Consumer Alert—Is Your OTC Benzoyl Peroxide Product Safe? By Susan Massick, MD In January 2024, the AAD updated its 2016 clinical guidelines for the treatment of acne with evidence-based treatment recommendations based upon a working group’s comprehensive and systematic review of current data (Reynolds). Benzoyl peroxide (BPO), a longstanding mainstay of acne treatment, remained a strongly recommended therapeutic intervention for both mild and moderate-severe acne. For many dermatologists and clinicians who regularly treat acne, BPO is efficacious, cost-effective, well-tolerated, and readily available for patients to use as an initial intervention as well as for maintenance therapy. Thus, a published report on March 6, 2024, regarding unacceptably high levels of benzene detected in over-the-counter BPO products, came as a surprise to many dermatologists. According to the CDC’s website, benzene is a colorless, flammable carcinogenic liquid that evaporates when e...
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