Topical Antibacterial
Reviews
3.5
20781 Reviews
Topical Antibacterial
Efficacy
54%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
1
2
3
4
5
Note: Benzoyl peroxide clears the skin completely when applied correctly.
Topical Antibacterial
Side Effects
Low-Medium
Topical Antibacterial
Acne.org’s Real World Take
It’s been a staple of acne treatment for decades for a reason. When used properly it can completely clear the skin. It is widely available and affordable. Comes with side effects for the first few weeks and can bleach fabric.
Topical Antibacterial
How to Get It
This is an over-the-counter treatment. Here are some places you can find it online.
Read All About Benzoyl Peroxide
Compare To Other Treatments
5
31.3%
4
25%
3
17.2%
2
12.5%
1
14%

Used Benzoyl Peroxide? Rate It:

Choose from 1 to 5 stars
September 24, 2014
You can buy this on other sites
The product is great, the company and their service is awful, but I found you can purchase this at certain malls at kiosks (google xout kiosk and it has a zip code search) as well as on ebay (usually cheaper) and amazon (usually about the same or a few dollars more). I stopped using this product because even though it cleared up five years of acne in two weeks, it made me extremely sensitive to the light and I had to stop using it. I was scared to moisturize in fear that it would cause more acne, but now I'm moisturizing day and night and I'm able to use it again without the sensitivity. I would recommend it as long as you promise to moisturize!!
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July 16, 2014
Crooks
These people piss me the hell off because when you sign up to pay for it their all "it's just a simple one time, non-monthly payment of 30$ for you to try out" then they throw in all these little thing like "take these vitamins here and this face mask and its all free!!" then 3 weeks later you look at your account and you've been billed 40$ for the wash, 40$ for the pills, 40$ for this and 40$ for that; then when you try to return it, "it takes 4 to 6 weeks for your money to return" be which point you don't even give a f**k anymore. All for something that HARDLY EVEN WORKS! I will NEVER try OR recommend this to ANYONE AGAIN!!!!
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August 30, 2011

Pros:

None

Cons:

Burns and dries out skin

Don't order at all! This stuff doesnt work. Worst part is they won't stop charging me after already calling and canceling twice. They keep shipping more products and automatically charging my credit card. I hate calling because the customer service people are from indian and very hard to understand and they do not understand the word cancel. I don't even have acne...idk why I even ordered this in the first place.
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June 22, 2011

Pros:

-Cleans face well
-Good against breakouts
-Minimizes my pores

Cons:

-Doesn't work for majority of people
-Slow results
-Dries my face out

I've been using Proactiv for maybe over a year now. The upsides to Proactiv are that it really does clean your face. Whenever I'm done using the 3-step system, my face feels legitimately clean. It fights well against breakouts. When I have a bad breakout, I only use it once, it instantly looks better. Another thing is that it minimizes my pores. I went camping and when I came back my pores on my cheeks were huge. Then I used some Proactiv and it minimized my pores. Lastly, Proactiv's Highlight lotion works very well. My acne scars are going away day by day. The downsides of Proactiv are that it doesn't work for everyone. From all the reviews I've been reading, it doesn't seem to help many people at all. Another downside is that results are slow, which sucks because then you blow $40 a month on something that won't end up working for you. Also, it can dry out your skin a lot. I use it twice a day everyday and after a week or so my face will get all tight and dry. I have to stop using it for 4-5 days because my skin gets so dry. I hate that the only way to get rid of acne using Proactiv is by completely drying out your pimples. But it does work occasionally. All in all, unless Proactiv completely gets rid of my acne, I'm not gonna buy anymore. It's not worth it and I see so many people saying how much Proactiv has damaged their skin, I'm scared that it will damage mine. Well, I hope that helps!
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June 20, 2011

Pros:

None

Cons:

EVERYTHING!!

Proavtice dried my face!!! It turned my face red, and I should have never wasted my money on this piece of trash!! I hope the Proactive company gets sued!! I would rather use Cetaphil cream, it actually works!!
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February 12, 2011

Pros:

-Diminished whiteheads and blackheads

Cons:

-Left white residue
- dried out my skin
-Darkened my skin tone
-Left dark marks on my skin

When i first started to use this product it was working and it didn't exacly leave me with clear skin, it just made my whiteheads and blackheads smaller. After two weeks my skin started to get dark marks especially my forehead and my skin would peel of and be dry even though i put a moisterizer on it everyday. Then my skin became increasingly dark. It was during the winter and there was barely any sun out so that wasn't it. After a while i stoped using it and exfoliated my skin and my skin is now getting back to normal and my blemishes are leaving. This may work for you even though it didn't do much for me because everyone is different. My advice is to keep an open mind and keep trying until you find the right product for you.
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November 3, 2010

Pros:

Easy & effective!

Cons:

NOT ONE!

I have used this combo for YEARS and can't be without it! In the past I tried a multi step system as seen on TV and everything on store shelves and NOTHING has come close to these results. I have recommended this to countless people over the years and haven't found one person it doesn't work for - from mild cases of acne to severe ones. My son is now 21 and this kept his face clear thru high school - my daughter is 12 and I already have her started on the rountine as a preventative. I wish I could give it a higher rating than a 5. Try it - you won't be sorry you did
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October 31, 2010

Pros:

clears my skin, feels refreshing

Cons:

nothing!

Clinique 3 step acne system works wonderes!! I've used everything on my skin, i've tried every store product, i've even recently used Proactiv. Proactiv made everything WORSE!! my skin had never looked worse. I was horribly broken out all over my chin and jawline. I felt like thats all people could see, and i know my friends would never judge me, but i felt so low in my self confidence. I work in the beauty industry, doing hair, so i need to project an image of self confidence and clear skin is important. I've used Clinique before, but it was before they had the acne system, and even just the regular Clinique 3 step worked great. But the acne system works even better than anything i've ever used!! I've been using it for 5 days and already i've seen a major improvement in my skin. Proactiv could never work this fast, i dont care what they say. Clinique has already cleared up a good portion of my chin and jawline, decreased the redness, and even though it's slightly drying, it's made my skin look much better. Proactiv dried my skinh out so bad it was hurting. THANK YOU CLINIQUE for helping me improve my image! I feel so much better now that my skin is clearing. I will never switch to anything else! Clinique is the best!
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October 12, 2010

Pros:

This Product is AWESOME!!! It's Inexpensive compared to most other products on the Market today & other products don't even come close to possessing the same LEVEL OF EFFECTIVENESS! It's so GENTLE with it's Natural Ingredients that it feels good on your skin instead of stinging & burning like the others out there. I just can't say enough about a Product that has literally given my life back!!! Use like recommended though & stop using anything else along with it or you won't get desired res

Cons:

I can honestly say that I don't have a single Negative Comment about this Product or it's Seller!!! The only single Con that I can possibly think of is that I wouldn't want to run-out before ordering more, but fortunately this Seller also features lightening fast Shipping, so that's not to much of a worry! Just don't ever go out-of-business or stop selling this Product because my life would never be the same again!!! I can't BELIEVE that anyone would have anything NEGATIVE to say about thi

This Product is UNBELIEVABLE!!! I'm a 47 yr. old Female who has been suffering from the onset of late in life Acne & have tried everything including Prescription Medications with no real effectiveness until now! I have to admit that I was skeptical at 1st, but after only using a few days I could see my Acne ravaged skin starting to Clear-up with NO NEW BREAKOUTS on the Horizon! What a Wonderful Surprise & Relief!!! FINALLY, I had found something that really WORKS! My only regret is that I didn't find this WONDERFUL PRODUCT sooner, because I could have spared my skin from being subjected to a lot of HARSH INEFFECTIVE CHEMICALS & my Wallet would be a lot Fatter too!!! I've even tried the Nationally Advertised Big-named, Overpriced Product that's name begins with a "P" & 4 Shipments later of being rangled into their Membership Club, I was still suffering from the Terrible Acne that I had started with. When I called to finally cancel this Membership & Stop shipments I was told that we have a stronger Product that we don't usually tell our Customers about in the beginning that's more effective for more stubborn Acne, to try to keep me from canceling as a last ditch effort. GIVE ME A BREAK!!! That was the final straw, I was done, I vowed right then & there that I was not buying or ordering anymore Advertised Acne Products with there BIG PRICE TAGS & EMPTY PROMISES!!! Thank God, that's when I went on my quest to find something that did actually work & found CARLEY'S CLEAR & SMOOTH on Ebay where I'm also a Seller & just happened to think 1 day why not check-out what they have on there. Needless to say, I've never looked back since & am so ECSTATICLY HAPPY these days with Clearing Skin! Like the Bottle Instructions say, "Be Patient" because it does take some time to Kill off the Nasty Bacteria that causes Acne, get rid of all the impurities & residue left behind from the harsh chemicals from other products and finally to Heal! I CAN'T THANK ALL OF YOU ENOUGH A
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October 8, 2010

Pros:

gets rid of acne

Cons:

can be too strong

Holy crap, guys. This stuff WORKS. I decided to try it because of the good reviews from acne.org (the almost suspiciously good reviews) And because some huge dork of a man hit on me in the street and then proceeded to recommend a good face cleaning product, like, "hey you're cute, but you'd be cuter with better skin" -_- Oh dear, some people need to learn some manners. I've been using an extremely gentle face wash plus witch hazel, which has been not great and not bad. I'm a poor college student so I don't really want to spend lots of money on proactive, and my acne wasn't severe enough to make that investment. It might be important to mention that my skin hasn't been used to benzoyl peroxide for a while. SO, here are the details about my experience: it has been three days since purchasing this product and it has knocked out most of my acne. I woke up the first morning with very smooth skin but large pores and reddish cheeks. I made the mistake of washing with more Carley's, and sort of dried out my skin. It still looked better than before. I used the gentle cleansing wash I had from before that night to give my skin a break, and then intermittently used Carley's again. It's the third morning, and my skin looks great and isn't dried out. It's a tad itchy though, which I hope will go away with time. As long as you ease into it (if you're like me, as I have to get used to benzoyl peroxide) then good things will come :) Most likely. I NEVER write reviews online, but had to share this. I'm very pleased :)
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Finding a Doctor

The right dermatologist can make a big difference to your patient experience and the success of your acne treatment plan. Here are the steps to find a dermatologist who is a good fit:

  1. Use the search feature on the American Academy of Dermatology website to look for board-certified dermatologists in your area, and filter the search results for doctors with a special interest in treating acne.
  2. Read online patient reviews of any dermatologists you are considering and ask people you know whether they have any experience with these dermatologists.
  3. Do your research and go to your first appointment with questions prepared.
  4. Listen to what your gut feeling tells you once you see a dermatologist in person. If you are not completely comfortable, try a different dermatologist.

Finding a Doctor

Only a select few plastic surgeons specialize in acne scar revision surgery. Be certain to find a provider who specializes in acne scar repair and who is passionate and experienced in this area.

Be sure to:

  • Look at before and after photos, the more the better, especially patients with similar scarring to your own.
  • Be realistic about results. Look for improvement, not a cure.

Questions to ask a potential scar revision specialist:

  • Are you board certified? Be certain that they are board certified.
  • How long have you been performing these procedures? Normally, the more experience the better, however, some younger surgeons may be more on top of the latest procedures.
  • Can I speak to some of your other patients? Ask for references for several patients who had similar scarring and speak to them about the process and their satisfaction with results.

Red flags:

  • Their story changes: As you discuss different treatment options, if they tend to change their mind easily, or agree with whatever you say, consider this a red flag. A confident, experienced surgeon will possess strong, unwavering opinions.
  • Your gut tells you "no": Trust your gut. If you just don't feel that the doctor is the right fit, trust that and move on. On the other hand, if you feel they are the perfect specialist for you, trust that feeling.