Thoroughly rinse off benzoyl peroxide cleansers. Let benzoyl peroxide creams and lotions dry completely before dressing, or lying on your pillow at night. And always wash your hands well after using any benzoyl peroxide treatment. If you have dark hair, you'll also want to keep benzoyl peroxide away from your hairline.
You should not wash the areas of the skin treated with benzoyl peroxide for at least 1 hour after application.
If you're new to benzoyl peroxide, start with once a day only. Gradually work your way up to morning and night applications. If you use a retinoid or retinol product at night, apply benzoyl peroxide only in the mornings. This will prevent irritation and other side effects.
Leave it on for a minute or so before you rinse it off. Then dry the area gently with a towel. As you apply benzoyl peroxide, try to avoid getting it on the sensitive areas of your skin in or around your nostrils, your eyes and your mouth. Do not apply it to any areas of skin which are irritated or sore.
Benzoyl peroxide is a bleaching agent that kills microbes and dries up oil in the follicle. Similar to benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil and sulfur also work by drying up the pimple. "Using these products can make the pimple look smaller in the morning, " explains Dr. Patel.
You can leave BENZOYL PEROXIDE overnight on the skin if you are using cream/gel/lotion formulations. However, if any irritation occurs, please stop usage and consult your doctor.
During the first 3 weeks you are using benzoyl peroxide, your skin may become irritated. Also, your acne may seem to get worse before it gets better. If your skin problem has not improved within 4 to 6 weeks, check with your doctor.
Allow the treatment to soak in for several minutes. If the medication is still visible after 30 minutes, you can gently wipe off the excess with a damp cloth (if desired). Apply sunscreen before going out in the sun.
If your using a gel, cream, or lotion, apply it to the face for around 150 minutes. Rinse and pat dry with a soft towel. Eventually, you can increase the time and keep it on for a few hours for better results.
There are treatment options available that might speed the healing of your pimple. Salicylic acid, sulfur, and benzoyl peroxide are the active ingredients in many of these products. The Mayo Clinic recommends starting with a product that has a low concentration of benzoyl peroxide as its active ingredient.
Benzoyl peroxide 5% gel or wash takes around 4 weeks to start working. It can take 2 to 4 months to have full effect.
Before applying this medicine, wash the affected area of your skin with warm water and a mild soap. Rinse well and pat dry. Apply a small amount of the medicine to each affected area of the skin (eg, forehead, chin, cheeks, chest, shoulders), and gently rub it in.
Benzoyl Peroxide is commonly reported to cause skin dryness and sensitive skin can become red and irritated.
If you use a product containing benzoyl peroxide, it is best to wait until this product has been fully absorbed before applying a serum and/or moisturiser. Benzoyl peroxide works best when it has the chance to absorb into the skin first. This only takes a few seconds.
Skin products containing a large amount of alcohol, such as astringents, shaving creams, or after-shave lotions; or. Skin products that are too drying or abrasive, such as some cosmetics, soaps, or skin cleansers.
It is possible to shrink a cystic pimple with some basic home care. This includes keeping the area clean, applying ice, and using benzoyl peroxide. However, numerous cystic pimples or recurring breakouts may require help from a dermatologist.
“10 per cent strengths of benzoyl peroxide are often considered too irritating and might have side effects such as dry, flaky skin and possibly more breakouts. I recommend starting with a 2.5 per cent concentration applied twice daily and waiting a few weeks to see how your acne responds.”
Wash your hands after applying this product. Benzoyl peroxide may bleach hair or fabrics. Use carefully, and avoid contact with hair, clothing, and furnishings. If using cleansers containing benzoyl peroxide, wet the affected area.
Around eight to 10 weeks after you start using benzoyl peroxide to treat acne, your skin should be much clearer (though you'll still get a pimple or two now and then). If the treatment did not work as well as you wanted, see a dermatologist. A prescription acne treatment might work better.
It's tempting, but popping or squeezing a pimple won't necessarily get rid of the problem. Squeezing can push bacteria and pus deeper into the skin, which might cause more swelling and redness. Squeezing also can lead to scabs and might leave you with permanent pits or scars.
Basically, what happens if you don't pop a whitehead is that it goes away on its own, usually in 3 to 7 days. It may happen that you wake up one morning and notice the pimple is gone. Or you may notice the pimple draining.
Clean up. After you've popped the pimple, wash your face and hands a second time with antibacterial soap, and then apply a small amount of alcohol to the remains of the blemish—this will help keep bacteria from repopulating it.
You can cause a blood-filled pimple by damaging blood vessels around an existing pimple. This often happens when you pop, squeeze, pick or over-exfoliate a pimple. Blood-filled pimples usually heal on their own if you prevent further damage and keep the area clean.