January 10th, 2010How to Use Benzoyl Peroxide and How it Helps Your Skin
Author: Ryan Y
Source: ezinearticles.com
So undoubtedly you’ve heard of benzoyl peroxide and that it can cure acne and all sorts of things. So I’m going to give an overview and pertinent information about BP.
BP is obviously a member of the peroxide family of chemicals. Peroxides have neat effects like bleaching clothing, creating polyester fabrics, and whitening teeth. The main thing however that this article will focus on is BP’s acne fighting properties. Since BP is a peroxide, it has strong antiseptic abilities. It kills bacteria extremely effectively. BP is sold in topical creams, gels, face masks and bars varying in percentage range up to ten percent. An important fact to note is that there has been no clinical statistics to indicate that >5% concentration of BP has any effect on acne.
Benzoyl Peroxide works two ways against acne. Firstly, because of its strong antiseptic ability, it keeps bacteria to a minimum. This is of course good because it cuts down on infected comodones. The second helpful property of BP is in how it affects the skin. First-time users will notice that it has a severe drying effect on the skin. After a week or more of use the user will notice that there has been some skin peeling. This is known as the hardening effect of BP and is well documented.
The good part of this “hardening” is that your skin begins to shed its outside layers, so its basically exfoliating. Hardening is just your skin getting used to the benzoyl peroxide. After a few weeks users should notice the peeling and dryness will be cut down significantly from the beginning stages, although it shouldn’t go away completely. A good moisturizer will help immensely with the peeling and dryness. Something non-comedogenic (my personal favorite is Cetaphil) is what you need to keep your skin moisturized without clogging your pores. Also it is wise to invest in a non-comedogenic sunscreen to help your skin and cut down on sun damage while its under the effects of benzoyl peroxide. It is also important to remember that like most acne treatment products, your skin will almost certainly get worse before it gets better. Results are not immediate and you might not see results until after a few weeks.
A beginner user should start with a once-a-day application of BP. Once the irritation and peeling calm down the user can move up to twice a day if warranted. However, benzoyl peroxide is not a more-is-better product. More than twice a day and maybe even twice a day for some users will be too much. Excessive benzoyl peroxide use can cause extremely dry and irritated skin and can also lead to light chemical burning. A simple application process is to put a small amount on in the morning followed with moisturizer and sunscreen, and a small amount at night followed by moisturizer.
Benzoyl peroxide is a great and easy to use tool for fighting acne. Its simple in that you don’t need a prescription to get it and that it also works to some degree for nearly everybody. BP should be on every acne sufferer’s list of things to try to help clear their skin.
For more information about fighting acne and keeping your skin clear and healthy go to http://www.skinclearingremedy.com