Posted by Cara Sullivan, Beauty Expert
Acne is pretty much The. Worst. Thing. Ever. If you suffer from it,
you know what I'm talking about. I was lucky enough to have beat it by
the time my wedding day rolled around, but I can only imagine how much
stress it would have added.
Back in high school, my face was a mess. I was good at pretending it
didn't bother me, but I was secretly miserable and self-conscious, and
I wore way too much makeup to try to cover it up. Eventually, my mom
brought me to the dermatologist, where I tried pretty much every
prescription drug under the sun, including Accutane. Twice. It worked
well enough, but it wasn't life-changing in the way Panoxyl was.
That's
right—after trying Retin A, Accutane, and a zillion other things, it
was a bar of benzoyl peroxide soap from the drugstore that completely
transformed my complexion. (When I say completely, I really mean it.
People don't believe me now when I tell them I once had terrible skin.)
If you're a bride-to-be and you're stressing about your acne, I really
urge you to try it. Talk to your derm before you start using it, not
because it's anything scary, but because it's always a good idea to talk
to your doctor when you switch up your acne regimen.
It's an
OTC product. There aren't really any side effects, per say, but I have
found that it bleaches my towels. Just be sure to rinse well and blot
your skin dry with a white towel after washing with it. It can also be
drying and increase your sensitivity to the sun, so arm yourself with a
good moisturizer that has a good SPF (this Cetaphil
lotion is a great non-comedogenic one). If your skin is still too dry,
simply use the bar once a day or every other day—switch between it and
a gentle, non-irritating cleanser like this one by Purpose.
I've
recommended Panoxyl to many people who now swear by it, and I really
think you'll be blown away by how well it works. If it ever gets
discontinued, I'm pretty sure I'll slip into a catatonic state (I can
be a bit of a drama queen, but I'm actually serious about that). Don't
take my word for it, though—check out these reviews on Acne.org.
If you do give it a try, please let me know what you think! I have every confidence that you'll be a radiant, glowing bride.
From: Jessica | 7/31/09 at 12:42 pm
I've never tried PanOxyl, but I've use Clean & Clear Continuous Control. It also has the same active ingredient - 10% benzoyl peroxide. It's already cheaper than the PanOxyl, and even cheaper when combined with Clean & Clear coupons you can find nearly every week.
From: Candice | 7/31/09 at 1:09 pm
Wow, Cara, do I feel your pain! I started having acne when I was in junior high and it continued until I was 25!! I had been to dozens of dermatologists and tried just about every prescription on the market: Retin-A, Accutane, Tazorac, Tetracycline, Differin, Benzaclin...I could go on and on.
I wish I could say that something as simple as PanOxyl solved my acne problems, but it actually took several laser treatments that cost well into 4 digits. Expensive and painful, but worth it to finally have clear skin after 13 years. Since getting the treatments a year ago, I've continued to have success using the Obagi Clenziderm line (recommended by my derm.)
To any fellow brides out there struggling with this, you are not alone
From: Becky | 8/3/09 at 10:30 pm
Thank you for posting this...I'm 31 and have been dealing with acne since middle school. I go through phases with benzoyl peroxide because sometimes I just get tired of having to think about using a white pillowcase, white towel and watching out for my clothes but it always tends to be the quickest and best solution for me. I picked up this bar for $5 on sale at CVS this weekend. I'm already noticing a difference.