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
October 5, 2012
Product used: Murad (Acne Complex)
Cons:
spot treatment left terrible marks behind
used this when i was younger... still have scars from the horrible acne and scabs it gave me. i used it for a couple of months, and at that time my acne was moderately severe. the spot treatment is what caused the burns, scabs, and now scars, they have faded, and are gone with some makeup, but i have one above my eyebrow that i have cut bangs to cover. I did not apply too much, it just caused a horrible reaction. also, my skin never stopped "purging" even though i was on it for a little under three months.
September 27, 2012
Product used: Murad (Acne Complex)
Pros:
- may clear light acne for a few months
- cleanses
- moisturizer is creamy and light
Cons:
- leaves skin looking aged
- cleanser, toner, and leave-in spot treatment smells horrible
- after a few months moderate and severe acne would return
- cleanser isn't strong (takes two washes for me to remove makeup)
I've been using the complete set of Murad Acne Complex for over 2 YEARS now.For about the first 6 months I saw some improvement ( about a 30%-45% decrease in acne- and I had black and whiteheads).But afterwards for the next year I didn't see much of an improvement and felt that it had hit a plateau.And up till now (for the past 6 months) it has only gotten worse.I have twice as much acne as before and I'll occasionally will get cystic acne (something I NEVER had before).Also the wash smells like a combination of oranges and acid, and the leave-in spot treatment smells strongly of sulfur.Besides the untreated acne, the smell has to be second-most embarrassing.I would try to use the spot treat all over my face in hopes of reducing my acne, but those around me (when near my face [hugging, kissing], or even when I laid on a pillow) would complain of the smell. A bad-smelling face should NOT compensate for acne treatment. Unfortunately I'm still using Murad until I can find a cleanser that works.I'm thinking about trying Black African soap, and if that doesn't work I'll try going back to Proactive - Yes PROACTIVE, something that I stopped using 5 years ago due to it being too harsh. But I feel that I have no other choice. I'd rather have a dry face than one that smells so bad I can't be near my friends. The only time I would recommend this is if you have LIGHT acne and is suffering from a flare-up, and I would only recommend the cleanser and the moisturizer. And when applying make-up you would have to wait about 10 mins for the moisturizer to absorb in the skin. I felt like I wasted two years of my life and now I don't know where to go concerning my face.I would visit the Derm, but last time they only gave me a bunch of random topical medicines that left my face extremely irritated and when they prescribed me Minocin I was constantly sick (nauseous, stomach cramps, dizziness) and left me with a very ODD case of skin discoloration.Tha
August 26, 2012
Product used: Murad (Acne Complex)
Pros:
NO PROS
Cons:
I HAD LIGHT ACNE UNTIL I USED THIS! IT IS NOW MODERATELY SEVERE!
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, DON'T USE THIS! I would rate this a zero if I could.
August 15, 2012
Product used: Murad (Acne Complex)
Pros:
None
Cons:
has a purging period
made my acne worse
did not work
the gel irritated my skin
I've had acne since i was 14, I'm now 18 and recently it has gotten worse. I used this product for three months and i made my skin worse! It caused bumps all ever my forehead which i never had before. It caused bumps everywhere which turned to cystic acne and my my skin looked ugly and worse. I would not recommend this to anyone. I just stopped using it 3 days ago and started the Exposed Acne System and it had already improved my skin AMAZINGLY. Murad did not work for me it made everything worse.
August 8, 2012
Product used: Proactiv Solution (Refining Mask)
Pros:
Nothing
Cons:
Horrible smell
Does absolutely nothing positive to my face
The horrible egg smell ... I do not recommend ANYTHING from Proactiv.
July 29, 2012
Product used: KAVI (Coral KAVI)
Pros:
Mild Smell
Nice Lather
Cons:
Online Buying
Didn't Work!
I bought this for my teenage son because of the good reviews. He's been using it for 2 weeks and his acne continues to get worse every day - red and very inflamed. I thought it just might be the purging stage, but Kavi customer service said his skin should not be getting worse. It must just be too harsh for his combination skin. Very disappointing!
June 23, 2012
Product used: Murad (Acne Complex)
Pros:
Feels like its working
Cons:
-Causes extremely dry face
-The dryness causes more acne
-Redness
I bought this product and was so excited at 1st. Within the 1st 4 days my skin was so dry that it hurt! It was peeling off and I couldn't go out... And with the dryness I had to put lotion on to ease the pain witch only caused more acne -___-
Don't buy this is litterly ruins your face... I was like you once... Hesitating on whether I should buy this or not. But let me tell you not to. I don't know why other people are saying it worked but for me my skin is so dry and red.
June 22, 2012
Product used: Murad (Acne Complex)
Pros:
NONE
Cons:
WILL make you break out badly, more often, more severe than ever before, and in places you never broke out before.
I wish I could jump into a Deloreon and go back 7 years before I ever put this awful stuff on my face. I had very light breakouts that were pretty much gone (I was 24) and very light post acne marks/enlarged pores on my cheeks that bothered me. Damn that stupid infomercial selling this false miracle cream--I got suckered into ruining my skin.
Because I this stuff, I got horrible acne that never went away. My skin is now very oily and the breakouts that popped up in new places are still frequent visitors on my face. Because of this stuff, I have never had a 100% clear skin day. My texture got weird, my skin always feels greasy now and the scars it has left is just shattering. This completely ruined my skin and I have yet to find a solution to undo this damage. Zero stars if I could. I personally despise Dr. Murad now :(
June 2, 2012
Product used: Murad (Acne Complex)
Pros:
doesnt smell like bad.
Cons:
everything!!!!
please never use this product! i never write reviews but i rly feel i need to put this out there if it prevents one person from what this did to me then this will be a benificial review! i had very light acne mostly clogged pores bumps and blackheads and the occasional white head i figured i wouldnt need to do much research because of this but i wish i did now! i started using murad and it claims you have a "purging phase" so when i started getting severe cystic acne which i never had before i figured it was all the gunk coming out of my pores. a month later my face looked like a war zone swollen and very painfull. with this i called and they tol me i should see results soon it usually takes up to two months for clear skin i kept at it in hopes my face was on the way to clear. 2 and a half months later fave still painfull swollen and cystic acne everywhere i stopped using it! i havnt use this product in 2 months now and my face is just starten to come around but im left with dozens of scars on my cheeks and jawline! this product ruined my face! PLEASE BEWARE! i would not wish this on my worst enemy! i dont even understand how this product is still being sold it is lethal if ya ask me!
May 28, 2012
Product used: Murad (Acne Complex)
Pros:
smells kinda good
nice cool feeling
Cons:
gel made my face really greasy
EVERYTHING
DONT GET IT! i wish i would have read the reviews. i spent so much money on it. it may work for some, but only 28% that reviewed said it worked. My face got greasy and the purging never went away. I literally just had a meltdown because my acne had never been this bad and i am packing everything up and trying to get my money back right now. it made my face feel like i was sweating for hours and never washed my face. My acne was doing pretty good but i just wanted to clear it up so i decided to stop my prescription because i heard benzyl peroxide is damaging to the skin. But this is just horrific. PLease try something else and use this product as a last resort. Things at walmart work better than this.
Pros:
cleansed well
toner was nice