(no subject)

[risha]

I'm always irrationally annoyed by commercials for acne systems like Proactive or Skin ID. All of them are benzoyl peroxide based, which I'm allergic to. Yes, I can have clear skin via a little tube of cream from the drug store - but I wouldn't be able to see my nice clear skin with my eyes swelled completely shut.

I think the source of my irritation is that they make it sound like they can help anyone and everyone, which, no.

Comments

[hector_rashbaum]

There are a bunch of drugstore products that have salicylic acid as an active ingredient, rather than benzoyl peroxide. And I know there's some new Proactiv rival out that is using benzoyl peroxide as a reason Proactiv is bad, so it probably has a different active ingredient. I wish I could remember the name.

[risha]

Yep, salicylic acid is the other big over the counter treatment. I use a few different products containing it, actually. Unfortunately, it's also far, far less effective then benzoyl peroxide. It helps me fight a holding action, but that's all it can do for me.

I did go to a dermatologist for awhile, but he told me straight out that with how oily and how sensitive my skin is, there wasn't much he could do and I'd always have acne. Antibiotics didn't do a thing for me, and most of the other prescription drugs did little to nothing. Finally we worked our way up to Tazorac (a couple of steps stronger than Retin-A), which actually mostly worked! And it didn't even do anything harsh to my skin, which amazed the doctor because it's supposed to be killer. I was very happy on it for a few years. Unfortunately it was never meant to be used daily for forever, plus I was planning on trying for kids. Tazorac is a class X drug, which is exactly as bad as it sounds.

I'm really curious now as to what this rival is going to be. I'm going to guess that it's actually a salicycic acid treatment that they're trying to make sound hip and special.

[hector_rashbaum]

My sister tells me the commercial I was thinking of was for Murad's Acne Complex which, yeah, is a salicylic acid treatment :/

[risha]

*sigh* Nothing new under the sun.