Salicylic > Benzoyl Peroxide

There are two primary ingredients we use in skin care to get rid of acne - Benzoyl Peroxide and Salicylic Acid. In some cases you may have encountered products that use both however many people do not know the benefits of Salicylic Acid or the drawbacks of Benzoyl Peroxide.

The truth about Benzoyl Peroxide is that is dries out your skin. And if you're fighting acne this may sound like a good thing but it leads to irritation. When your skin becomes overly dry it produces more oil to compensate for the dryness and when combined with the dead skin cells on the surface of your skin it can clog pores and actually create more breakouts! An additional issue with Benzoyl Peroxide is that it can cause skin irritations that then increase redness and flaking on your skin and a number of studies have actually linked BP with the creation of free radicals and increased instances of sun damage.

Many skin care professionals believe that the best acne products use Salicylic Acid instead of Benzoyl Peroxide. Acne is not just caused by oil that needs to be dried up on your skin it is also caused by the build up of dead skin cells on the skin's surface - Those dead skin cells then combine with surface oil to clog pores and cause the bacteria that creates acne to multiply.  Instead of treating acne by drying your skin up Salicylic Acid helps to shed the dead skin cells from within the pores themselves before dead skin cells can clog pores ensuring that you have clear pores that can’t be clogged.

Salicylic Acid can take up to four weeks to purge and cleanse your pores so you will want to be patient with the results however in the long term it will keep your skin clear without over drying, irritating and ultimately leading to signs of premature aging.

PSEUDOFOLLICULITIS BARBAE

Aka Ingrown Hairs - They manifest on the skin when hair is cut and new hair grows back in at an improper angle. There are a few ways this can happen: 1) The hair shaft re-grows and enters another follicle 2) The hair is forced back into the same follicle by cutting the end of the hair shaft via shaving 3) Hair doubles over on itself grows inward into the same follicle instead of exiting the surface.

Because your body recognizes Ingrown Hairs as foreign matter they trigger an inflammatory response similar to a splinter that includes redness, itchiness and a raised area that resembles a pimple that can fill up with pus.

To help prevent ingrown hairs we recommend Exfoliation - Start by using physical and chemical exfoliants prior to shaving to help remove dulling skin cells and prepare your skin's surface to lift hairs with proper shaving. Physical exfoliants include micro-fine Silica beads, Microderm Abrasion and manual exfoliating brushes by Clarisonic. Chemical exfoliants include Lactic Acid and Salicylic Acid and help to remove dead skin cells lifting ingrown hairs above the skin line to soften and smooth the skin. Also be sure to check out Dermalogica's Shaving Line and their specialty product "Barrier Repair" for prevention of ingrown hairs after waxing and shaving.