Topical Keratolytic
Acne.org’s Real World Take
Due to its antimicrobial properties and ability to absorb skin oil and dry out the skin, sulfur has been used for thousands of years for various skin conditions, including acne. However, it is normally reserved for noninflammatory acne (whiteheads and blackheads), because it doesn't work as well as other over-the-counter medications for inflammatory acne (papules and pustules).
Topical Keratolytic
How to Get It
This is an over-the-counter treatment. Here are some places you can find it online.
Used Sulfur? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
July 9, 2013
Product used: Grisi (Sulfur Soap With Lanolin For Acne)
Not for me
Cons:
Made skin very dry
Caused break outs
I've been struggling with acne for years now, and in the past I used a sulfur regimen that helped but made my skin dry and flaky. Now that I have a good moisturizer I decided to give sulfur another go, but unfortunately this made my acne worse. My skin became very dry even with moisturizer and my face broke out horribly. My mom even told me to quit using whatever I had been using because my skin looked so bad. I gave it two months and then quit. It was very cheap though and the bar lasts a long time.
April 20, 2013
Product used: Proactiv Solution (Refining Mask)
Pros:
-Reduces size of acne
Cons:
-Dries skin out
-Hard to remove
-Takes a while to work
-Irritates my skin
I really don't like this stuff because of the reasons above. It dries out my face and causes a lot of redness to my very sensitive skin, it's hard to remove, and when you do remove it requires so much friction that it irritates my skin even further. More than that, it takes a while to work, I normally see results in about a week.
March 12, 2013
Product used: Proactiv Solution (Refining Mask)
Pros:
Made redness go down.
Pimple size decreased.
Cons:
Costs too much.
Doesn't work all the time.
Works sometimes.
January 13, 2013
Product used: Murad (Acne Complex)
Pros:
Doesn't stain clothing like benzoyl peroxide.
Cons:
Is not strong enough for me
You can get stronger products in the store. Neutrogena makes products with salicylic acid. They make a gel that's 1% stronger then murads. Also neutrogena makes cleanser that's 0.5% stronger then murads. Cheaper then murad with no shipping and handling. If this doesn't work go to a dermatologist.
October 20, 2012
Product used: KAVI (Coral KAVI)
Pros:
Doesn't smell of sulfur
Bar lasts long
Lathers nicely
Rinses clean
Cons:
No decrease in oil production
Dries out the skin (nothing a lil moisturizer cant fix)
No decrease in acne
I really wish I could promote this product... I wanted it to be my miracle. When I first started it, my skin felt amazing. Soft, breakouts seemed to be somewhat under control, then as I got more into the bar, my face started breaking out terribly. First with papules (flesh colored bumps that stick around FOREVER.. and if you try to pop them/remove them they turn into big reg angry zits). I saw no reduction in oil production. The outter layers of the bar are mostly SA and the soap base, and the more you get to the center of the bar you can visually see all the little deposits of sulfur.. my guess is that maybe the sulfur is causing the breakouts for me.
August 29, 2012
Product used: Grisi (Sulfur Soap With Lanolin For Acne)
Pros:
Low Price
Cons:
Clogs Pores
Smell - Not at first, but later on the towel
Hassel to use - leave on for 10 minutes before rinsing
Burns eyes
I purchased this for my 16 year old son because of the good reviews. He used it for 4 weeks and his skin is getting increasingly worse (red rashy bumps). I do think it helped a little with blackheads. We wanted to give it a full 8 weeks, but then I researched lanolin. "Lanolin and its derivatives ranked a four out of five when rated on a five point scale, with ingredients rated five as having the most probability of clogging pores". So, once again, we're on to something new.
June 8, 2015
Try African black soap
June 1, 2012
Product used: Peter Thomas Roth (Blemish Buster Kit)
Pros:
AHAs and BHAs
Promote cell turnover
Cons:
Expensive
Way too drying
Made acne worse around chin and jaw
Made face red and flakey
I bought this a year ago hoping it's work for me. The kit together was rubbish! Perhaps if used separately over a long period of time it's work. However, it just was really drying and made my acne around jaw and chin worse. Made my skin look dry and unhealthy and red and chalky and old and awful!
February 23, 2012
Product used: Proactiv Solution (Refining Mask)
Pros:
Dries out your pimple very little
Cons:
Smell
Doesn't work very well
This mask is nothing compared to Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque, which I reccomend!! The refining mask is not very good at drying out pimples.
February 20, 2012
Product used: KAVI (Coral KAVI)
Pros:
Helped with body acne (bacne)
Cons:
Dried out face
Made me break out
Whiteheads everywhere
I read all the great reviews on Kavi products and was excited to try them out. Unfortunately, I was left very disappointed. The Coral soap was way too harsh and drying for my skin, it made me break out with a ton of white heads on my face. And my skin is NOT sensitive. It did help with my bacne though, I used on my body with decent results. Way too strong for my face though.
January 2, 2012
Product used: KAVI (Coral KAVI)
Pros:
cleanses fine, cheap
Cons:
didn't help acne, smells awful
despite what some will tell you, the sulfur smell lingers, even if you wash w/ another cleanser afterwards (I must have an overly sensitive sniffer, but I certainly can smell it even hours later). but for me, it just didn't work. i've used a prescription sulfur product w/ great success in the past, but I seemed to gradually become resistant to it, as it eventually stopped working. perhaps i'm now resistant to all sulfur? my own experience aside, you should dfn. give it a whirl. its cheap and has some powerful ingredients in it. ( i dont think it's too natural, though..)
Pros:
Cheap