You've been recommended to use a product that has an ingredient called benzoyl peroxide in it.
Benzoyl peroxide has been around for a long time and it's very useful for not only acne,
but also a number of other treatments.
So we're going to talk about how to use benzoyl peroxide
and what some of the side effects are so that you can get the desired outcome.
Now benzoyl peroxide whether you're using it as a wash or a cream
will bleach anything it comes in contact with.
So, if you're using it as a wash
please make sure that you rinse it off completely, and then you pat dry with a white towel.
And if you're using it as a leave-on cream,
whether it's strictly benzoyl peroxide or whether it's benzoyl peroxide combined with another medication,
you'll probably want to use these at night right before you get to bed,
and then make sure you have a white pillowcase, and white sheets, and when you wash it off gently in the morning,
you'll pat dry with a white towel.
Please don't have designer sheets with all sorts of colors on them because you will ruin them. Now some companies
actually make sheets that won't stain from benzoyl peroxide, so you can look for those too if it's really necessary that you have
colored sheets. Please be sure that if you're using a leave-on creme
that you wash it off completely before you put on your good clothes, because if you
have some area that you put the benzoyl peroxide on, close to a collared shirt
let's say, and it rubs up against it or you sweat, and it drips down onto it, you'll ruin your shirts.
Now sometimes benzoyl peroxide can be irritating, and if it is irritating to you, there's some tricks that you can apply.
One is you can put a moisturizer on first, and then put the benzoyl peroxide
cream on top of it if you're using a cream version. Please make sure that the moisturizers that you use though
do not cause acne.
If you're using a wash, then please be very gentle when you're putting it on. You don't need to rub and scrub,
you don't need loofahs, you don't need Clarisonics, you don't need any sort of tool that
manually exfoliate your skin. Just put on with your hands, let it sit for 10 or 20 seconds, rinse it off and pat dry.
If you're getting irritated, maybe instead of leaving that wash on for 10 to 20 seconds,
maybe only leave it on for 5 seconds, then rinse, and then pat dry. If you're still getting irritated with
that short amount of time or with putting a moisturizer on first before the cream, then maybe benzoyl peroxide is not right for you.
Now with all
medications, if you start having severe side effects or symptoms, things just aren't looking right, stop it. And with all
medications, if you're pregnant or breastfeeding,
please contact your local healthcare provider to make sure it's okay for you to continue using them. And I would recommend for all of these
medications that you read the package insert
before you take the medication.
You need to know what the risks and side effects are
for these
medications, and the best way for you to do that is to read the package insert and then to ask your local
healthcare provider if there's any questions that you have
before you start taking the medication.
If you can't find these package inserts online, then you can look at it when you get the prescription.
But I like to look at things before I get the actual product.
I like to ask my questions before I actually am paying for it,
to make sure it's right for me, and I would suggest you doing the same for you.
Now with all medications,
make sure you're using it appropriately. Don't use this much medication, when we're only asking you to use this much medication.
As always we thank you for allowing us to help you become comfortable in your skin.