You may have heard of benzyl peroxide as an acne treatment, but did you know that it is also a great aid in fighting the signs of aging? Retin-A is a cousin of benzyl peroxide and is a prescription cream that has been around for years now and has been used to treat acne. In the last few years it has been prescribed to patients to help reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

Retin-A or other retinoic acid based products have many side effects, namely excessive peeling of the skin and redness. Benzyl peroxide products do much the same work, but have far less severe side effects and can be purchased without a prescription.

Vitamin A Acid - Retin-A

The Vitamin A acid is an excellent irritant. It causes peeling, and after several weeks, it begins to open up impacted pores. However, your skin may get worse before it becomes better. After three or four weeks, your skin looks worse, but if you continue to use it faithfully, the worse of the peeling and redness will subside and you will start to see the benefits. It might take three or four months to show improvement

While Vitamin A acid did successfully peel down inside the pore, unblocking and preventing further formation of impactions, it did nothing to combat another facet of acne, the bacterial action in the pore. An ideal topical medication would be one which served both purposes. Enter benzyl peroxide and Dr. James Fulton.

The Benzyl Peroxide Breakthrough

Dr. James Fulton and Dr. Albert Kligman both worked on Vitamin A acid and brought it to Johnson & Johnson which patented it as Retin-A. Dr. James Fulton continued to search for a better treatment. In 1968 he discovered research featuring benzyl peroxide, which didn't present the drawbacks of causing worsening flare-ups in some patients. Also when the skin peeled with benzyl peroxide, it did not look as red. It is called a "white peel" as opposed to the "red peel" of Retin-A.

To Dr. Fulton's amazement, he found that in addition to causing the skin to peel down inside the pore, benzyl peroxide also suppressed those irritating fatty acids in sebum much better than tetracycline pills had ever done.

Dr. Fulton was quite excited with his discoveries. Benzyl peroxide addressed two issues. It caused peeling and loosening of impactions and also fought the bacteria down in the pore. Benzyl peroxide's action is similar to hydrogen peroxide. Upon skin contact the hydrogen bubbles and releases powerful oxygen which kills all the bacteria. The same is true of benzyl peroxide, except the benzyl part of the molecule pulls the peroxide down into the pore. Remember that acne's bacteria are anaerobic; they cannot survive in the presence of oxygen, so as oxygen is pulled into the pore, it kills the bacteria. Benzyl peroxide provided the perfect treatment.

Benzyl peroxide is the best available treatment for acne today. (Along with Maxiclear, sulfur mask and Devial), anyone can now have a chance for a beautiful complexion.

Anti-aging Benefits

The peeling effects of Retin-A or benzyl peroxide also have the added advantage of peeling away the top layer of skin and clearing away dead skin cells. This dramatically improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This low cost acne treatment is a definite boost to your skin's appearance.

Melanie Vasseur is a chemist, esthetician and the founder of Vasseur Skincare. For more skincare tips and information, visit www.vsskin.com or www.vasseurdayspa.com, 619-236-9095.