Which Over the Counter Acne Treatment to Take? Read This Before Beginning Any
You’re probably wondering which over the counter acne treatment is the one for you. And to find out which acne treatment to use, you need to know which active ingredients are in the most common products and what these substances do to your skin.
Benzoyl peroxide is a common ingredient that works as a peeling agent; it’s also a mild bleach and can accidentally bleach your clothes. So how does it help your skin? It increases skin cell turnover, which clears your pores, and is also an antibacterial agent.
Over the counter acne creams or gels that have benzoyl peroxide in them are usually 2.5%; although 5-10% benzoyl peroxide creams are also available. But 2.5% is better tolerated and treatments with 5-10% have not been seen to be more effective. So If you want to start using benzoyl peroxide, it’s a good idea to start with a 2.5% cream.
With benzoyl peroxide you will experience skin dryness at first, maybe some skin irritation, although you will develop tolerance to it in seven days or so. After getting used to the current dose, increasing the quantity or concentration slowly to obtain tolerance at a higher dose may help improve your skin more rapidly. Do not overdo it by applying too much or too often in one day, as this causes excessive dryness and inflammation.
In its natural state, salicylic acid functions as a plant hormone; it is a phytohormone, to be more specific. You can find it naturally in white willow bark, but when it is commercially prepared, it is biosynthesized from an amino acid called phenylalanine. As a phytohormone, salicylic acid helps to alert other cells when some cells are under bacterial attack. It can even help a plant signal other plants around it when it is in danger.
Skin cells turnover at a certain rate; applying salicylic acid to skin cause this cell turnover to speed up. New skin cells appear more rapidly and this prevents pores from becoming clogged with oil, sebum, and dead cells. Even though it is found in many over the counter acne treatments, many may not know that oral salicylic acid is used everyday as aspirin.
Make sure to get part 2 of this article on over the counter acne treatments at Dr. M’s blog or site.