I have moderate to semi-severe body acne on my upper arms, shoulders, chest (mostly upper), and back (mostly upper). Naturally, my skin is itchy and dry from the acne products I use. Cetaphil has always had great reviews, and is claimed to be non-comedogenic. Currently, I've used the regular lotion and the daily Cetaphil daily advance lotion (which is for dry/sensitive skin). I also have the cream as well, but have yet to use it on my body. I started using the lotion a few weeks ago and noticed it was actually causing me to breakout with little tiny whiteheads (which I didn't have before) and some pretty big, hard, red zits. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this before when using this product and why it would cause breakouts if it's supposedly gentle andnon-comedogenic? I understand that the skin goes through a purging process, where it adjusts to the new products being used, but it doesn't make sense that this type of product would cause the skin to purge since it's just lotion and there's no actual treatment medicine (such as salicylic acid, or benzoyl peroxide) in it.
Since the breakouts, I've stopped using the lotion and my acne has gone back to it's regular state.
So you are using Cetaphil brand non-comedogenic form, then a regular lotion, and another topical cream?
I'm clueless to any lotion I've come across having benzoyl peroxide as an active ingredient. If you let a highly oxidative peroxide to sit on your skin and dry eventually if consistent enough you'll just start getting wide spread irritation or a minor chemical burn from oxidative damage.
For my back I've just stuck to a thick bristled brush and some elbow grease and water. I'm someone who is a minimalist with using a lot of various body washes, shampoos, conditioners, and acne wash unless it's after exercising then that's disrespectful to yourself to not wash up.
I would try to frequently rinse your face with water periodically throughout the day. I picked it up from a few close friends a while back and I've never used any lotion for dry skin issues since.
I have never heard of using cetaphil for body acne. But I've heard many times that using a bar soap or body wash with benzoyl peroxide is very effective. Also make sure you only use ONE type of non-comedogenic moisturizing lotion after. The cetaphil oil-control kind should be all you need.