There’s no shortage of treatments to choose from, but let’s start with two of the most popular: benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. They’re often touted as the best solutions for managing acne, but it’s important to know just when and how to use both of these powerful ingredients (hint: It depends on the type of acne you have). Why? Acne is a very complex chronic skin disease, with multiple factors at play in its formation. And one of those factors is a bacteria called P. acnes. P. acnes is actually the most abundant bacteria2 on the skin (it gets widely demonized, but it actually does a lot of good for us, including keeping our skin looking youthful). When the balance of P. acnes is off, and certain strains become too dominate, it can lead to breakouts. This is why aiming to keep a balance of your skin microbiome is so important for overall skin health. So for those experiencing serious cases of acne, targeting bacteria can be an effective tool to reduce the lesions and reduce the chances of new ones forming. It’s certainly not a permanent solution (it only works as long as you’re using it, and you’ll likely not want to use it long term as it’s very drying), but it can definitely help folks to address moderate acne when needed. It’s available in both prescription form (read: you must visit a dermatologist) or OTC (so you can buy it your drugstore). But generally, here’s how to decide when to use both:
