Anyone currently having any good luck using benzaclin? My son has been using Carley's for 6 weeks now and is still getting breakouts. (It is 2% BP and an exfoliator plus other supposedly healing ingredients.) I have an RX for the benzaclin and was thinking about starting him on it. The only other things he's using are vitamins (multi, c, zinc, fish oil & omega 3 fatty acids, & copper), and aloe vera gel. Is there an initial breakout using benzaclin? How long before he might see results? Should he take something with it, such as an antibiotic? Or should he continue on with the Carley's for a couple more weeks? Thanks for any advice.
Should you go by that "2 month rule"? Sure would hate to stop something just before it started showing some good results! How long do ya'll give a product to work before moving on to something else?
I've been using Benzaclin for about 2 months now and I saw almost immediate improvement. The only drawback was dryness, but that seems to have corrected itself in the last few weeks. My dermatologist said that benzaclin is best for black heads and surface acne - not so much for cystic acne.
Thanks for the reply Susan. My son has more severe acne. I don't know now if this would really help him or not. But if the Carley's isn't doing it, then it might be worth a try. Did you not have any kind of initial breakout? That's what we want to avid. We've also got an RX for Retin A, but we just don't want things to get so bad before they get better. We've had bad for several months now. Tazorac was a nightmare for 7 weeks, so we quit it. I'm afraid retin a might be sorta like it. Do you take anything else with benzaclin?
I love benzaclin!!!! BEWARE: It will at first irritate your skin, even burn it,so start out slowly using small amounts until his skin gets used to it. I only use it to spot treat and it dries those suckers right out. The only problem is that it is costly and my insurance won't cover it. But I fork over the money anyway cause it's worth it. good luck.
I would just use the Benzaclin to spot treat pimples instead of using all over the face. It is very drying and could cause some irritation if he spreads it all over the face at first. It is a great spot treatment and I experience muh faster results with it over other acne treatments. Pimples shrink in a day or two rather than weeks. If he finds that his skin tolerates spot treatment then I'm sure he could work up to using it all over.....but I wouldn't over do it at first.
Also, there is a fairly new Rx out there called Duac which is the same as Benzaclin but it doesn't need to be refridgerated (Benzaclin needs to be put in the fridge, right? I might be confusing it with Benzamycin.....I've used both). Anyway, the Duac is just as effective and much more convenient. I also lose less product with Duac....seems like some ofthe Benzaclin evaporated in the fridge or eventually dried up.
benzaclin doesn't need to be refrigerated. I found it extremely drying for the first week or two. My dermatologist said to use it everywhere except my eyes, so I do spread a thin film all over my entire face. I have been extremely happy with the results. As a matter of fact, I need to go get my second jar of it refilled soon....
I use Benzaclin, its alright. Very drying to the point where I have to stop it for a day or so because my skin got so red and cracked. Then by the time I felt better, I was all broken out again. And yes, it does need to be refrigerated to remain like a gel. It dries out and gets pasty outside of the fridge. Trust me I tried it on vacation or nights when I was just to lazy to take it back downstairs to the kitchen.
I am using Benzaclin in the morning and Differin at night. They are both working very well and I noticed an immediate improvement. I did not have an initial breakout. During the initial use your face does get red and dry. I use a moisturizer by Aveeno after I use the Benzaclin. The combo of all these products work very well.
Oh by the way, before I started I had mild to moderate acne. Now, my face is clear!
Thanks for all the replies. My son has been using the benzaclin for about 2 weeks now. No major outbreak, but got a few bumps in the last couple of days. The nurse at the derm's office said it would take a couple of months to see results from the minocycline, but could see some improvement from the benzaclin sooner. I sure hope so. The only other thing he's using is a BP 10% wash once a day. I would like for him to use aloe vera gel for a few hours a day to help with scars, but lately his face has been red for a few minutes after using- maybe with these meds, it has become too irritating. ? Is still continuing with vitamins. I got some cetaphil lotion (no sunscreen-derm said sometimes it can be irritating), but he's afraid to use. Anyway, this it my update. Hope everyone is having some luck with their regimens. Take care!
I'm curious if your son saw ANY improvement with the carley's? or the vitamins? I purchased carley's and have honestly been scared to use it--i cant imagine only using this on my face and it getting better, so im "testing" it on my back acne first. ive been using most of the vitamins you meantioned for a few weeks--my surface acne is much better but i seem to be getting more cystic (which may be due to the BHA i tried and i think didnt work w/ my skin)
i was on benzaclin for moderate acne--it worked about as well as BP for me but was less drying, so i did like it. i thiink it is also better quality than drugstore BP. no initial breakout. im not sure if all benzaclin has the same concentratiion, but mine had only 2% bP in it--not strong enough for me really, although it did keep it under control somewhat.
As for the cetaphil moisturizer, it is the best ive used, and wont break him out. if his skin gets at all dry/flaky from the acne products, he really should moisutize or the dry/flaky skin can increase acne because not only does the skin pump more oil when it gets dried out, but the liittle flaky parts clog the pores. he doesnt have to use it every day.
Laurenmarie,
You made some good points about the moisturizer. I hadn't thought about it as being that important. As for the Carley's, at times it seemed to help. I think the exfoiliating shells in it irritated his skin too much, and probably with his more severe acne, it just wasn't enough. He has some cysts. He used it for 7 weeks just as they instructed. When he had a bad outbreak at 6 1/2 weeks, we finally gave up and got the rx's filled. He did not use any other meds with the Carley's, and used their natural soap to wash his face, hair, and body. He is still using their soap. It seems to be good and doesn't irritate his skin. Carley's might work well on someone with mild to moderate acne. The company was really helpful in answering questions. I was really hoping it would work with my son. These meds might not work either. Time will tell - We'll give it about 2 months before changing anything. Good luck!
Benzaclin users? 
