What does benzoyl peroxide do?

Benzoyl peroxide (or BP, as it’s affectionately known) is one of those products that seems to work for everyone. It’s a topical treatment (cream) that’s an essential component of many acne treatment regimens (Dan Kern’s acne.org, ProActiv, Paula Begoun just to name a few). But what does it do, and how is it most effective? Benzoyl peroxide is a peroxide, …

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Answers to some questions from readers about pimples

 A few readers have asked me questions about acne – I thought I’d share my answers here 🙂 What’s the fastest way to get rid of a huge pimple? A cortisone injection from a dermatologist. This will even get rid of those massive hard lumps under the skin that usually take forever to go away on their own! Most pimples …

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What’s wrong with SLS?

(Photo credit: Steve Ford Elliott) Lots of personal care products proudly say they’re “SLS-free”. What was wrong with it in the first place? Sodium lauryl sulfate (also known as sodium dodecyl sulfate, or sodium coco-sulfate) is found in many personal care products, such as shampoo, toothpaste . It looks like this: It has an oil-soluble “tail” (on the left) and …

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Review: Lush Angels on Bare Skin

I’m undecided about Lush. On one hand, you can follow a trail of lovely scent through your shopping centre to the store. On the other hand, walking in is like being clobbered over the head with a bucket of stenchy random perfumes. Their products are fresh and natural… but they’re also breeding grounds for bacteria and tend to go off. …

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Is an aspirin mask the same as a beta hydroxy acid treatment?

(Chaval Brasil) Aspirin masks are a popular DIY skincare treatment, but can some pills crushed in water be an effective homemade replacement for expensive salicylic acid exfoliants? Aspirin vs salicylic acid Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, which sounds a lot like salicylic acid, a beta hydroxy acid that’s great for exfoliation, with anti-irritant and anti-bacterial properties that make it great for …

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Skincare 101: Exfoliation basics

(Fir0002/Flagstaffotos) Why do I need to exfoliate? Your skin cells are constantly renewing themselves – your entire epidermis (outer skin layers) is replaced every 50 days. Millions of dead skin cells are shed each day from the topmost layer (the stratum corneum) in a natural process called desquamation. However, many things can interfere with this process, such as ageing, hormonal …

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How Can I Get Rid of Stretch Marks?

One of the things I hate the most about my body are my stretch marks. I have a lot around the sides of my bum from when I had my growth spurt in puberty. Every summer I’m paranoid about going to the beach in a bikini (yay swimming skirts!). So what can you do? Causes Although it’s not clear how …

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Review: Kosmea Rose Hip Oil

Kosmea is an Australian skincare brand that’s still owned and run by an Australian family. I don’t know the whole story of how rose hip oil got so popular, but Kosmea Rose Hip Oil is the only one that claims to be the original rose hip oil, so I’d take their word for it 😉 Unlike most other rose hip …

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