4 replies to this topic

[harmonynme]

hmm not sure if this posted, if it's a double post, I'll delete the other one. This shouldn't be up for long anyway, it'll probably be taken down, BUT as an FYI:

Blatant Dangers of Benzoyl Peroxide

Benzoyl Peroxide is a chemical that is very common in acne treatments both over-the-counter as well as prescription. The fact that this ingredient is in so many products, which are heavily promoted in advertisements has numbed the public to the blatant side effects of Benzoyl Peroxide.

I am going to discuss in this article four major problems that benzoyl peroxide creates in the skin, and will also suggest a potent all natural alternative.

The first thing that benzoyl peroxide does which is tremendously dangerous is the fact that it produces free radicals in the skin. Free radicals are also created when we spend time in the sun unprotected. Free radicals damage the skin by causing premature aging, decreasing the skin’s ability to heal, damaging the overall health of the body, and that’s not even the worst part. The worst part about creating free radicals in your skin is the links between free radicals and cancer. Can you believe that major name brands, especially the ones that hawk celebrities promote their acne products that contain benzoyl peroxide,knowing that they could be indirectly contributing to cancer? It’s shocking, but it’s true, and the FDA made a point of telling the world about this in the late 1990’s.

The FDA statements about benzoyl peroxide are the second major problem with using products which contain it. In the late 90’s benzoyl peroxide was rated by the FDA as a “category I” ingredient, meaning that it was safe to use. However, after researching a little further, they discovered the serious side effects of the free radicals that it caused in the skin, and changed the rating from Category I to Category III, which is “Safety is unknown”. Because it is used in cosmetic products which don’t require the same regulations be followed, acne product manufacturers have been able to continue selling products that contain benzoyl peroxide. Why wouldn’t they just change from using Benzoyl Peroxide to using a better ingredient without all the side effects? It costs more, that’s why.

A third very important reason to avoid benzoyl peroxide is that the free radicals in the skin make the skin’s ability to heal irritation and wounds SLOW down. In other words, what should take a few days to heal, might take weeks or longer. In the case of acne, the skin is often red and irritated as a result of the acne breakouts. This redness and irritation needs to be HEALED by the skin, in order for it to go away and become less noticeable. Skin that has been treated with benzolyl peroxide, however, fights off the redness and heals itself at a much slower pace than untreated skin does. This is why many people who use a benzoyl peroxide treatment report that their skin actually looked worse and more irritated after a week or so of use. So, even though the bacteria is being killed by the benzoyl, the irritation and injury to the skin is healing so slowly that the skin looks worse than it did before.

The last reason we will discuss why benzoyl peroxide should be avoided is the over-drying of the skin that it causes. The skin loses its ability to produce natural oils and healthy moisture within it. This means that the skin often flakes and increases in irritation, because it doesn’t have the necessary moisture to stay healthy looking. So, although the benzoyl peroxide might be killing the acne causing bacteria, the skin is now flaky, dry, and also more red and irritated.

So what can you do to get rid of acne without all these nightmare side effects? The first thing to do is use an acne treatment that INCREASES the skin’s ability to remove toxins, and contains ingredients which INCREASE moisture and health. You still need to make sure the acne treatment is able to kill the bacteria that cause acne, however there are some ingredients out there which CAN kill the bacteria, and do it in a safe manner with no side effects.

Edited by harmonynme, 22 May 2012 - 10:11 AM.

[alternativista]

Yes. Don't apply peroxide to your skin.

[harmonynme]

alternativista, on 22 May 2012 - 11:57 AM, said:

Yes. Don't apply peroxide to your skin.

Your text is very small, almost unreadable, can you make it larger?

Personally, I think we've come quite far between putting a chemical on your face that basically, burns it, and dries it out, and home remedy versions.

With the advent of cosmeceuticals, benzoyl peroxide will slowly fade away with many other outdated hooey dinosaurs. And, with the advent of cosmeceuticals the accepted fact that “acne will get worse before it gets better”, doesn’t fly anymore.

Alpha-Hydroxy-Acids, also clinically proven to help acne, are now coming from fruit acid sources, and not chemical derivatives of them (glycolic, lactic, malic)
Then, because it cannot tell the difference between good bacteria and bad bacteria, benzoyl peroxide destroys the good bacteria as well, leaving nothing to fight off infection. The harshness of the peroxide also can damage the skin (ehow)

The active properties from flowers, fruit, and others, such as honeysuckle, pomegranate, hibiscus, thyme, turmeric and others are being extracted and concentrated for use in cosmeceuticals.

MYTH: VERY bad idea to put honey on your acne, since sugar EXACERBATES skin conditions, including acne. Another “hooey” is the statement that honey should not be used for acne because of its sugar content. The thought behind this argument is that bacteria feed on sugar, thus acne would get worse. Facts are that honey's high sugar content along with its low Ph makes it an antimicrobial agent, actually inhibiting the growth of bacteria. Moreover, many species of bacteria are destroyed by the osmotic (water extracting) effect of Manuka honey.

All honey has antibacterial activity due to hydrogen peroxide, mono-floral honeys have a tendency to have higher levels, but manuka honey goes far beyond other honeys – and the difference is – when heat is applied, the antibacterial (hydrogen peroxide) activities in honey are destroyed. In Manuka Honey, they are not.
Manuka honey is the most researched, most powerful medicinal honey known today (I can also point you to many, many articles on Active Manuka. It has the ability to penetrate skin tissue and treat infections beneath the skin. Clinically proven to cure wounds, infections, ulcers and other skin conditions, its antibacterial, antiseptic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory properties are unchallenged.

So apart from conquering inflammation and bacteria, which are two major factors in acne, ACTIVE Manuka honey also has shown to draw out impurities in, even in highly infested, problematic, wounds. So it might have the same effect on acne pimples as well. It also has proven to stimulate the growth of new skin cells and fasten wound closure which helps reduce acne scars.

Dr Peter Molan and his research team at the Honey Research Unit at New Zealand's Waikato University found in some specific strains of manuka honey a SECOND, natural, more powerful, and more stable antibacterial property (agent) called UMF- which only Manuka honey has been shown to have, or, the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF). UMF is additional to the hydrogen peroxide activity and gives the honey a wider range of uses and effectiveness.

Manuka Honey is that which has activity due to high levels of UMF. In the research laboratory a catalase was added to honey samples to remove the hydrogen peroxide and then the honeys were tested to see if there was still any antibacterial activity.

This special non-peroxide antibacterial activity is called UMF (Unique Manuka Factor). Honey has been used for many years in beauty, medicine, and embalming, due to its aseptic composition. Bacteria cannot grow in honey, and thus it is excellent where bacteria may otherwise flourish..

In New Zealand, and now in other parts of the world, “medical manuka honey,” is used for skin diseases, burns, ulcers, IBS, and other wounds that do not respond well to other therapies, and has grown more and more popular.

Being aware of these wonderful properties it could be very legitimate to suggest Manuka honey might be a really good natural acne remedy.

MYTH: Free radicals only affect the body when they're consumed internally.*When we are young our skin is loaded with antioxidants that naturally protect our skin from the environment, especially sun damage. Information on antioxidants and free-radical damage comes from a number of scientific journals, including these (BELOW) devoted to the subject of antioxidant research and activity.

• Repeated sun exposure or BP use generates free radicals that damage the skin’s structure and cellular DNA, resulting in premature aging of the skin.
• Because BP generates free radicals it interferes with and slows the healing process

Primarily because of sun damage and in a more minor role other factors such as just growing up, menopause, disease, and using irritating skin-care products, our skin loses the ability to produce those antioxidants. If we don't get enough antioxidant protection, either from our own body's production, from dietary sources, or from topically applying antioxidants, free-radical damage wreaks havoc causing collagen to break down, DNA in our cells to mutate, impairing the skin's ability to heal, and on and on.

When it comes to wrinkles, free-radical damage causes collagen and other vital skin functions to break down. A great skin-care product, whether it comes in a liquid, gel, serum, lotion, or cream, should contain a potent assortment of stable antioxidants to interrupt free-radical damage and keep it from harming skin.

By the way, there are others as well. I also spoke of Tepezcohuite, (pronounced Te-pez-co-wheety) a tree bark from Mexico. Extensive research has been performed on Tepezcohuite in labs in Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom. They have found that Tepezcohuite skin care is non-toxic; a cellular regenerator; an anti-bacterial 300% more effective than streptomycin; and a powerful fungicide.

If one suffers from severe acne, than antibiotics, in conjunction with non-chemical acne remedies, such as cosmeceuticals, is what I would suggest. Out with the old, in with the new.


Information on antioxidants and free-radical damage comes from a number of scientific journals, including these devoted to the subject of antioxidant research and activity: Free Radical Research, Free Radical Biology and Medicine, Antioxidants and Redox Signaling, Oxidative Stress and Aging, Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine,Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, Photodermatology,Photoimmunology, Photomedicine, and Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences.

[AKL]

harmonynme, on 22 May 2012 - 10:02 AM, said:

This shouldn't be up for long anyway, it'll probably be taken down, BUT as an FYI:

Well, what do you know...it's still up, ain't that great? I do agree that it shouldn't be up for long, but that's a different topic. Usually stuff like this is posted by people who sell "all natural" products themselves. Do you?

Please post links to relevant studies about the "blatant dangers of benzoyl peroxide", to give this topic some credibility. Otherwise I'm going to close it.

[DaftFrost]

Not sure about you guys, but whenever I put ProActiv (BP) on my skin wow it literally burns like hell! My skin might be way too sensitive but it burns soo bad. If I were to put it on my skin before I go to bed, I'd have to wait till the burniness wears off before I can actually sleep.

The pain is quite awful and it smells awful too.

I am just never using ProActiv ever, wish I realized it sooner.

Edited by DaftFrost, Today, 09:00 PM.