Does benzoyl peroxide stop working?

Benzoyl peroxide is a commonly used ingredient in acne treatment products. It works by killing bacteria that cause pimples and reducing inflammation. Many people swear by it, but there are also those who claim that benzoyl peroxide stops working for them after a while. So the question is, does benzoyl peroxide really stop working? Let’s find out!

Understanding How Benzoyl Peroxide Works

Before we dive into whether or not benzoyl peroxide stops working, let’s first understand how it works in the first place.

Benzoyl peroxide is an organic compound that contains two carbonyl groups and a benzene ring with attached hydroperoxy group (C14H10O4). The active oxygen molecule releases itself on contact with water molecules creating free radicals as hydrogen atoms attach to its new double bond where bacterial cells begin damaging cell walls which eventually leads to death of these cells 1.

As mentioned earlier, benzoyl peroxide kills bacteria and reduces inflammation in pimples. When applied to the skin, it penetrates deep into the follicle where acne bacteria reside. Once the bacteria come into contact with benzoyl peroxide, they start dying off due to oxidative stress created by free radical formation within intracellular organelles [2]. This ultimately helps prevent further breakouts.

Does Benzoyl Peroxide Stop Working Over Time?

Now let’s answer what brought us here – does benzoyl peroxide stop working over time? Similar questions could be:

1) Do we build resistance against benzoil?
2) Can microorganisms adapt towards resisting BP
3) Any reasons why simply switching brands can improve effectiveness ?[5]

The short answer – no! Even if you’ve been using it for years without any visible improvements, benzoyl peroxide doesn’t suddenly stop working. The role of BP is to destroy bacteria and help prevent acne breakouts from forming in the first place; it will not treat a breakout that has already occurred. It might have been Mr Pimple who is responsible for providing benzoyl lotion with an opportunity to act but the same can become resistent on regular usage.

However, there are various reasons why you may feel like benzoyl peroxide isn’t working anymore:

High expectations

One reason could be unrealistic or high expectations. People tend to expect quick results when they use acne treatments such as topical lotions or serums [3]. You must realize it takes weeks may be months before any improvement happens even though bacterial concentration decreases within few hours itself.

Incorrect Usage

Another common issue is that people often misuse or overuse these kinds of products leading towards irritation, redness and sometimes dry flakes appearing around applied site prompting us wrongly against persistence [4].

This causes more harm than good, slowing down the healing process rather than accelerating it.So,it’s always advisable to consult a dermatologist beforehand. They can suggest appropriate treatment options according to your skin type and condition instead of unathorised product application at home ambienct.

Use With Compatible Products

Moreover,before jumping into conclusions regarding ineffective applications do remember if we simultaneously use incompatible ingredients then our desired effectiveness gets jeopardized .[6]

For instance,a client inserted salicylic acid serum along with BP lotion leading towards major personal frustration causing disturbance in routine life.It was observed over time that combination treatment gradually set off undesirable effects.The acidic nature caused increased dehydration on surface creating gaps which leaded entry for new microbial colony.

There fore knowing what complements Benzole preoxcide therapy becomes important determination.

On whole-

We should never underestimate how sensitive our skins are.These days aware public cannot be fooled easily by Pharmaceutical advertisements. Benchmarks of research,safety,regulation standards and sustainability will never cease being paramount priorities.Benzoyl peroxide is a medicine that has been extensively researched over more than half century making it an effective off-the-counter product despite benefits beyond clinical efficacies not being completely understood.

When To Change Your Benzoyl Peroxide Treatment?

After say 12 weeks if treatment regimes based on BP contain consistent breakout outbreaks or doesn’t deliver significant improvemnt,certain factors have to be relooked in to for example fragrance,Etoh , irritatoning side effects, hormonal scenarios etc.Are there other pHs causing sensitivity? A good trial can be shifting high concentrations like ( 3% -> 5%) which helps when dealing with severe acne.

Alternatives

As a final resort, some people may choose to switch up their skin care routines entirely away from oils and milk based compounds towards water or gel vehicles [7].

There are also alternative treatments available such as tea tree oil-based products or salicylic-acid washes.Desrosiers pointed out,”there are various formulations available regarding your condition.In case anxiety persists then seeking expert advice without stigmatizing should always form the first step”

Conclusion

At the end of the day, benzoyl peroxide does not stop working unless something else interferes with its efficacy. If you’re experiencing reduced results,it might imply existence of secondary influences rather than just effectiveness while implementing primary treatment regimens. This could only mean using wrong combination therapy,personal routine considerations,hormonal changes seasonal variations besides known attributions otherwise specified.No matter what,taking precautionary measures to avoid them remains our responsibility.Gratefully investing time into finding quality acne medication matched against choosing commercial ones before obtaining guidance would translate into minimized frustration progressively healed radiant skins.

References:


  1. “Benzoyl Peroxide: What It Is and How to Use It Safely” Healthline, healthline.com/health/benzoyl-peroxide
    [2] “Benzoyl Peroxide Kills Acne Bacteria by Rapidly Generating Free Radicals” PubMed NCBI, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26853766
    [3] “5 Reasons Why Your Benzoyl Peroxide Treatment Isn’t Working” StyleCaster, stylecaster.com/beauty/acne-treatment-not-working/
    [4]: Dunford,C.J (1988) : The contact allergenic properties of benzyl peroxide. Contact Dermatitis; 19(6):447-50
    [5]”Adapting To Resistance In Microbes”, Annals Of Clinical And Laboratory Science.[online].12(2),pp.176–181.Available from JSTOR ,Accessed July 20,2021.
    [6] Ravi,M.(2019). Pharmacology(Incompatibility and unwanted reactions to pharmaceuticals )Elsevier Inc. pp125
    [7]’A comparative study between gels (water-based) and creams (oil-in-water based) in skin hydration’ Skin research technology [2013 Jul-Sep vol]; 19(3)-e397-e402.DOI:10.111115/srt09718 

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