6 replies to this topic

[Jhyzone]

Need advice on PanOxyl Aquagel 2.5 BP...

Yes, I really need help on this... Basically, I am a teen, so naturally I am prone to acne and spots.. and I have been suffering from spots since I am 12... so I tried all over the counter products such as Clearasil, Clean & Clear, Garnier, OXY and Simple products...though most of them fail to remove my spots...

So the best solution I did was when we consult our GP...firstly she gave me an oral antibiotic called Eryhtromycin and also a lotion which is also called Erythromycin... I started the regime but they seems to be working in a slow pace...so I tried doing this regime for 2 months and my several acne turned to moderate/mild acne...Now my doctor suggests me to try this PanOxyl Aquagel BP 2.5% for 2 times daily till my spots are gone.

I tried this PanOxyl Aquagel BP 2.5%...as the days goes by, my skin turns red and my skin starts to produce dry dead skin and its impossible to peel... I felt miserable...I cannot remove the dead skin cells.. I tried using an exfoliator but it doesnt work... then I also tried applying oils in my face so the dead skin will be remove and after I will exfoliate...i done this procedure for three days and my skin went back to normal but some areas of my skin is clear...

Now, i had some remorse for using this product but in some cases I want to start using it again as it is the only BP that is good for my skin... I also tried Dan's Regimen but I think my face is resistant to it and it wont work to cure any more..


So is there any chance to ask you which is the best cleanser or moisturiser to use with PanOxyl Aquagel BP 2.5 and how many times I should use it?

Thank you very much, any comments would be valuable as I am just a teen trying to battle spot and acne breakouts...!



Regards,
Jhyzone

[i-have-a-question]

Hiya! Welcome to acne.org! I hope you find some useful advice here on the forums.

Well, you seem to be going down the same route as lots of folks here, so don't worry about thinking you've gone wrong anywhere!

Firstly, your acne will not become resistant to BP. It's basically a bleach, so the bacteria that cause acne will not become resistant to it, which you may find with the antibiotic.

Secondly, because BP is a bleach, it dries and damages your skin. If you've ever used anything like Domestos or other cleaning products, you will know that your hands get really dry using these products - BP is the same. Most people have to apply hand cream after using these, and that is what your skin on your face needs too. So, please stop scrubbing your face with exfoliator, as all you are doing is making your skin worse; you are just making it raw and sore.

So, if you want to try Dan's regimen, you need the three steps. For cleansers, try one of the Simple ones; like Simple Moisturising Foaming Facial Wash They also do a range of other cleansers, and it's a bit of a case of trying them until you find one you like. The Simple products are not too expensive either, which is essential on a teenage budget!

For your BP, stick with the Panoxyl, but try reducing it to once a day until your skin gets used to it. I used to use BP only at night time, as it bleaches your clothing so I didn't like to wear it during the day. Give it a go, and up it to twice a day in a couple of weeks if you feel you need to. Other people on the forum hav not agreed with Panoxyl - I got on with it fine, but if you still don't get used to it using it once per day after a few weeks, think about changing it. Others to try are Brevoxyl, Freederm and Quinoderm. Although these have 4 or 5% BP, they are not too harsh on your skin. Panoxyl is the only 2.5% BP on the UK market.

Thirdly, for your moisturiser, I can recommend two. Start with another Simple product: Hydrating Light Moisturiser which I use and really like. It's very light and my skin doesn't get shiny from it. It's about £3 per bottle.

If the Simple one doesn't work too well, I would then switch to Eucerin. It is £10 per tube, but this will last about a month, or even more. Eucerin Dry Skin Replenishing Face Cream with 5% Urea You may also find you only need to apply it once per day, which helps with keeping the costs down.

Oh, and I've just seen that Boots have all their skin care products on 3 for 2, so get stocked up now for even less!

Give this a go and see what happens. Come back and let us know how you're getting on, as these are just some first recommendations off the top of my head. If they don't work out for you, we can tweak your regimen until you get one that does work for you.

Good luck, remember not to let your acne get you down. That's the most important step I think. I've been battling with acne for about 12 years, and your attitude is the most important thing.

[Jhyzone]

Wow! I was stunned with your knowledge of BP and ACNE...is it was because you had it for 12 years and using BP that long? Well, thank you very much for your advice and encouragement...Just to let you know that I am actually using Simple Moisturising Foaming Facial Wash to wash my face in the morning and using BP Cleanser during the night. Though I am using Dan's moisturiser every morning so that my skin won't look dry and rough...

Regarding the moisturiser, is it necessary for me to apply the Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser everytime I put on PanOxyl BP every night or no? Coz mine I don't put any moisturisers as my skin is fine after I applied the BP... So, is there any effect then if I don't apply moisturiser after i put on BP every night?

Also, the exfoliating, i am not using an exfoliator like loofah or those rough things, I am using the Simple Exfoliator with them granular things in it, once or twice a week... but what would I do if the dry dead skin started to appear on my skin after few days of using PanOxyl? This happened to me three times now... Im just worried it might happen again...

Finally, thank you again for your advice, you gave me the motivation... I'll try and follow your advice as fully as I can...


Regards,
Jhyzone

[Helios]

For your BP, stick with the Panoxyl, but try reducing it to once a day until your skin gets used to it. I used to use BP only at night time, as it bleaches your clothing so I didn't like to wear it during the day. Give it a go, and up it to twice a day in a couple of weeks if you feel you need to. Other people on the forum hav not agreed with Panoxyl - I got on with it fine, but if you still don't get used to it using it once per day after a few weeks, think about changing it. Others to try are Brevoxyl, Freederm and Quinoderm. Although these have 4 or 5% BP, they are not too harsh on your skin. Panoxyl is the only 2.5% BP on the UK market.

Oh my, another Panoxyl victim here. Although it's 2.5% BP, it's way worse even than standard Quinoderm (which is 10%, by the way). I don't know what have they added to Panoxyl but many experience dried out and peeling skin above the normal levels. What I would advise you to do is get "Quinoderm cream 5", which contains 5% BP (and another acive ingredient as well). Just don't buy "Quinoderm cream" by accident, it's twice as strong. "Quinoderm cream 5" should be alright, but if it seems too strong, you can switch to Brevoxyl. Personally, I like Quinoderm better. And I'm quite sure that Freederm doesn't have any BP in it.

Another possibility is to order Dans BP. It's supposed to be really good. I'll get mine in few days. The costs are actually the same, be careful with the customs, though. Read my other thread and you'll understand

I'm sure that changing BP will solve your problems. I can suggest you Simple products for moisturising and washing you face.

Hope it helps and good luck!

[i-have-a-question]

Wow! I was stunned with your knowledge of BP and ACNE...is it was because you had it for 12 years and using BP that long? Well, thank you very much for your advice and encouragement...Just to let you know that I am actually using Simple Moisturising Foaming Facial Wash to wash my face in the morning and using BP Cleanser during the night. Though I am using Dan's moisturiser every morning so that my skin won't look dry and rough...

Regarding the moisturiser, is it necessary for me to apply the Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser everytime I put on PanOxyl BP every night or no? Coz mine I don't put any moisturisers as my skin is fine after I applied the BP... So, is there any effect then if I don't apply moisturiser after i put on BP every night?

Also, the exfoliating, i am not using an exfoliator like loofah or those rough things, I am using the Simple Exfoliator with them granular things in it, once or twice a week... but what would I do if the dry dead skin started to appear on my skin after few days of using PanOxyl? This happened to me three times now... Im just worried it might happen again...

Finally, thank you again for your advice, you gave me the motivation... I'll try and follow your advice as fully as I can...


Regards,
Jhyzone

I didn't use BP for that long! I was in denial about my acne for a while, and had an unfortunate run of idoitic GPs, who pretended to know about acne, but knew absolutely nothing. BP was well down the lines of acne products I had tried, and was at the point I started to take control of my situation myself, rather than relying on medical professionals!

Anyway, BP is a good starting point, but isn't wasn't a cure all for me. It did work to a certain extent with me, but I didn't like the side effects (bleaching etc) and I found better alternatives. However, I know how it works, and know that is has worked for lots of people, so I won't tell you it's rubbish, as it could well work for you. Unfortunately, there is no written formula that cures everyone's acne, so you have to try everything until you get there. It may well help that I have a science background, so realise that you have to work through the problem with logic to get to a solution.

So, the Simple Foaming Face Wash is a good choice. As is using Dan's moisturiser. As I said, if this doesn't work for you, you may wish to switch to the Eucerin one, as it's an excellent product too. The BP will dry your skin out no matter what, so you just have to choose a level of moisturiser that works with how dry your skin gets. It's the same with knowing how often to apply it. If you find your skin is getting dry at night, then you should apply moisturiser then too. If it's not too dry, you don't need to. My old regime used to look like this:

AM
- Wash with Biore Facewash
- Moisturise with Eucerin

PM
- Remove make up with Simple Cleanser
- Wash with Biore
- Panoxyl BP

I think it's often better to start with a simple regime, and add or change products from there. It's easier to control and work out what actually makes a difference, so you might wish to think about only using one type of face wash, one type of moisturiser etc rather than mixing several.

The Simple Exfoliator is probably ok for your skin, so keep using it. The dead skin you experienced is probably a result of not enough moisturiser as you have previously described. So by using plenty of this now, you should not have this problem. And, if you only use the BP once a day to start this will help too.

As for your choice of BP, please remember it's entirely up to you. I used Panoxyl quite happily for over a year, but I know that quite a few other people who use these forums did not agree with it. This might be a problem too, but it's difficult to know what agrees with your skin and what doesn't until you try it. If you are using Dan's moisuriser, and find that the BP is still affecting your skin quite badly, you may wish to switch to his BP instead. I think his products have all be designed to work well together. With acne, what works with one person, won't work for others. And what doesn't work for other people, might work for you.

Unfortunately, it's a matter of trial and error, and you can't tell whether a product will work until you try it! For a positive result, you need to give products several weeks to work as well, so it's not a quick fix job. But it does happen! I firmly believe there's a product out there for everyone that clears up their acne, but it's a bit of a slog to find it! Hopefully, since you're facing up to it now, you'll find it faster than I found mine!

[JackDaniels84]

Oh my, another Panoxyl victim here.

A lot of people have used this and found it far less drying. This forum is confusing sometimes, and it's very annoying why only one other "cream"? is suggested as an alternative to Dan's amazing super amazing gel? As Dan says, the secret is the BP, so surely there should be a whole list of other gels suggested. Panoxyl should definitely be one.

[ChaCha Fance]

I LOVE PanOxyl. I use the 10% gel and have used it for 5 great years; never had an issue. It all depends on the person. Nothing else works for me like PanOxyl does.