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Benzoyl Peroxide 5% advice/experiences

Just been to my doctor to ask him about some marks on my face I was worried about (thought I had skin cancer, lol) but it turns out it's actually blocked pores that have turned a bit nasty. So anyway I told him I'm not that bothered about my acne which I didn't think was that bad, but clearly he thought it was bad and he's prescribed me Benzoyl Peroxide 5% (also known as Panoxyl 5).

So what are people's personal experiences of this? I've heard it's meant to be the best acne treatment but how effective is it really? When can I expect to notice a difference? I'm surprised he gave me the 5% instead of the 2.5%, any ideas on why he did this?

Also I get spots all over my face so where should I apply the cream? Just on my spots or all over my face? I get quite bad whiteheads (I think that's what the are) on my nose. Will this cream help that as well or is the cream only for angry red spots. Will this cream block my pores making my whiteheads worse?

Also previously I've been using a clearasil antibacterial wash and then a moisturiser on my face. Can I still use this, if so when should I use this and when should I use the bezoyl peroxide? Like immediately after the soap and moisturiser or at night or what?

All things i should've asked the doc really, but like I say I never actually asked for this cream as I didn't think my problem was bad enough so it took me off guard really. I'm definitely going to give it a try though, would be nice to get rid of my spots.

Rep for anyone who can answer all my questions (not that it's worth much, about 10 I think). :smile:

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It will dry your skin up, but without being overly harsh. When you apply it, you can actually feel your skin tightening and drying.

It will take a while for the full effect, but in 3-4 weeks you should notice an improvement. :smile:
Reply 2
5% probably won't make much difference over the 2.5% according to a website I read. Your acne must be quite bad if he is recommending that for you, my acne is quite noticable but I still don't apply anything like that.
Although I am treating mine with Oxytetracycline at the moment.

Heres a good site although its not the one I found originally- http://www.acne.org/
Reply 3
been using that for about a year now

its very effective, will tackle any spot within 3-4 days. however, if you use it a lot your face can get sore when you wash it off (ie shower) as it makes your skin kind of "flakey" after washing it off (only if you use it a lot tho). Make sure you use lotion/cream after washing it off is best advice i can give.
Reply 4
superalex16

its very effective, will tackle any spot within 3-4 days.

You say that but I find my spots come and go within around that time frame anyway. I guess I've just had so many disappointments with various treatments in the past that I don't want to build my hopes up with this one. What I really want to know is can I expect a general decrease in the amount of spots that occur in the first place, rather than just the disappearance of them when they appear. And I really want to know about the whiteheads (they may be blackheads actually, not sure) on my nose, will this help that?
Reply 5
I've been using BP 5% as well now (quinoderm) for about a year even though I only really got a few spots from shaving on my chin. It is very effective, although I'd recommend a moisturiser as it does dry out your skin regardless of frequency and quantity used. Use it on a regular basis though, not just when you get an outbreak. Anyways, at the moment I normally have about 1-2 months completely spot-free skin, and occasionally will get a small outbreak; but that's all.
Reply 6
The trouble with BP is that it causes dryness, which is a way to get rid of black heads, but if done alot tbh effects the skin making it very sensative to light and temperature etc....

so, if you have dry skin, or sensative skin, I would advise you not to use it, as like it ended up doing for me, for a little while it will cause your cheeks to go red at the slightest of things..... which can be quite embarising, probably just as bad as acne lol.

If your skin isnt really very dry and sencative then give it a go, but still watch itPut it all over your face, not just on them, and you normally see a big improvement in the frequency of spots with in a week or two... Its good to use a face wash too, but again get one that isnt going to dry out your skin, some thing like Quinoderm antibacterial face wash pwns.

Also drink lots of water :biggrin: helps make toxins flow through your body easier so, should help reduce new spots....
Reply 7
I had the same experience as you joe i wasn't bothered about acne but my doctor gave me bp anyway. I do a lot of sport and when i sweated i found it went onto my eyelids and it felt as if they were burning. It did not stop after i stopped sweating and even after washing my face the burning sensation continued. I stopped using it and the burning went away. So beware if you do sports prob best to apply in very small hands.
Reply 8
Another thing - its very common for people to be allergic to BP - I was. If it doesn't work, something like retinol or arithromycin might work.
I started using 2.5, but towards the end of the tube it was uneffective. So i got 5% and its fine. It dries your skin up a bit, so dont put it on bits that have no spots or you might end up with a nasty mark, but it soon goes.
Reply 10
Ok thanks everyone. I don't think dryness will be too much of a problem for me as I usually have fairly greasy skin anyway, and I plan on moisturising too.

So it says on the label to apply once a day, is that worth following or will I get any benefit from using it more often, should i reapply it if I wash my face / take a shower or something?
i wash my face with normal soap then moisterise and apply 5% whatsit every night to spots. works for me, i used to be on antibiotics but came off them and carried on using the cream. dont use it in the day time though just at night before bed cos it makes your skin a little red when its on (when its wased off its fine though dont worry)
love LexXx
i got some.. beware of it cos it bleaches your eyebrows, and I had red and brown eyebrows for a bit!! It looked weird!
It does work I think.. but i lost mine, and my spots are back.. but i found it again today so im reusing it
Reply 13
i think once a day, to start of with, it will be quite a shock to your skin, so give it some time....

best to start that by doing it before you go to bed, so it can be on for a good few hours.

also, due to it being so strong, it has the tendancy to bletch some fabrics, so, be carefull when washing it of and drying your face with your mums favourite towel :eek: also pillow cases, and hopefully by using it at night you will stop it damaging your clothes :\

but yeah, ones a day should be ok to start of with :yy:
Reply 14
hi guys wat moisturiser do you all use ? emmy xx
Reply 15
panoxyl 5 is amazing been using it for 6yrs and no spots since.

to prevent dry skin i mix it with simple moisturiser. there is also a pan oxy gel 10%
Reply 16
Panoxyl 5% did sweet **** all for me. Oh well.
I used Oxy 5 (which is 5% benzyl peroxide) for some spots on my back a while ago and it worked brilliantly, they're all gone. :smile:

It will bleach clothes as well as hair! I ruined several tops before I realised what was causing it. :mad:
Reply 18
I used it once because i had a few spots, far from acne though. I used the 2.5% one though. It got rid of the few spots but omg i thought i was having a chemical peel but i guess its worth it.
I tried it for a while, all that happened was my skin went red and peeled, despite moisturising :frown: was not too impressed with that :rolleyes: