl Peroxide of more sever acne, or if 5% is not effective – you may have to consult a doctor for a prescription, however.
Benzoyl Peroxide is a cheap and readily available acne medication. It’s often people’s first choice to treat their skin problems – and with good reason. With the proper use and application of Benzoyl peroxide, you can effectively get rid of acne.
Acne Home Remedies, Acne Prevention, Acne Treatments, Adult Acne
