Know about Benzoyl Peroxide

Visit your local drugstore and you'll find a vast array of skin care products designed to help fight and prevent acne. Take a quick look at the ingredient list, and in many of these products you'll find benzoyl peroxide. Benzoyl peroxide has been around for a long time in the war against pimples, and for good reason---it really works.
Before knowing how benzoyl peroxide works, you must first understand how acne begins. Although they may seem superficial, pimples actually begin in the deepest layers of the skin. As the skin continuously regenerates itself with new cells, old dead cells must be shed. This occurs through tiny hair follicles, which are like tunnels that extend from the inner layer of the skin to the skin's outermost surface. Sebaceous glands, which secrete sebum, or oil, are also found within these follicles. Acne occurs when these dead cells and oil become plugged inside the follicle, leading to a blackhead. Once this occurs, an air-free environment is created inside the follicle, which can lead to an increase in the normally harmless bacteria that reside there. In turn, this activates the body's inflammatory process, leading to an influx of white blood cells and blood flow, and a pimple is formed.
Benzoyl peroxide helps fight acne in a couple of ways. First, it assists in removing the dead cells on the skin. Once the dead cells are gone, the follicles become unplugged and the sebum can again flow unhindered. Since the acne-causing bacteria feeds on the skin's sebum, by diminishing the sebum benzoyl peroxide also helps diminish the numbers of bacteria. Finally, benzoyl peroxide actually kills the bacteria as well, therefore deactivating the inflammatory process. Compared to other acne treatments, including prescription antibiotics, benzoyl peroxide is still the most effective by far.

Know about Benzoyl Peroxide - By Debra Driza