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
August 17, 2014
Product used: Murad (Acne Complex)
THIS STUFF IS MAGIC
I am a teenage girl with lots of acne. I have been using this for about a week now. A week ago my skin looked like a red swollen mess with big zits everywhere that needed to be popped. Today, my skin is FLAWLESS! I am in love with Murad, IN LOVE! I love the way the clarifying cleanser feels on my face, it feels fresh and clean when I am done using it, and it smells good when it's on, it's easy to rub on and off of my face. Then, the next step feels like a nice lotion, but it's acne treatment/repair. I don't feel any burning or stinging with this one. The next Treatment and Repair step is if you have a prominent zit on your face, you apply it directly there. I noticed the size of my zit shrink in about 3 mins! At this point, I am not even needing that step though, my skin looks great, no more big zits!!! After about 3 days of applying that to the zit area they were all gone! I honestly believe that Murad is magic, at least for my skin. The lotion also feels good, and is GREAT sun protection! My only complaint is that Murad makes your face look a little shiny, so while using you may want to use a powder based foundation. But my face feels radiant! I have never felt so confident in my skin before! I LOVE this product and recommend it to everyone! If you are comparing this to Rodan and Fields or Clinique, look at my reviews for those, too (POST OF SHAME, and OUCH)! I hope this helped!
August 13, 2014
Product used: MyChelle (Clear Skin Spot Treatment)
Antiseptic Zinc/Sulfur
Tiny bottle, big deal ingredients. The clean, penetrating texture of the same line's serum in a potent, fast-healing combo.
August 12, 2014
Product used: Proactiv Solution (Refining Mask)
Yup, good stuff
Creamy texture, just enough drying, great spot treatment. Ok to sleep in.
June 30, 2014
Product used: Mario Badescu (Drying Lotion)
Liquid Pink
I always like to start off my acne product reviews by reminding everyone that there is not miracle product out there. Nothing is going to heal a pimple (or a whole face) in one night and leave you with the skin of 3 year old. Skin takes time to clean, clear, and heal itself. Now on to the product, this is the best overnight acne treatment I have found, ever. I picked this up at Ulta about six months ago and I really like it, I will continue to repurchase this as long as I keep getting pimples and they keep making it. I really just got my acne skin under control about 6-9 months ago, so I've been using this less and less, but this is about as close as you're gonna get to a pimple miracle because this will shrink your pimples overnight. I think this cuts a pimples life in half. I mean, if you normally get a pimple that lasts a week or more, put this on there and it will be dried up, not gone because the skin discoloration seems to linger, but 3 or 4 days tops. I love it and I would recommend this over any other topical spot acne treatment. Oh, if you have a popped pimple that you put this on, you may have a difficult time with it in morning because this stuff doesn't always come off once it's dried in your pimple stuff, even after you wash your face. This doesn't bother me because I wear makeup anyways, so I can usually just cover it. I put it on my skin when I feel like a pimple is coming up or start to see one, well before it ever gets big or a head on it and it really helps y'all. So buy this, it's on the pricier side but it works.
November 27, 2013
Product used: KAVI (Aqua KAVI)
favorite colloidal sulfur, less irritating on skin than the other version of KAVI soap
Cons:
costly, only available through online purchace
I'm forced to buy it in bulk of 12 bars but it lasts me forever
This is my primary acne treatment product! I no longer use prescription creams like I did for a decade. I use this once a day, every day but instructions say to wash twice a day, but I'm lazy with my skin regimen these days. This bar works for me well as breakout prevention. My skin stays mostly clear, but occasional breaks out do occur and I'll use more potent Coral Kavi and even spot treatments. You need to give a few months to see effects. Sulfur purges your skin by removing surface layer and initially it may look like it's breaking you out more. Don't forget to moisturize your skin after washing!
November 25, 2013
Product used: Murad (Acne Complex)
Amazing product
Pros:
Effective
Refreshing feel
Effective!
Cons:
Can dry out skin if not used properly
I have struggled with acne for years and have used everything under the stars to try and fix it. Ive used all natural organic products and ive used proactiv solution and nothing seemed to work as consistently as this product does. In the beginning stages my skin did NOT react to this product well. I used the face wash with my clarisonic and it was much too abrasive for my skin and I ended up braking out into a horribly uncomfortable rash. I stopped using murad for a couple of weeks and on my second attempt I used much more caution. I started to only use my hands to gently massage the face wash in and I made sure to buy a separate night mosturizer because although my skin is extremely oily, this product is very strong and can easily dry your face out. The key for me was to use a very good mosturizer after using this product. Now, my face has never been more clear.
December 8, 2015
Okay I'm doing exactly what you said you started out doing, the clarisonic with the cleanser and so on. But my skin is peeling a lot like a sun burn, did you go through this? And can you tell me a bit more of what you did to help and get such a good result? It's so embarrassing to have your face peel this badly.. Thanks !
October 6, 2013
Product used: Proactiv Solution (Refining Mask)
Perfect spot treatment
Pros:
Works overnight!
Helps my redness
Clears and closes pores
Honestly, the 3-step proactive system is bull honkey'" never worked for me, or a lot of people! This mask,however, is heaven sent. It is not for people who have very dry or brittle skin though, because it dries the skin out, that's how it works! I personally have medium to oily skin and tend to get a few bad pimples every month. I also have pretty bad black heads. I usually scrub my nose where most of my blackheads reside and put the mask in a thin later covering my nose. I go to bed, wake up, wash it off, and it's like my nose doesn't even HAVE pores. It sucks everything right out and closes the pores. I also put it on deep pimples to draw them out, or on the large painful ones to shrink them. It never dries my skin out because I do have oily skin. It also helps with my redness. I love using this overnight mask to treat problem pimples fast. My favorite acne product.
September 30, 2013
Product used: Proactiv Solution (Refining Mask)
Can't live without it
Pros:
Shrinks pimples.
Reduces redness.
Cheap compared to dept store brands.
Cons:
Drying if used over entire face.
This is an amazing spot treatment. The instructions say to leave it on for 10 minutes. If I apply it to my entire face (I very rarely do) then I use it for about 20-30 minutes. This will help clear acne but it is very drying and usually results in a flaky face the next day. If I use it as a spot treatment, as I usually do, I will leave it on overnight and typically wake to a reduced pimple size and less redness. So, no, your blemish will not evaporate overnight, but it will be less noticeable. This is my must-have--I hate all other Proactiv products, but this one is a keeper.
September 30, 2013
Product used: Bye Bye Blemish (Drying Lotion)
Great spot treatment
Pros:
Dries out pimples--not your skin
This stuff works. No, it's not a miracle cure. Let's be realistic. It's a spot treatment. I've used this before by applying it to all of my active acne before bed and I've always noticed a dramatic improvement by morning. I even apply a very thin layer to my t-zone to help combat oiliness. I found this at my grocery store. For the price, you simply can't go wrong.
September 3, 2013
Best remedy ever !!!
Pros:
quick effect
removes pores and cysts completely
extremely cheap
Cons:
dries skin
Please try it! I've been suffering from acne for the last 12 years. I've tried everything: hormone therapy, Skinoren, Zineryt, azelaic acid, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, zinc (topical), erythromicine, laser therapy, photo therapy, vegetarianism, toothpaste, baking soda, vinegar, garlic (topical), aspirin, salt, urine therapy (topical), oral antibiotics etc. Nothing really hepled. I've been applying sulphur on my whole face for the last two and a half months. My SEVERE acne is ALMOST GONE. I bought sulfur from a drug-store. It looks like yellow powder. I mixed it a little bit of simple face cream similar to nivea. I put this paste on my washed skin two or three times a week. You have to do it while you're home, because you can not go outside with this on your face.
The cysts I had were so deep and painful that I sometimes couldn't sleep with my face on the pillow. It was the only thing that really helped me. My pores are now ALL GONE. Only a few scars from FORMER HUGE CYSTS are still there but they are getting smaller and fading away. My skin hasn't been so smooth since 2005. It's totally changing my life now...
If you are scared to put it on the whole face, then put it first only on the biggest cysts. You'll see a huge difference especially if you do it for a few consecutive nights. Remember to use more hydrating creme or lotion during the day, because supfur makes the skin drier. By the way the whole thing costed me less than 3 euro so far.
Pros:
no smell, good lather, washes off easy
does not dry or irritate my skin type like other sulfure products tend to do