What is benzoyl peroxide?

Benzoyl peroxide has an antibacterial effect. It also has a mild drying effect, which allows excess oils and dirt to be easily washed away.

Benzoyl peroxide topical is used to treat acne.

Benzoyl peroxide topical may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide.

What is the most important information I should know about benzoyl peroxide?

Avoid abrasive, harsh, or drying soaps and cleansers while using benzoyl peroxide topical.

Avoid contact with clothing and hair. Benzoyl peroxide topical may cause bleaching.

Avoid combining sunscreen containing PABA and benzoyl peroxide. Temporary skin discoloration may occur if they are used together.

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before using benzoyl peroxide?

Do not use benzoyl peroxide topical on sunburned, windburned, dry, chapped, or irritated skin. It could make these conditions worse. Also avoid using benzoyl peroxide topical on wounds or on areas of eczema. Wait until these conditions have healed before using this medication. Do not use benzoyl peroxide topical during treatment with tretinoin (Altinac, Avita, Renova, Retin-A). The combination could lead to severe skin irritation. Benzoyl peroxide topical is the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is not known whether benzoyl peroxide topical will be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not use this medication without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant or could become pregnant during treatment. It is not known whether benzoyl peroxide passes into breast milk. Do not use benzoyl peroxide topical without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

How should I use benzoyl peroxide?

Use benzoyl peroxide topical exactly as directed by your doctor, or follow the instructions that accompany the package. If you do not understand these directions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to explain them to you.

Wash your hands before and after applying this medication.

Clean and dry the area of skin where you will apply benzoyl peroxide topical. Apply the medication to the affected area. Shake lotions well before use. When applying benzoyl peroxide topical, avoid the eyes, the inside of the nose and mouth, the lips, and areas where the skin is broken to prevent excessive irritation. If you get medication on any of these areas, rinse it off with water. Do not use benzoyl peroxide topical on sunburned, windburned, dry, chapped, or irritated skin. It could make these conditions worse. Also avoid using benzoyl peroxide topical on wounds or on areas of eczema. Wait until these conditions have healed before using this medication. Do not cover the affected area after applying benzoyl peroxide topical, unless otherwise directed by your doctor. Doing so could cause too much medicine to be absorbed by the body and could be harmful.

Benzoyl peroxide topical is usually applied one to three times daily.

Contact your doctor if you experience excessive burning, dryness, or irritation. Less frequent administration of the medication may be necessary.

It may take several weeks or more to see the effects of this drug. Do not stop using benzoyl peroxide topical if you do not see results immediately. Store benzoyl peroxide topical at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Apply the missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the dose you missed and apply only the next regularly scheduled dose.

What happens if I overdose?

An overdose of benzoyl peroxide topical is unlikely to occur. If an overdose is suspected, or if benzoyl peroxide topical has been ingested, call a poison control center or emergency room for advice.

What should I avoid while using benzoyl peroxide?

Do not use benzoyl peroxide on sunburned, windburned, dry, chapped, or irritated skin. It could make these conditions worse. Also avoid using benzoyl peroxide topical on wounds or on areas of eczema. Wait until these conditions have healed before using this medication.

Avoid using other topical products on the same area at the same time unless directed to do so by your doctor. They may interfere with the effects or absorption of benzoyl peroxide topical.

Do not cover the area after applying benzoyl peroxide topical, unless otherwise directed by your doctor. Doing so could cause too much medicine to be absorbed by the body and could be harmful.

Avoid using harsh, abrasive, or irritating cleansers, perfumes, or cosmetics on the area being treated.

Avoid contact with clothing and hair. Benzoyl peroxide may cause bleaching.

Avoid combining sunscreen containing PABA and benzoyl peroxide. Temporary skin discoloration may occur if they are used together.

Benzoyl peroxide side effects

Serious side effects are not likely to occur. Stop using benzoyl peroxide topical and seek emergency medical attention if you experience an allergic reaction (shortness of breath; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, face, or tongue; or hives).

Some burning, stinging, tingling, itching, redness, dryness, peeling, or irritation may be experienced while using benzoyl peroxide topical. Contact your doctor if these side effects are excessive. Less frequent application of benzoyl peroxide topical may be necessary.

Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

What other drugs will affect benzoyl peroxide?

Do not use benzoyl peroxide during treatment with tretinoin (Altinac, Avita, Renova, Retin-A). The combination could lead to severe skin irritation.

Avoid using other topical products on the same area at the same time unless directed to do so by your doctor. They may interfere with the effects or absorption of benzoyl peroxide topical.

Avoid using harsh, abrasive, or irritating cleansers, perfumes, or cosmetics on the area you are treating.

Drugs other than those listed here may also interact with benzoyl peroxide topical. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist before taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines, including herbal products.

What is the shelf life of the pills?

• The expiry date is mentioned on each blister. It is different for different batches. The shelf life is 2 years from the date of manufacture and would differ from batch to batch depending on when they were manufactured.

Other Useful Information:

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Cavities: Holes in the two outer layers of a tooth called the enamel and the dentin. The enamel is the outermost white hard surface and the dentin is the yellow layer just beneath enamel. Both layers serve to protect the inner living tooth tissue called the pulp, where blood vessels and nerves reside. Small cavities may not cause pain, and may be unnoticed by the patient. Larger cavities can collect food, and the inner pulp of the affected tooth can become irritated by bacterial toxins, foods that are cold, hot, sour, or sweet - causing toothache.

Naturopathy: A system of therapy based on preventative care, and on the use of heat, water, light, air, and massage as primary therapies for disease. Some naturopaths use no medications, either pharmaceutical or herbal. Some recommend herbal remedies only. A few who are licensed to prescribe may recommend pharmaceuticals in those cases where they feel their use is warranted.

Naturopathy is an American healthcare profession. It was founded in the US as a formal healthcare system at the turn of the 20th century by medical practitioners from various natural therapeutic disciplines. By the early 1900s, more than 20 naturopathic medical schools existed, and naturopathic physicians were licensed in most States. Today there are more than 1,000 licensed naturopathic doctors in the US.

As practiced today, naturopathic medicine integrates traditional natural therapeutics -- including botanical medicine, clinical nutrition, homeopathy, acupuncture, traditional oriental medicine, hydrotherapy, and naturopathic manipulative therapy -- with modern scientific medical diagnostic science and standards of care. The medical research base of naturopathic practice consists of empirical documentation of treatments using case history observations, medical records, and summaries of practitioners' clinical experiences.

At present, the two accredited naturopathic medical schools in the US have active research departments. Naturopathic researchers have investigated the pharmacology and physiological effects of nutritional and natural therapeutic agents, and naturopathic physicians have been active in the investigation of new homeopathic remedies and in the natural treatment of women's health problems. The most recently completed naturopathic study in women's health tested the clinical and endocrine effects of a botanical formula as an alternative to estrogen replacement therapy.

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Blood pressure: The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is produced primarily by the contraction of the heart muscle. It's measurement is recorded by two numbers. The first (systolic pressure) is measured after the heart contracts and is highest. The second (diastolic pressure) is measured before the heart contracts and lowest. A blood pressure cuff is used to measure the pressure. Elevation of blood pressure is called "hypertension".

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Doctor: In a medical context, any medical professional with an MD, a PhD, or any other doctoral degree. The term doctor is quite nonspecific. A doctor may, for example, be a physician, psychologist, biomedical scientist, dentist, or veterinarian. In a nonmedical context, a professor of history might be addressed as doctor, an eminent theologian might be named a doctor of a church, and a person awarded an honorary doctorate by a college or university might also be called a doctor.

The word "doctor" comes from the Latin "docere" meaning to teach. A doctor was a teacher, especially a learned or authoritative one.