55 replies to this topic

[anthonylall]

People tend to have different feelings when it comes to the different types of acne treatment (topical) out there. We all react differently to different forms of acne treatment and most of us have experience with multiple types of acne treatments. I would like to hear your opinions on what you think works best for you and what don't. What you think is bad and what you think is good. The three main types of acne treatments i am focusing on here are Benzoyl Peroxide, Salicylic Acid and Tea Tree Oil. So let's hear your thoughts guys.

[AcneIsACurse]

Tea tree oil because it's natural, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid both have chemicals that are not good for the skin. For the long term tea tree oil will be better for you because those other treatments will be bad for your skin in the long run.

[tink627]

Tea tree oil because it's natural, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid both have chemicals that are not good for the skin. For the long term tea tree oil will be better for you because those other treatments will be bad for your skin in the long run.

i agree! i've tried all three in the past ten years. Salicylic acid irritated my skin...benzoyl peroxide only supressed my acne and dried me out....tea tree oil rapidly reduced my inflamation and helped the zit heal faster. Actually HEAL and not just conceal

[DRaGZ]

Tea tree oil because it's natural, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid both have chemicals that are not good for the skin. For the long term tea tree oil will be better for you because those other treatments will be bad for your skin in the long run.

uhmmmm...that's pretty blatantly false. It's also really misleading to say BP and salicylic have "chemical that are not good for the skin" and then imply that tea tree oil doesn't have similar such chemicals.

To the OP, try each product out, INDIVIDUALLY for a few weeks or so, see what works for you. Some products work for some people, others don't. Eschewing some products because they're not "natural" is a very dumb way of approaching the process, because you're shutting yourself out of clinically-tested medicines and instead heading into the realm of unregulated pseudoscience.

[PhoebeC]

Tea tree oil because it's natural, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid both have chemicals that are not good for the skin. For the long term tea tree oil will be better for you because those other treatments will be bad for your skin in the long run.

Tea Tree oil is the best, and it works pretty quickly as well!

[mufchooligan]

tea tree oil will actually treat the spot and help in the healing process after is has popped/died (dried up. salicylic acid can be used alongside tea tree oil as a face wash.

[epicdermis]

Tea tree oil because it's natural, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid both have chemicals that are not good for the skin. For the long term tea tree oil will be better for you because those other treatments will be bad for your skin in the long run.

What do you mean BP and salicylic acid "have chemicals?" They are, themselves, chemicals. There is nothing but benzoyl peroxide in benzoyl peroxide. Whether or not there are chemicals that are bad for the skin depends on what product you buy. Tea tree oil, on the other hand, is a mixture of dozens of different chemicals. Some of them might help your skin, others are irritants. I've never had any success with it.

[DRaGZ]

Tea tree oil because it's natural, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid both have chemicals that are not good for the skin. For the long term tea tree oil will be better for you because those other treatments will be bad for your skin in the long run.

What do you mean BP and salicylic acid "have chemicals?" They are, themselves, chemicals. There is nothing but benzoyl peroxide in benzoyl peroxide. Whether or not there are chemicals that are bad for the skin depends on what product you buy. Tea tree oil, on the other hand, is a mixture of dozens of different chemicals. Some of them might help your skin, others are irritants. I've never had any success with it.

Tea tree oil is also just as toxic, btw. Well, toxic in the sense that you should never ingest it or get it in your eyes or nose.

[hthenerd]

I suggest trying for yourself because everybody's skin is different. My skin doesn't respond at all to tea tree oil or salicylic acid, but it has a negative reaction to benzoyl peroxide (peeling, swelling, etc).

[diareads]

BP works well in helping a cyst move on my chin and develop/heal faster, but can be very drying! Sometimes can be sticky.

SA works better on my skin to purge/clean pores and make them much smaller. Helps loosen blackheads and smoothen face over all. However I always get an intial break out when starting a new product with it. I use Paula's Choice 1% and am getting the toner soon--I hear great things!

TTO I use to be holistic only. This stuff works really well on cysts. However its best to dilute it though I never did :/ which is prob why I got neg results when using more than twice a day. It dries my cyst/pimple into a really hard lump that flattens but becomes a visible hard surface like there is a tiny flat stone under my skin!! Watch out for over use and get 100% Australian TTO (not brands that mix oils together!)

Edited by diareads, 12 June 2012 - 10:58 PM.

[Acnesufferer26]

I like tto al ot but I have to dilute it or it makes it worse. and the brand really does matter.

I dont use bp bc it just dries out my skin and makes my acne worse. and the even worse one is salicyclic acid just makes my face red. IT is up to each individual what works for one may not work for another. JUst try them all and see which one you prefer. this is all just my opinion. personally I LIke willow bark (the unaltered version of salcycic acid) way better than most chemical based saliycic acid.

good luck

[Green Gables]

If BP gives you good results but you don't want to deal with it bleaching your clothes...get a prescription from your doctor for a sodium sulfematacide cream. It gave me similar results to BP with less hassle.

Edited by Green Gables, 18 June 2012 - 04:29 PM.

[ramblinrose]

i have some 100% tea tree oil that i am going to dilute & use instead of the noxzema face pads that i have been using for a long time. all the products ive used b4 have SA in it so i'm thinking the SA hasnt been helping my skin at all. i'm going to give the natural products a try & start over with my skin b4 i decide if i want or need to reintroduce any harsh, drying or irritating chemical agents.

[Srsly]

I tried tea tree cleanser fro body shop after 5 days of use i got like 20 zits, stopped using it and they are all going away.

[Maximus Decimus Merideous]

BP 100% IMO

[ramblinrose]

i started using the tea tree oil today. we'll see what happens! i used filtered bottled water to soak a cotton pad then i added 20 drops of the TTO and used that after cleansing my face with dr bronner's baby soap.

[Murph89]

Tea tree oil has done nothing for my skin. I've tried 100% and organic. BP has always been harsh for my skin but it does stop a pimple from forming,but I HATE the red mark it ALWAYS leaves. Right now and for past week ive been using Paulas choice 1% BHA aka salicylic acid GEL. I apply it every night after I cleanse followed by emu oil. I love it. It has made my skin super smooth and has gotten rid of virtually all of my clogged pores. Yes I purged but I was expecting that because the stuff in the pores has to come out. It's reducing my red marks as well. The gel has green tea and other soothing ingredients. The lotion however irritated the hell out of my skin. It was horrible. The gel I love though. They can send you samples for .50$ if you want to try it. I highly recommend the gel in a 1%. They also sell a 2% but I dont feel it's necessary for me.

Edited by Murph89, 20 June 2012 - 12:56 PM.

[ramblinrose]

well i guess i used too many drops!! i could smell the tto all day & didnt wash that night because my skin still felt like it was healing. if that makes sense? today i used just 10 drops and soaked the cotton pad with cold water from my bottle in the fridge. it's filtered water from the cooler so it was free! my skin didnt feel as tingly and thruout the day it seemed much calmer. i will just wash my face b4 bed & use moisturizer, no tto.

[ikucukkus]

• I think benzoyl peroxide loses its effect after a while (I used La Roche Posay's Effaclar Duo).
• Tea tree oil, on the other hand, is quiet effective when it comes to spot treatment (I used The Body Shop's tea tree oil).
• Finally, my favorite is salicylic acid (I used La Roche Posay's Effaclar K) when used on entire face. It surely unclogs pores, fades away acne scars (yes it does but I am not saying that it's a product directly for scarring treatment).

All in all, I would recommend salicylic acid but I am not saying that you shouldn't use benzoyl peroxide or any other product that doesn't/didn't work for me/for any one. I think the best way to a working regimen is trial and error. Nobody, even a board certified dermatologist, yes you heard me right, can identify whether a product will work for you or not. Yes they can be more accurate with their predictions about the products to be used but there is no guarantee that they'll work for you. So once you think you found a product that is just right for you (after making a thorough research about it), buy it, use it for a while (at least for 4 weeks or even more depending on the product) then make a conclusion about it.

[Ghost08]

I use BP & TTO.