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Has anyone, after getting clear skin with BP, had success with tapering off of BP - for example, dropping from 10% concentration to 5%, 2.5% and eventually 0% (none)?
My skin is almost clear with a 10% strength bp product (the only strength that has helped). After a certain period of staying clear, I plan to taper off like in the above example.
Thanks. 
Not really. You haven't solved the internal problem that is causing acne with BP.
The only time I have seen anyone succeed is if they have either made some internal changes that stop the cause of acne, or if their hormones managed to sort of "magically" settle down while they were on BP.
Exceptions would be if your acne just came from some one-time freak infection that didn't heal. Then maybe it won't come back. But for most it stems from a more long-term cause.
Great. But diet/lifestyle/internal factors alone have never been enough to keep my skin clear. Only in conjunction with BP or antibiotics has this worked.
Internal factors considered alone = acne
no internal factors considered + bp/antibiotics = acne
internal factors considered + bp or antibiotics = (almost) acne free
I don't recommend eliminating the BP completely. In my experience, 2.5% BP is equally as effective as 10%.
It may be possible for you to "taper" to the 5% or even the 2.5%, but why mess with something that works?
Just a thought.
Brit
Fair points. 
I feel like, whilst my skin is pretty much clear, it doesn't look that good (due to BP). I also feel that there will be long term side effects by using it, regardless of whether there is evidence of this or not (haven't researched it). I just want to be clear without having to use anything, only needing to wash my face 1x per day etc. That's how I would define being "clear". This BP situation is just like long-term antibiotic use for acne, relying on it only for the acne to return once you stop taking it. Except a topical/BP isn't as bad of a method, I guess.
I know exactly what you mean.
The clearest my skin has been was while I was taking Doxycycline (an antibiotic). Even though it cleared my skin significantly (it was far from perfect), I wasn't comfortable taking it long-term so I stopped taking it.. of course my acne was back in full-force in no time.
I've also tried a BP regimen a few times. Unfortunately, my skin is too sensitive and it simply won't tolerate it.
If you really want to go off the BP, go for it. The worst that's going to happen is your acne may find its way back. You can always spot-treat or try using something a little more mild (like salycylic acid or tea tree oil) or even using the BP just once a day rather than twice.
Good luck!
Like GreenGables mentions in her post. Your acne is caused by something internal. Think of the BP as a bandaid. The only reason you are not experiencing new break outs is because of the BP. If you are able to figure out what the internal problem is and fix that your golden. It may be diet or hormones, or allergies or sensitivities to something. You could see an allergist or your dermatologist and get some testing done. You can see an endocronigist and have them look into your hormones. Something is askew which is causing the ance. BP is just treating your pores. Ensuring that they stay clear, which mean no breakouts. Once that BP is out of the equation it's likely you will see acne cropping up quickly.
Studies have shown that 2.5% BP is just as effective as 10% BP. You could lower down to the 2.5 and try once a day and see if you can maintain the clear skin. I understand BP can make the texture of your skin, sort of leathery. If that's your problem you could try incorporating AHA.
Like mentioned above, unless your body magically fixed what ever is out of balance. Unfortunatly acne could be In your future. I think you'll get a good idea of how your skin will react within a few weeks out cutting out the BP if not sooner. Have you tried using tea tree oil or SA? Or are you hoping to use zero products? Besides a face wash once a day? You should wash your face 2 times a day to keep it clean. Morning and night. With or without acne everyone should wash their face 2x daily.
Great. But diet/lifestyle/internal factors alone have never been enough to keep my skin clear. Only in conjunction with BP or antibiotics has this worked.
Internal factors considered alone = acne
no internal factors considered + bp/antibiotics = acne
internal factors considered + bp or antibiotics = (almost) acne free
Okay, then I'm not exactly sure what you're hoping. Apparently you have to take BP to stay clear, and you've said that the lower concentration is what worked for you. To quote you, 10% is "(the only strength that has helped)".
So since nothing has changed in the equation, why do you think your skin will stay clear when you go back to a lower concentration, which you already said didn't work?
If you're just looking for a replacement topical, there are always topical antibiotics (less side effects than oral) or acids, as have already been mentioned.
I get the sense that you believe that after some indeterminate period of time of using BP, that your acne will just stop or reduce, thus allowing you to "taper". And as I said before, unless your acne stemmed from a one-time freak infection, or if your body radically changed its hormone levels recently (which can happen at certain points due to the aging process), or your diet/lifestyle is significantly different...then this is generally not the case. For whatever reason, your body will probably still produce just as much acne as it did before BP.
Great. But diet/lifestyle/internal factors alone have never been enough to keep my skin clear. Only in conjunction with BP or antibiotics has this worked.
Internal factors considered alone = acne
no internal factors considered + bp/antibiotics = acne
internal factors considered + bp or antibiotics = (almost) acne free
Okay, then I'm not exactly sure what you're hoping. Apparently you have to take BP to stay clear, and you've said that the lower concentration is what worked for you. To quote you, 10% is "(the only strength that has helped)".
So since nothing has changed in the equation, why do you think your skin will stay clear when you go back to a lower concentration, which you already said didn't work?
If you're just looking for a replacement topical, there are always topical antibiotics (less side effects than oral) or acids, as have already been mentioned.
I get the sense that you believe that after some indeterminate period of time of using BP, that your acne will just stop or reduce, thus allowing you to "taper". And as I said before, unless your acne stemmed from a one-time freak infection, or if your body radically changed its hormone levels recently (which can happen at certain points due to the aging process), or your diet/lifestyle is significantly different...then this is generally not the case. For whatever reason, your body will probably still produce just as much acne as it did before BP.
If I get and maintain clear skin from the very beginning, and then slowly (not tried this before) decrease the BP concentration until none, who knows. Only one way to find out. Until then no one can say for sure. This process would likely be over the course of 6-12 months.
I need to start showing my body the conditions that it needs to be clear in. My body isn't going to know how to get clear when it is always subject to the variable of BP on my skin - it no longer knows what less (or no) BP is like, and so it won't be able to adapt. IMO, the more variables you change (through antibiotics/topicals), the longer it's going to take for your body to grow out of acne - since it doesn't even know what the normal bodily variables are, and then won't be able to adapt to them.
We'll see. The body, within a certain degree, adapts to any stimulus you give it. E.g. total amount of exercise & muscle soreness, hot climates, cold climates, water intake & hydration levels, total caloric intake and metabolism etc etc. The skin isn't going to be any different.
In 2009, I remember my doctor saying that once my skin was clear on antibiotics, I'd be able to slowly reduce the dosage over time until I didn't need it. I never actually got around to doing that because I was careless, so I'll never know if it would've worked or not. Though I do know a friend that it worked for.