Reddit reviews Dr Song 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Gel Treatment Lotion (8 oz)

Product name: Dr. Song 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide Advanced Acne Gel

Price (range): ~$20 for 8 oz

Country of purchase: USA

Skin info: Oily and Acne-Prone, Fitzpatrick Type II

Ingredient list: Inactive: water, propylene glycol, glycerine, carbomer, saccharide isomerate, edeate disodium, sodium hydroxide

Benzoyl peroxide content: 2.5%

Special info: Fragrance-Free

Experience & opinion: This is affordable and effective. I do short contact therapy (leave on for 10 minutes and then wash off) to mitigate irritation and dryness I get from using benzoyl peroxide. It's similar to the acne.org version which is available for many countries outside the US.

Edit: I updated the ingredients list. The one I originally posted was an older formulation.

If you've had CCs for a while and haven't noticed an increase with your routine, I wouldn't get too caught up in evaluating each product. Could they be due to something else like hair care products?

I'm going to give some product recs for BP and retinol, but I do want to caution against going all out trying to eradicate them. Especially with a tendency towards dehydrated skin, it can be easy to tip the scales and cause overexfoliation or damage. If you do decide to try out any new actives, I'd drop the ones you have now and go suuuuper slow with introducing a new one. Keep in mind that they may not work - CCs are dumb stubborn.

>I did use the Luna oil from Sunday Riley at 1 point but after several weeks of daily use I didn’t feel like it was helping

Yeah, the Luna oil uses hydroxypinacolone retinoate - super gentle retinoid, but there isn't a lot of research backing it up yet. Given how gentle it is, if it does work it would probably take a while to notice the effects (generally retinoids like adapalene and tretinoin take 2-5 months to really start working, gentler retinoids probably take longer if they do work.)

> Is there a gentle retinoid would recommend?

A low strength retinol like 0.1% or 0.2% might work - that has more research backing it up, although like other actives it might get a bit finicky for dehydrated skin. Some recs and resources:

• Superfacialist Anti-Aging Serum
  
  
  • 0.01% retinol, airless pump packaging
    
    
• Skinlex Retinol Moisturizer
  
  
  • 0.1% retinol, airless pump packaging
    
    
• Paula’s Choice Resist Intensive Wrinkle Repair Serum
  
  
  • 0.1% retinol, airless pump packaging
    
    
• Alpha Skincare Deep Wrinkle Repair
  
  
  • 0.15% retinol
    
    Retinoid overview
    
    Types of retinoids
    
    Use retinoids the right way
    
    Side effects and precautions
    
    Retinoids Best Practices
    
    > I’ve never sued benzoyl peroxide .. is there somewhere I can find more info about it on this sub?
    
    For benzoyl peroxide, we're actually in the middle of updating the sidebar and I can share what I have so far! Imo BP is hella drying so I'm not sure it's the best choice for skin prone to dehydration, but short contact therapy and using a low strength product would be a way to minimize irritation.
    
    

    Effects
    

    
    

• Acne treatment
  
  

  Side Effects
  

  
  

• Irritation: dryness, redness, burning, and peeling
  
  
• Photosensitivity: makes your skin more sensitive to the sun, increasing your chances of sunburn, sun damage and pigmentation spots.
  
  
• Can bleach hair and fabric (clothes, towels, pillowcases.)
  
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  How to use
  

  
  Before introducing benzoyl peroxide, make sure you have a regular SPF in your routine. As BP increases your skin's sensitivity to the sun, you want to make sure it's well protected first!
  
  Since benzoyl peroxide has a relatively high irritation potential, it’s important to introduce it carefully into your routine. Avoid using BP in a routine with too many other potentially irritating ingredients (BHAs, AHAs, retinoids, etc.) and above all, listen to your skin!
  
  Start by using the product twice a week, then slowly increase the frequency based on how your skin feels. If you experience irritation, cut down on how often you use it. You may end up using benzoyl peroxide only once or twice a week, and that’s totally okay!
  
  If BP is bleaching something it shouldn't, you may want to consider using a benzoyl peroxide cleanser, using short contact therapy, and/or purchasing benzoyl peroxide resistant pillowcases, towels, etc.
  
  
  

  How to reduce irritation
  

  
  Benzoyl peroxide can be pretty drying! Some ways to combat dryness and irritation include:
  
  

• have a solid basic routine in place before using benzoyl peroxide -this should include moisturizing twice a day
  
  
• use additional moisturizing products, like hydrating toners, oils, and vaseline
  
  
• use benzoyl peroxide at a frequency that doesn’t irritate your skin
  
  
• don't use too many other actives while using BP ('too many' is entirely dependent on your skin)
  
  
• consider using short contact therapy, which may be as effective as a leave-on benzoyl peroxide product with less risk of irritation
  
  
  • apply your benzoyl peroxide product to dry skin, massage in for about 20 seconds, leave on for about 2-5 minutes, then rinse off
    
    
• consider using a lower strength like 2.5%, which may be as effective as higher strengths with less risk of irritation
  
  
  

  Routine order
  

  
  Benzoyl peroxide usually comes early on in your routine - either as a cleanser or rinse-off product, or right after cleansing. Both leave-on products and wash-off products are common for benzoyl peroxide.
  
  

• Cleanser: If you use BP in a cleanser, it's the first step in your routine! After that, you continue with your other product(s).
  
  
• Leave-on: If you use BP as a leave-on product, you generally use it after cleansing and before your moisturiser - unless the BP is in your moisturiser, of course!
  
  
• Short contact therapy: If you use BP as short-contact therapy, you put on the BP as the first step of your routine, leave it on for 2-5 minutes, and then use your cleanser. After that, you continue with your other product(s).
  
  
  -
  
  

  Product recommendations
  

  
  -
  
  See our Holy Grail benzoyl peroxide recommendations:
  
  

• Holy Grail Benzoyl Peroxide Post 2018
  
  -
  
  

  2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide
  

  
  -
  
  

• Neutrogena Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Daily Leave-On Mask (2.5% BP)
  
  
• Acne.org Treatment (2.5% BP)
  
  
• Up & Up Spot Treatment (2.5% BP)
  
  
• Neutrogena On The Spot Acne Treatment (2.5% BP)
  
  
• Dr. Song 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide Advanced Acne Gel (2.5% BP)

1. I wouldn't bother mixing it with other products and leaving it on. It could work but you also might dilute to the point where it's ineffective. There are better options. If you really want to buffer it with a moisturizer, apply the moisturizer first and then the BP.
   
2. In my experience, the most gentle method is short contact therapy. You only have to leave it on for 3-5 or until it dries. There is no "start with 3-5" because there's no need to leave it on longer. The only time I've ever had irritation from this method is when I've gotten distracted and accidentally left it on for 20+ minutes. I say this as someone who uses a retinoid and acids daily- my skin wouldn't be able to tolerate BP at all if I had to leave it on.
   
3. I think most dermatologists would tell you to use it day and night. Here's YoDerm's advice. I apply it twice a day, wait for it to dry down, and wash it off with my AM and PM cleanse. It's the first step in my routine. It might be a better idea to cleanse first, then apply BP to your clean skin but I haven't had any problems doing it the other way around.
   
4. You can use it as I spot treatment for active breakouts. But if instead, you apply it consistently to your acne-prone areas, you'll find that it will prevent acne by killing the bacteria that causes it. I apply it all over my face, avoiding my eyes.
   
   When you've finished the Persa-Gel, I recommend this 2.5% BP. It's a much better value ounce for ounce. Also, 2.5% is just as effective at killing bacteria as 5% and 10% but it won't irritate you nearly as much.
   
   Good luck!

I see all these products but no BP?

I would also talk to your doctor if Spiro is appropriate for you since you already had 2 rounds of Roaccutane but I'm not sure on your cumulative dose.

http://www.amazon.com/Benzoyl-Peroxide-Dr-Song-Treatment/dp/B00DFEGDVS?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_0

I've been dealing with ance since middle school and what i have found to work best for me is cutting sugar and dairy as much as possible. Shower every night before bed (helps to keep your bedding clean), change pillow sheet and Bed sheets every other week, I use a clenser from ance.org which you can also find on Amazon, a low % benzoil peroxide which I also get on Amazon, and an oil free moisturizer.

I'm not an expert and I'm not trying to say this will work for everyone, but these tips and products are what works best for me.

im 36 and i still get acne. 2 things i realized were.... i have some sort of food allergy to beef. And to use a non super harsh benozly peroxide 2% gel such as this https://www.amazon.com/Benzoyl-Peroxide-Dr-Song-Treatment/dp/B00DFEGDVS. Not 10% but 2% that stays on all day. Keeps it semi under control.

i've actually done accutane twice, and even that didnt stick. Only thing that worked is not eating beef for the most part and that gel.

I used to use the one from acne.org, but I found a cheaper version of the same thing on amazon

the products are pretty much identical, from my experience :)

I got this giant tube on Amazon and use it once a day all over my face. I use LRP Toleraine Hydrating and a thick moisturizer and so far it's been fine (been about 2 months?)

https://www.amazon.com/Benzoyl-Peroxide-Dr-Song-Treatment/dp/B00DFEGDVS

I'm not sure if you can get your hands on these things in Europe, but Cetaphil works great as your cleanser. Also, this stuff is pretty much the same as the BP you get from the regimen. For a moisturizer, I would recommend Cerave in the tub or Cetaphil for a runnier lotion, to which you can add a few drops of jojoba oil (you can purchase it on ebay), assuming you're not sensitive to fatty alcohols.