Quitting Benzoyl Peroxide

[juliaisawesome]

I've been using my same skin care routine for 7 years. Part of the routine is 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide which has been terribly drying on my skin causing me to way over produce oil while still having dry patches. I've tried to quit before and start using higher quality products but once I stop using the Benzoyl I can never get my acne under control with other products it seems. What works for you guys? I'm trying to rehydrate my skin but also get clogged pores easily. Majority of my acne is hormonal on my chin. I feel stuck in the cycle of abuse with Benzoyl but don't want to be a pizza face. Help!

[charlottejm]

I quit cold turkey in December and the results were pretty catastrophic, so I’ve been using as a spot treatment since then and that’s been really helping. I’ve also been doing contact therapy with BP once a week. You have to have a chemical exfoliant to fall back on. I’ve been using an azaelic/salacylic acid blend 2x a week and I think I’m going to move to Marie Veronique Intensive Repair Serum because I don’t love the one I’m on. The way I see it, the only way out is through unfortunately. Since I had the massive breakout, my skin has been better. With my friend who quit cold turkey it took her 5 months to get back on track 😞 

[bakeamuffin]

I wonder if a Salicylic acid cleanser would agree with you, @juliaisawesome. SA is also drying, but in a cleanser form it can be more tolerable, and still has enough time to get into the pores to break up the skin cells and sebum. To counteract any drying effects make sure you apply your moisturizer while your face is still damp, instead of towel drying, this will help to seal in the moisture and will help prevent trans epidermal water loss.

If you're using SA, avoid other exfoliating products in the same routine, ie. AHA, BHA, Retinol.

[TrysBeautyItems]

@juliaisawesome Ease off usage, rather than just stopping cold. You can lessen the dryness with BP, don't apply when the skin is wet, moisture allows products to enter the skin faster and irritation likely. After its dry, apply moisturizer. Use less often as well, daily might be overkill, every other to a few times a week is ok. If you're using 2xday, use once. 

There are more options via the dermatologist route for hormonal acne, than otc. Have you seen a derm?

[skcfan]

@juliaisawesome What really helped me was the combo of retinoids and lactic acid. I used retin-a, but there are a lot of good retinoid options. For lactic acid I like Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Serum For Dark Spots And Uneven Texture 1.7 oz / 50 m...

I would start with just one of them at first, and wait at least a few weeks for your skin to get used to the product before adding the other.

Its also very very important to wear sunscreen everyday, especially when using products with lactic acid as they make your skin more sensitive to the sun.