I'm in week 3 of quitting benzoyl peroxide after about 6 months because it had completely ruined my moisture barrier and gave me sensitized skin. Most people who stop mention that between week 3 and 5 they start getting really bad breakouts, often with unusual acne.
The reality is that benzoyl peroxide of course doesn't cure acne, just treats the symptom of a larger issue (either hormones or some gut issue ). When you use bp for a long time your acid mantle is destroyed and your skin becomes dehydrated, causing your skin to produce more oil. So without the bp keeping the acne at bay, your skin is just not strong enough to keep acne at bay.
Also,if you read through many of the descriptions of the types of acne people get when they stop, most sound like fungal acne (which is why people say is different from their normal acne). So they try to treat it like normal acne which does not work.
I have been trying to heal my damaged and dehydrated skin in preparation for the possibility of getting fungal acne. It takes about 28 days for skin to heal itself. My skin has been pretty good but since Monday I have broken out a bit more with bigger types of red acne that may or may not be fungal. I'm freaking out a litlle of course but hoping it doesn't get too bad and that healing my skin will help in the long run. I prepared for getting fungal acne by reading simpleskincarescience.com, where there is a massive guide about how to treat fungal acne. My advice is to limit the bp you use by doing short contact therapy ( leave on for 10 mins before washing off) and starting to use products to heal your skin barrier. Stock up on stuff for if your skin breaks out in fungal acne.
Benzoyl peroxide is a horrible product and I regret ever using it. I know people don't like hearing about it, but acne is usually a sign of some problem with your gut and diet. Inflammation and insulin are big causes of acne so read up on how you can fix your gut and lower insulin.

Hey,

I've had a very similar history, except my mom stopped me from using Accutane when I was desperate. I was on the regimen for 7.5 years and was 100% clear all those years.I amnow 26 years old.The last year or so,I've beenmore lax with the regimen and I would missa couple applications a week, either due to laziness after a long day at work or for social occasions. I found that if I missed enough in one week, just like you mentioned, I would get a pimple or two, although I didn't care because they would clear up in a couple days when I made sure to use the bp twice a day for a few days straight.

8 weeks agofrom today I decidedto moveon fromthe regimen. I was honestly nervous, but I had faith that God was leading me so that took off a lot of pressure. I was prepared for the best and the worst, but having something to stand on where my identity and value is not based on the condition of my face and knowing that good will come out of all this even if things start to look bad on the surface has given me enough strength to keep pressing forward. I threw away all of my acne.org supplies so that I couldn't turn back if things got challenging.

This has been my experience. It only took a few days to get my first bump, but nothing that noticeable for the first couple weeks. After a few weeks, I began to get breakouts with bigger and more painful bumps, but still nothing too crazy. After a month I noticed that my skin texture was changing due to clogged pores in oily areas.Strangely, I've been getting minoracne in areas where I never used the lotion, such as my neckand under my eyebrows. During the second month, each week consisted of a breakout and then a period of healing for a few days, with each week seeming a little bit worse than the last. My worst breakout was week 6-7. I have a feeling that things are finally turning the corner for me at 8 weeks. It is taking time but my patience is paying off.

Depending on your current mindset, you might end up panicking when things get worse and turn back to the regimen, especially if you are expecting things to resolve in only a few weeks. Old feelings begin to surface when the acne returns. For me personally, I was so insecure about my skin from years of acne that if it weren't for growth in my faith I would have given up by now. It has been a learning experience and I don't regret the decision to quit. I look forward to sharing my updates again soon.

Hi there. I have been taking isotretinoin for the last 6 months and before I started I searched desperately for skin care or advice that actually works. I am not a teenager so cannot and do not want to use bog standard products on my skin but knew I had to stop certain things. I have therefore written a few blog posts about my experience and products I found really helpful. If you wanted to check it out that would be great!http://[link removed]

On 4/7/2018 at 4:52 PM, jared1409 said:

Hey,

I've had a very similar history, except my mom stopped me from using Accutane when I was desperate. I was on the regimen for 7.5 years and was 100% clear all those years.I amnow 26 years old.The last year or so,I've beenmore lax with the regimen and I would missa couple applications a week, either due to laziness after a long day at work or for social occasions. I found that if I missed enough in one week, just like you mentioned, I would get a pimple or two, although I didn't care because they would clear up in a couple days when I made sure to use the bp twice a day for a few days straight.

8 weeks agofrom today I decidedto moveon fromthe regimen. I was honestly nervous, but I had faith that God was leading me so that took off a lot of pressure. I was prepared for the best and the worst, but having something to stand on where my identity and value is not based on the condition of my face and knowing that good will come out of all this even if things start to look bad on the surface has given me enough strength to keep pressing forward. I threw away all of my acne.org supplies so that I couldn't turn back if things got challenging.

This has been my experience. It only took a few days to get my first bump, but nothing that noticeable for the first couple weeks. After a few weeks, I began to get breakouts with bigger and more painful bumps, but still nothing too crazy. After a month I noticed that my skin texture was changing due to clogged pores in oily areas.Strangely, I've been getting minoracne in areas where I never used the lotion, such as my neckand under my eyebrows. During the second month, each week consisted of a breakout and then a period of healing for a few days, with each week seeming a little bit worse than the last. My worst breakout was week 6-7. I have a feeling that things are finally turning the corner for me at 8 weeks. It is taking time but my patience is paying off.

Depending on your current mindset, you might end up panicking when things get worse and turn back to the regimen, especially if you are expecting things to resolve in only a few weeks. Old feelings begin to surface when the acne returns. For me personally, I was so insecure about my skin from years of acne that if it weren't for growth in my faith I would have given up by now. It has been a learning experience and I don't regret the decision to quit. I look forward to sharing my updates again soon.

Thanks for your response.

Have you managed to keep off the regimen? Has your breakouts stopped?

I'm glad you've got faith helping you, good luck.

On 4/4/2018 at 2:35 PM, Pinkhathat said:

I'm in week 3 of quitting benzoyl peroxide after about 6 months because it had completely ruined my moisture barrier and gave me sensitized skin. Most people who stop mention that between week 3 and 5 they start getting really bad breakouts, often with unusual acne.
The reality is that benzoyl peroxide of course doesn't cure acne, just treats the symptom of a larger issue (either hormones or some gut issue ). When you use bp for a long time your acid mantle is destroyed and your skin becomes dehydrated, causing your skin to produce more oil. So without the bp keeping the acne at bay, your skin is just not strong enough to keep acne at bay.
Also,if you read through many of the descriptions of the types of acne people get when they stop, most sound like fungal acne (which is why people say is different from their normal acne). So they try to treat it like normal acne which does not work.
I have been trying to heal my damaged and dehydrated skin in preparation for the possibility of getting fungal acne. It takes about 28 days for skin to heal itself. My skin has been pretty good but since Monday I have broken out a bit more with bigger types of red acne that may or may not be fungal. I'm freaking out a litlle of course but hoping it doesn't get too bad and that healing my skin will help in the long run. I prepared for getting fungal acne by reading simpleskincarescience.com, where there is a massive guide about how to treat fungal acne. My advice is to limit the bp you use by doing short contact therapy ( leave on for 10 mins before washing off) and starting to use products to heal your skin barrier. Stock up on stuff for if your skin breaks out in fungal acne.
Benzoyl peroxide is a horrible product and I regret ever using it. I know people don't like hearing about it, but acne is usually a sign of some problem with your gut and diet. Inflammation and insulin are big causes of acne so read up on how you can fix your gut and lower insulin.

Thanks for you response.

Okay, I've never really read into fungal acne, but I will do before I come off using BP.

How's your skin doing now?