When it comes to your anti-ageing wellness, nothing is more important than taking care of your skin. If you suffer from acne, you might be taking using benzoyl peroxide, but you may be doing more harm than good to your wellbeing. There are a lot of benefits to the medication, but you can’t ignore the negative impact that it might have, especially where your skin is involved. The important thing to remember is to use the benzoyl peroxide as your doctor or the packaging describes, and to steer clear of it altogether if you’re pregnant or taking some other kind of medication that contains tretinoin. You also need to watch out for the side effects, and consult your doctor if any of the following occurs:
1. Dry skin: This is one of the most common side effects of benzoyl peroxide, because the medication sucks sebum out of your skin in order to reduce oiliness and acne. You can reduce the resulting dryness in your skin with a good moisturiser, just make sure that it’s water-based and oil-free.
2. Burning: This symptoms only occurs in about 2% of benzoyl peroxide users, usually because the cream contains at least 10% of the chemical, you have really sensitive skin or you’ve left it on for too long. Mild burn marks will go away by themselves, but you should let your doctor know in case this is a symptom of an allergic reaction.
3. Peeling and flaking: These kind of go hand-in-hand with dryness, and so the remedy is the same; a good, water-based moisturiser. You may be tempted to scrub your face to exfoliate your skin of flakes, but this will activate the oil-producing sebaceous glands in your skin, which will aggravate your acne. Drinking plenty of water can also help to prevent peeling, but if it gets so severe that your skin begins to crust and crack, stop using the benzoyl peroxide and consult your doctor.
4. Itching: You’re more likely to experience this symptom during the first few weeks of application of benzoyl peroxide, mainly due to a reaction with the sebum in your skin. Most people complain about itching, but a soothing moisturiser or ice should sort it out. If the itching becomes severe and accompanied by red angry rashes, consult your GP.
5. Swelling: As a less common symptom and clear indication of an allergic reaction, you should stop using the cream immediately and consult your doctor if the swelling is severe. If you don’t, you could experience dizziness, nausea and permanent damage to your skin.
6. Feeling of warmth: Often this is a sign that the benzoyl peroxide is working, so you shouldn’t worry too much if the warm feeling in the affected area goes away within a few weeks. However, if this or other symptoms persist or are aggravating with time, stop the medication and consult your doctor.
7. Tenderness: Tender skin is an early symptom, most likely brought on by other symptoms such as swelling, itching, redness and rashes. If you experience tenderness in your skin, stop using other chemical cosmetics and use a gentle moisturiser.
8. Severe allergic reactions: You should consult your doctor immediately if you experience the following symptoms, as they could be fatal if left untreated. These symptoms include swelling at the affected area, angry rashes, crusting and cracking of the skin, hives, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, swelling (in the whole face, tongue, lips and mouth), difficulty in breathing and tightness in the chest. You may be required to take prescription medication and completely stop using benzoyl peroxide.
