Acne is a very common skin disease that is caused by excessive production of sebaceous oil. Although anyone can be affected by acne, it typically affects those in their teenage years and early 20s. Although acne can appear in many different forms, severe acne will often result in permanent scarring. To reduce acne scarring and help heal acne, many dermatologists are using the technology of pulsed dye lasers.

What Are Pulsed Dye Lasers?

Pulsed dye lasers emit concentrated high-energy beams of light, which target the skin’s blood vessels. As the light penetrates the skin, it converts into heat resulting in blood vessels being destroyed, without damaging healthy skin and tissue. Because the laser uses a specific light that is only absorbed by blood vessels, it is very effective at preventing healthy skin from being harmed. Pulsed dye lasers are adjustable to control the intensity of the light for optimal results.

The Results of Pulsed Dye Laser Therapy on Acne

The results of having pulsed dye laser therapy on acne are the reduction of visible acne and less redness of acne scars. Acne scars result when capillaries break during the healing process, leaving the appearance of redness. During a pulsed dye laser session, the broken capillaries are heated, causing them to coagulate and be absorbed by the body. This removes the redness caused by acne scarring. Pulsed dye laser therapy also reduces the production of sebaceous oil and kills bacteria that cause acne. It additionally helps to remove dead skin cells from the outer surface skin layer. As the dead skin cells are removed, collagen production is stimulated, resulting in healthy new outer skin.

How the Procedure of Pulsed Dye Laser Treatment Is Performed

During a treatment with pulsed dye lasers, a device that resembles a wand is moved over the surface of the skin. The wand emits a wide range of pulsed light, treating large acne areas quickly. The procedure requires no anesthesia and normally only takes from 20 minutes to an hour to perform. Discomfort is kept to a minimum as the laser wand emits a cold spray directly before the pulsed light, reducing the sensation of pain. Some patients do experience a slight stinging or pinching sensation during treatments. For maximum results, several treatments are usually required although this depends on the severity of the acne and the scars. Patients will be required to wear dark glasses during a treatment to reduce the risk of damage to the eyes from the laser light.

How to Prepare For Pulsed Dye Laser Therapy

Patients who decide to have pulsed dye laser therapy will be instructed to apply a sunscreen to their skin each day for at least a month prior to their first treatment. This is to prevent any tanning from occurring, as these treatments are ineffective on tanned skin. Furthermore, these treatments when used on tanned skin could result in the skin becoming permanently damaged.

Side Effects of Pulsed Dye Laser Therapy

Common side effects of pulsed dye laser treatments include temporary redness of skin, minor bruising and perhaps a slight amount of swelling. These side effects usually last for about 1 to 2 weeks following treatment. No scabs or scars occur from these treatments. Treatments do not require any downtime by the patient and they may return to their normal activities immediately. Following treatments, patients should use a high SPF sunscreen daily and avoid the sun as much as possible. Pulsed dye laser treatments are considered one of the safest treatments available as they are very gentle on the skin and provide exact precision in targeting only damaged blood vessels.

Studies Done On Pulsed Dye Laser Treatments

Studies that have been completed on pulsed dye laser treatments have resulted in conflicting reports, according to the American Association of Dermatology. One such study that took place in the United Kingdom consisted of 41 patients, all having acne. Of the 41 participants, 51 percent experienced a reduction in acne lesions. Another study that took place in the United States consisted of 40 participants who had acne. The study was done using the pulsed dye laser treatment on only one side of the participant’s face. Treatments were continued for 12 weeks. Following treatment, researchers found no improvement in the treated side when compared to the untreated side. A third study was performed by the Yale University School of Medicine. The study consisted of 14 participants with mild to moderately severe acne and acne scars. This study found that after using one treatment that combined pulsed dye laser treatments with the topical medication, 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), treatments were effective on all participants with a visible reduction in acne as well as scarring. The conclusion of this study reported that patients with inflammatory facial acne who were treated a single time using pulsed dye laser therapy, experienced an improvement, which was apparent 12 weeks following the treatment. No serious side effects were reported. Because this form of acne treatment is new, it is still regarded as an experimental treatment for acne.

Costs of Pulse Dye Laser Treatments

The typically cost of a pulse dye laser therapy session that consist of treating one small area cost about $100 according to a California dermatologist. To treat a larger area such as the face, neck and the chest, the cost can be thousands of dollars.

Summary / Conclusion

According to the latest research reports on pulsed dye laser treatments for acne, treatments are effective when combined with ALA topical medication. These treatments have shown to be effective at reducing scarring that resulted from acne. Additionally, the John Hopkins Cosmetic Centers deems pulsed dye laser therapy as the best treatment available today for the treatment of acne scars.

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For the past 4 days, I’ve begun a new face cleaning regimen using a gel cleanser with 4% glycolic acid, a toner with 8% glycolic acid, my prescribed Dalacin topical treatment, and finished off with a clarifying lotion containing 5% sodium ascorbyl phosphate and 2% niacinamide. I have also been taking Cyesta-35 birth control for the past two weeks, and Minocin for almost two months. This image resembles my acne the most – http://dermnetnz.org/acne/img/s/acne6-s.jpg

How soon can I expect to see significant results? Your feedback is very much appreciated.

- Kathleen

Thanks for the question, Kathleen.

First of all, it’s impossible for me (or anyone) to reliably predict when a regimen is going to show results, or if it is going to work for you at all.

With that being said, I generally recommend that when someone gets on a new routine, they stick with it for at least 1-2 months. That means strictly, with no items added or removed. The only exception would be if you start experiencing some sort of allergic reaction, and then it’s obviously wise to make a change.

But otherwise, it can take that long for results to start showing, and sometimes longer. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, acne lesions typically form under the skin 2-4 weeks before you actually see them, so a medication that is stopping new acne from forming is going to take that long to show real results. The other thing you’ll be struggling with is that your skin will have to take time to get used to the new products. You’re using glycolic acid, as well as a product with benzoyl peroxide. While both of these are great at treating acne, the skin can take some time to get used to them and may appear red and irritated for some time. As long as you are moisturizing this redness will eventually go away.

This is really the best answer I can give, and I hope it helps you.

As many people with acne have already discovered, pimples can occur in many different places all over the face and body. This includes the area just around the mouth, which is a problem area for many people.

While all acne has the same root cause, hair follicles becoming clogged and filling with sebum (skin oil), the clogged hair follicle can be caused by a variety of things. For acne around the mouth, there are several specific things that can lead to acne breakouts.

In this article we will take a look at the 8 most common causes of acne around the mouth. You might find some of them rather unexpected and surprising…I know I did!

Resting Your Hands On Your Face

This is probably the most obviously culprit on this list, as many people know that resting your hands on your chin and face can lead to acne breakouts. Still, it’s something that many people do without realizing and it’s something that could very well be causing acne breakouts for you.

The hands and fingers are some of the dirtiest parts of your body, and are often covered with things that can clog pores such as grease and oil, even when we think they are clean.

As you’re reading this article your hand is probably resting on a computer mouse, right? Think about how often you and other people have touched that mouse, and if you’re like most computer users you’ve probably never cleaned it. You definitely don’t want the hand that’s using the mouse to go anywhere near the acne-prone skin on your face!

Brushing Your Teeth

Most people are a little messy when they brush their teeth, and some of the toothpaste might get on your lips and on the skin around your mouth. While for the most part this is just fine, some toothpastes are actually known to cause acne. Ir’s is unclear exactly which ingredient is responsible for this, but I believe that sodium laureth sulfate is a likely culprit.

Biting Your Fingernails

Biting your fingers is just an unhealthy thing to do, but you’re probably wondering how it can possible cause acne.

Well, it actually goes back to the first cause we talked about, resting your hands on your chin. Most people don’t realize that when they bite their nails, some part of their hand or finger is touching the skin on their face. It’s usually not much contact with the face, but it’s enough to cause acne for some people.

Using Lip Balm

Certain types of chap stick or lip balm can cause acne. Those containing the ingredient lanolin are especially likely to cause breakouts, as well as those lip balms containing either isopropyl myristate or isopropyl palmitate. All three of these common ingredients are comedogenic, which means they are capable of clogging pores.

Talking On The Phone

The receiver of your phone is likely touching your mouth when you speak into the phone, and it’s probably touched other people’s mouths as well. Phones are a common cause of acne, although not as common as it once was. This is because the cell phones that are popular now are much smaller, and are less likely to touch the mouth, although they will still touch other parts of the face.

Shaving

This one is more of a cause for men, as they are obviously more likely to be shaving their face then women.

Shaving can actually cause acne in 2 different ways: irritation from the razor, and the shaving cream.

A razor that is too dull, or a shaving technique that is too rough can irritate skin, and that can lead to acne breakouts. Also, certain types of shaving creams and gels can clog pores. One of the recommended ways to shave for people with acne prone skin is actually with the lather from your facial cleanser. It sounds strange, and can take some getting some getting used to, but it actually works great and won’t clog your pores.

Sleeping on a Dirty Pillowcase

People tend to not put much thought into how often they wash their pillowcase, but those with acne-prone skin definitely should! Your pillowcase collects dirt and oil from your face as you sleep every night, and the next night you’re resting your face on all of that collected oil. This can be a cause of acne for a lot of people.

One little trick you can do which is far easier than washing your pillowcase every night, is to simply place a clean towel over your pillow.

Kissing

Sorry folks, but even well intentioned and loving kisses can cause acne around the mouth. If the person kissing you is using one of the lip balms we talked about, or any other sort of comedogenic (pore clogging) product on their face, It can transfer to your face and contribute to acne breakouts.

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Do you dread every situation where you know you’re going to have to take off your shirt in front of others? Back acne is pretty embarrassing and worst of all, it’s kind of an unspoken thing. You feel subconscious around the pool or in the bedroom with another person because you can practically feel their eyes scanning over every body blemish and acne bump.

There is hope though! The following 6 strategies will clear up back acne in a matter of days IF executed correctly. Ready to start flaunting your physique again? Great! Let’s get started with tip number one…

1. Switch to an Anti-Bacterial Soap – Antibacterial soaps like Dial can dry out your skin. However, sometimes this can be just what it takes to clear up a bad case of back acne – particularly if your bacne is caused by oily clogs. See, when your skin is oily, bacteria has a greater attraction to it.

The bacteria (which feeds on the oil) clogs the pores and this is what gives birth to those unsightly back pimples. The solution? Lesson the oil and decrease the clogs. Just be sure not to over do it. Antibacterial soap can cause skin dryness if used in excess. You’ll need to find a happy medium. That brings us to our next tip…

2. Try using a Lufa Sponge – a Lufa works well if dry, irritating skin is what’s spawning multiple back zits. You can buy a natural Lufa (that’s what I recommend) on a long wooden handle to reach the parts of your back that a normal exfoliater would miss.

By cleaning off the dry, dead skin cells, you’ll be opening your pores up to more oxygen and oxygen is acne’s worst enemy. The result? You’ll have breathable, clear skin that won’t act as a breeding ground for gross bacne patches.

3. Install a water softener – This is definitely one of the pricier solutions but I can testify that it works well. If you’ve got hard water in your house, meaning it has a lot of minerals and calcium deposits in it, you’re not getting completely clean in the shower. Hard water will leave you with an invisible film on your skin which makes pores less breathable and in turn a pimple paradise.

The first step is getting your water tested by a local plumber to see if it is in fact hard. After that you can decide where to go from there. Water softeners do more than just help your skin with acne. You’ll have cleaner hair, a dandruff free scalp, feel overall cleaner after the shower AND they’re better for the lifetime health of your plumbing pipes.

4. Keep the Sweat Off Your Back – If you’re a gym rat, you may want to consider changing or showering immediately after working out. Sweat is like a magnet for bacteria (which clogs pores) and if you’re not changing your shirt right away, you’ll restrict air to your pores as well. This is like a one-two punch for causing acne.

Make sure you change clothes or shower within the first 10 minutes after your workout is over.

5. Salicylic Acid will Help – Try buying an astringent that contains salicylic Acid and apply a thin layer to your back at night with either cotton balls, makeup cotton pads, or even just your hands. I used to use Oxy pads for sensitive skin and apply them directly to my back before going to bed.

It’s an easy way to clear the bacteria off your skin and may way for health oxygen to clear out your pores.

6. Water is the Way – It may sound like simple advice but water really does go a long way. Water will clear your skin up all over – including bad bacne. That’s because it flushes out toxins, prevents excessive body sweating and dilutes oil from overwhelming pores. Be sure to drink 6 – 8 glasses of water a day for the full effect. Yes, you’ll be peeing a lot but isn’t that beautiful clear skin worth it?

Author Bio:

Jason Ellis is an up and coming web author who has been showing readers for years natural solutions to skincare. His strongest expertise deals with controlling a condition known hyperhidrosis(chronic excessive sweating). For years, Jason has researched proven ways to stop sweaty palms, treat an excessive sweating scalp and even find the best deodorant for excessive sweating.

There are so many solutions out there for facial acne that it can feel super confusing to know which direction to take first. When I first began to attack my own skin problem, I would just nuke my face with every salicylic acid or abrasive acne solution on the market. Products like Oxy and Clearasil Maximum Strength were piled high in my medicine cabinet one after the other.

My mentality was that the stronger the ointment or astringent, the better my skin would look. Boy, was I wrong!

The truth is overmedicating your facial acne will actually make the problem worse because now you’re overwhelming your skin with irritation. This usually results in a short burst of greater sebum (skin oil) to offset the sudden dryness. The result? More pimples and an endless cycle of acne.

There is hope for you though once you know how to approach your acne the right way. The best method for getting rid of chronic facial acne is built on a layered strategy of 4 natural treatments. I’m going to reveal this effective formula to you right now.

1. Diet – Try not to roll your eyes at the simplicity of this first recommendation. The bottom line is, diet lays the foundation for your skin’s health and all other treatments you apply will either be accelerated or exacerbated by what food and drink you put into your body.

First and foremost, if you’re not drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water a day, you’re not putting in the 100% effort it takes to clear up acne long-term. Water will dilute your oil production because your skin will naturally moisten from the extra fluids.

In addition, water will deter bacteria from collecting in your pores and enable your body to more efficiently flush out toxins.

Keep your diet rich in whole grains, fruit and healthy fats like avocado and almonds. Stay away from any kind of soda, diet or otherwise. Most importantly, cut down if not completely eliminate processed sugars from your diet.

2. Moisterize – If your skin isn’t excessively oily to begin with you’ll want to use a gentle oil-free moisterizer on your face. Start out with a gentle soap like dove because it will clean and moisterize your skin at the same time. If dryness is an issue for you, you’ll want to find an oil-free moisterizer and apply a minimal amount to your skin at night.

The idea here is to decrease dead skin cells from collecting on your face. This results in healthier, more breathable skin.

3. Kill the Bacteria – The first two strategies ensure you’re setting the stage for the healthiest skin possible. This next one is more Proactiv (pardon the pun . Proactiv is a popular pimple fighting medicine that contains Benzoyl Peroxide. This is a more gentle acidic solution for killing the bacteria in your pores. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on Proactive, you can find similar items in your drug store at a far lesser cost.

The magic percentage of Benzoyl Peroxide that you should look for is 2.5% to start with. Scale up from there to get more aggressive with your facial acne.

4. Wash Your Face Before Bed – This is so crucial. Your skin is a breeding ground for bacteria at night if you don’t prep your pores by a good old fashion facial washing. Wash off your makeup, moisturizer, excess oil, cologne etc. and you’ll be way ahead of the game in terms of pimple prevention.

Author Bio:

Jason Ellis is an up and coming web author who has been showing readers for years how to apply natural skincare solutions. His strongest expertise deals with controlling a condition known hyperhidrosis(chronic excessive sweating). For years, Jason has researched proven remedies for excessive sweating, how to stop sweating face embarrassment and also deal with excessive sweating of hands and feet.

If you’ve been suffering for any length of time with facial acne you know how hard it can be to pinpoint the primary culprit. Is it your diet? Do you have some strange allergy to something? Is your skin too dry or too oily? Are you overwashing your face, underwashing your face or maybe it’s the soap itself that’s causing your breakouts?

It’s easy to get lost in all the potential triggers for facial acne. That said, you can cut down on some specific ones. In this article, I’m going to show you how facial sweating not only causes acne but also how it can be controlled to diminish acne.

Let me explain…

See, there is in fact a link between facial sweating and facial acne. That said, it’s not a 100% negative association. Facial sweating can actually have a beneficial effect to your skin – depending on its frequency and consistency (what’s in the sweat).

Let’s start out with the bad news first. If you’re not eating right and your hygiene is off-kilter, facial sweating will in fact exacerbate your acne. If you’re eating oily foods or lots of processed sugars, these toxins will be excreted in your sweat. The more toxins in your sweat, the more residue left on your skin and in your pores.

Bacteria feeds off of sebum (the oil in your skin), so if you’re putting a lot of garbage into your body, you’re going to have a whole bacteria party in your pores.

On the other hand, if you’re drinking a lot of water and taking in a ton of fiber, toxins will be more efficiently excreted through your digestive tract, leaving you with cleaner, less toxic sweat.

Now let’s discuss some good news. Sweat can actually help your skin if you’re eating the right stuff and washing your face appropriately.

Sweat will help flush away dead skin cells and push dirt and residue out from your pores – If as I said, your diet is filled with tons of water, fiber, low in processed sugar, devoid of any kind of soda and contains healthy fats found in avocados, almonds and omega-3 fish oils.

What Facial Sweating Means to You

Just like your car needs clean oil to run efficiently, you’re skin requires cleaner sweat to stay healthy. The sweat itself isn’t the culprit of your acne, it’s the food and drink that you’re putting into your body. Keep that in mind the next time you go out to lunch on a hot Summer Day.

Decreasing Facial Sweat – If you’re looking to decrease your facial sweating in general I recommend you try Witch Hazel pads. Witch Hazel is a natural astringent that will gently dry your skin, minimizing oil and keeping pores clean for hours on end.

If you suspect your sweating is a main contributor of your acne and you’re unable to compromise your current diet, Witch Hazel is a fast, simple solution that will start giving you cleaner skin in about 3 days.

Author Bio:

Jason Ellis is an up and coming web author who has been showing readers for years how to apply natural skincare solutions. His strongest expertise deals with controlling a condition known hyperhidrosis(chronic excessive sweating). For years, Jason has researched proven ways to tame excessive facial sweat, overcome palmoplantar hyperhidrosis and also treat underarm hyperhidrosis.

Approximately 1 out of every 5 people are cigarette smokers, and smoking claims the lives of over 3 million people each year. But there’s no need to repeat statistics that we’ve all heard before; we all know that smoking is bad for you. But how bad is it for your skin? Does smoking cause acne?

In this article we’ll examine a possible connection between cigarette smoking and acne, and what we find out just may surprise you!

What Science Has To Say

In 2006 the Journal of Investigative Dermatology published the results of a massive 20 year study of over 27,000 participants which was aimed at determining whether or not there was a connection between smoking and the prevalence of acne.

The results? There is a connection, but…it’s not what you might think!

The study actually found that severe acne vulgaris was less common among smokers than among non-smokers. Additionally, the more a person smokes, the less likely they were to have severe acne.

The Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology found similar results in a smaller study published in 2007, with the exception that they were only able to note a statistical difference for females who smoked, and none for males.

Both of these more recent studies, however, have opposite findings of some older studies, such as one published in 2001 by the British Journal of Dermatology which found that smokers tended to have more acne than non-smokers. There have also been studies which found no correlation either way.

At this point is seems that all science has to say about the link between smoking and acne is: There may be a link, but we’re not completely sure yet.

Smoking And Other Skin Conditions

Regardless of whether smoking causes or even helps acne, it certainly does play a role in the development of other adverse skin conditions.

Most notably is skin cancer, but smoking also drastically increases the development of wrinkles and makes your skin look far older than it is.

Smoking increases instances of inflammatory reactions by the skin, which can make existing acne lesions more red and prominent. Also, smoking reduces the skin’s ability to heal, which will cause acne blemishes to remain on the skin for longer than they would otherwise.

Smoking & Stress Reduction

One thing that many smokers will claim is that smoking helps to reduce stress. Whether or not this is actually true or not is a topic of debate, but many smokers will swear that it lowers their stress levels.

Since stress is a known acne trigger for some people, this may be noteworthy. It may be possible to achieve the stress reduction of cigarettes without any of the harmful side effects through the use of water-based electronic cigarettes, which actually produce no smoke but still reproduce the feeling of smoking a cigarette.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it’s impossible to say definitively whether or not there is a link between smoking and acne, however the scientific research on the subject so far seems to suggest that there is.

Regardless of whether or not smoking causes acne, it is certainly bad for your skin and your overall health, so it’s certainly better to not smoke than to smoke.

Cystic acne is one of the most severe forms of acne that a person can get, and people who are struggling with cystic acne often have a lot of questions about what it is, what causes it, and how it can be treated.

That’s why we’ve put together this page with answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about cystic acne.

If you have a question that is not answered on this page, please feel free to use our contact form to ask us directly for the answer!

What Is Cystic Acne?

Cystic acne, sometimes referred to as nodulocystic acne, is a severe form of acne vulgaris which is characterized by the appearance of large, inflamed cysts and nodules.

A nodule is a hard lump under the skin, much like a papule only greater in size. Cysts, on the other hand, are softer and filled with fluid. Almost like a very large pustule.

How Common Is Cystic Acne?

While there are no statistics that I can find on the prevalence of cystic acne, it is one of the less common forms of acne vulgaris. The occurrence of less severe acne lesions, such as papules, pustules, and comedones, is far more common than the occurrence of cysts and nodules.

It is known that cystic acne is more common amongst those of latino backgrounds than it is for those who are caucasian.

Is Cystic Acne Contagious?

No, not at all! No form of acne is contagious, and you cannot “catch” acne either by being around a person with acne, nor by skin-to-skin contact.

Is Cystic Acne Hormonal?

There are many possible causes of cystic acne, and hormones are one of them.

Hormonal cystic acne is more common among women than men, although persons of either gender can have it. It should be noted that hormonal acne often responds differently to treatment than does acne with other causes.

Is Cystic Acne Genetic Or Hereditary?

Yes, there does appear to be a genetic or hereditary component to cystic acne. That is to say, it tends to run in families and if one or both of your parents had cystic acne at some point during their lives, you are more likely to get it yourself.

Is Cystic Acne Curable?

I wouldn’t say that any form of acne is curable, but they are all treatable!

Speak with a dermatologist if you have cystic acne to discuss professional treatment options. While mild-to-moderate forms of acne are easily enough treated with over-the-counter products, severe cystic acne often requires stronger medications, such as those available only through prescription such as isotretinoin.

Is Cystic Acne Painful?

Large, inflamed acne cysts and nodules can be very painful, and it often depends on where they are located.

Can Cystic Acne Cause Scarring?

Yes, absolutely! Cystic acne is one of the forms of acne which has the highest chance of leaving permanent scars. For this reason, it’s important to never pick, pop, or squeeze cystic acne lesions, and speak with a dermatologist to get it treated as quickly as possible.

Is Cystic Acne A Staph Infection?

While cystic acne and staph infections are definitely not the same thing, some people do report the onset of cystic acne after having a staph infection.

Is Cystic Acne Caused By Stress?

Stress can be an acne trigger for some people, and if you are prone to developing cystic acne then it can cause breakouts or make existing breakouts worse.

Is Cystic Acne Inflammatory?

Acne cysts and nodules are almost always inflammatory.

Can Cystic Acne Be Caused By Allergies?

Although it is rare, certain food allergies have been reported to trigger cystic acne outbreaks in some people. Still, if you have cystic acne it is much more likely that it has another cause, such as overactive sebaceous glands, rather than an allergy.

Can Makeup Cause Cystic Acne?

Makeup can cause a form of acne known as acne cosmetica, which is rarely cystic or nodular. Acne cosmetica is more often characterized by the appearance of comedones such as blackheads and whiteheads.

Can Dairy Cause Cystic Acne?

Dairy products have been known to trigger cystic acne in some people. Click here to read more about the connection between cystic acne and dairy.

Can Cystic Acne Be Caused By Birth Control?

A surge in estrogen hormones can be a cystic acne trigger, and your hormone levels are often altered when you use certain forms of birth control. For this reason, birth control can cause cystic acne for some people.

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Benzoyl peroxide is one of the most popular acne treatment ingredients on the market today, and is found in countless products, including the popular Proactiv line of products.

However, if you are considering whether to use benzoyl peroxide or not, it’s important to weigh the pros against the cons before you decide whether it’s right for you or not. That’s why I’ve put together this page, which lists the various pros and cons of benzoyl peroxide, to help you decide if it’s the product for you or not.

Let’s get started by talking about the positive aspects of benzoyl peroxide, and then we’ll look at the negative aspects. We’ll wrap up with a summary and I’ll give me personal opinion the matter (hint: I use benzoyl peroxide myself!).

Pros Of Benzoyl Peroxide

There are a few good things about benzoyl peroxide that I think are important to mention, and here they are.

Kills The P. Acnes Bacteria

This one is huge!

Many forms of acne are caused by a bacteria which gets trapped inside clogged hair follicles and begins to multiple out of control. When there’s too much of this bacteria in a follicle, it can actually cause the walls of the hair follicle to burst open, and this is what leads to inflamed acne lesions. This bacteria is known as propionibacterium acnes, or simply P. acnes.

The major pro of benzoyl peroxide is that it is very effective at killing this bacteria, which is something that can’t be said for other acne treatment ingredients such as salicylic acid.

When the P. acnes bacteria isn’t allowed to flourish on your skin, it will greatly diminish or even completely eliminate the amount of acne blemishes that are formed.

Works Better Than Alternatives

Simply put, benzoyl peroxide just works better than any alternative I’ve ever come across.

While salicylic acid is only significantly effective at treating mild acne, benzoyl peroxide can even treat severe acne is used correctly.

This is the main reason why benzoyl peroxide is my #1 most recommended acne treatment product for most people: it just works!

Cons Of Benzoyl Peroxide

Despite how much I like benzoyl peroxide, there are some drawbacks to using it as well. Here are some of the more significant ones.

Can Be Very Drying

Benzoyl peroxide can be very drying to the skin, especially when you first start using it.

If you’re not careful, you can actually irritate your skin to the point that your acne becomes worse before it gets better.

To counteract this, it’s important to only use 2.5% concentrations of benzoyl peroxide, and to start out with a small amount and gradually increase the quantity until you reach the desired amount. Also, you should always follow and application of benzoyl peroxide with a non-comedogenic moisturizer to help keep the skin from becoming too dry.

Bleaches Fabrics

Another major drawback of benzoyl peroxide is that it is a very strong bleaching agent. This means that if you aren’t careful, you can bleach your clothes and ruin them. Benzoyl peroxide can even bleach your hair blonde!

This only becomes a major problem if you are using benzoyl peroxide on the back or chest, where you’ll be wearing a shirt over it. However since I’ve been using it on my face everyday for over 8 years, I have accidentally bleached quite a few shirts even though I try to be careful about it and avoid contact with my clothes.

Summary

To sum up…benzoyl peroxide works great for the treatment of acne, probably better than anything else out there. However, you must start out slowly and be careful to avoid bleaching and ruining your clothes.

I personally use benzoyl peroxide myself, every single day and I have been for over 8 years. It keeps my moderate-to-severe acne completely clear, and every time I try to stop or switch to a different product I start breaking out.

Simply put: Benzoyl peroxide will clear your skin!

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Tea has been consumed by humans for thousands of years and many varieties of tea, such as green tea, have been touted for their supposed health benefits. Some will say that green tea has extraordinary health and healing benefits, while others will say it’s all bunk and there’s little benefit in ancient herbal remedies.

So what’s the real story on the connection between green tea and acne? Let’s take a closer look at green tea and try to figure whether it causes acne breakouts, helps clear them up, or does nothing whatsoever.

Does Drinking Green Tea Cause Or Treat Acne?

The most common way to use green tea is obviously to drink it, so we’ll first look at the effects that drinking green tea can have on acne.

Unfortunately, I can find no scientific studies ever performed on the effects of drinking green tea on acne. This means that all we have to go on it what we do know about what’s in green tea, and also what other people are saying about what drinking green tea has done for their acne.

Health Benefits Of Drinking Green Tea

All tea leaves contain something known as catechins, which is a type of antioxidant. Green tea has an especially high concentration of these antioxidants, and it’s one of the primary reasons why it’s so healthy for you.

Tea also contains something called theanine, which is known to boost the immune system and fight off infections. While it is unknown whether this is true or not, it is possible that drinking green tea could help your body fight off the P. acnes bacteria which causes acne.

One negative of green tea is that it contains caffeine. While for most people it’s not going to make much of a difference, caffeine is known to trigger acne breakouts in some people.

What Others Are Saying

Other people’s opinions on what green tea does for their acne seem to be split right down the middle. About half of the people I see commenting about it seem to suggest that it makes them breakout, while the other half of people will swear that green tea help clear up their acne.

Until more scientific research is done on the effects that drinking green tea can have on acne, it’s really impossible to know what it’s going to do for you.

Green Tea Extract

The other method of using green tea for health benefits is with a green tea extract. With this method, rather than brewing the tea leaves into a drink, the leaves (camellia sinensis) are infused into an herbal extract which can either be taken as a supplement, or added to a topical cream to be applied directly to the skin.

Let’s take a look at both of those uses of green tea extracts.

Green Tea Extract As A Supplement

Green tea extract, when taken as a supplement, is known to have extraordinary health benefits.

One health benefits of green tea extract is that is has incredible anti-inflammatory properties, which can help to reduce the occurrence of inflammatory acne lesions such as papules and pustules.

Also, green tea extract has approximately 20-times the antioxidant effects of vitamin C. This could possibly help with getting rid of the P. acnes bacteria which contributes to the formation of acne lesions.

Green Tea Extract As A Topical Cream

This is an area where there has been scientific research performed.

Both 2% and 3% concentrations of green tea extract have been shown to be effective at treating mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris (read about these studies here and here).

Unfortunately, topicals with green tea extract are rather expensive, and don’t appear to be as effective as some cheaper alternatives, such as benzoyl peroxide.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, I can’t draw a meaningful conclusion about the effects of drinking green tea on acne. There simply isn’t enough scientific data out there for anyone to know anything.

But, we can conclude that topically applied green tea extract is very good for the skin, and can reduce the occurrence of acne lesions.

Where To Buy Green Tea Extract Supplements

Where To Buy Green Tea Extract Topical Creams