Is Benzoyl Peroxide Safe?: Understanding the Holistic Alternative to Benzoyl Peroxide with Dr. Stacey Shillington ND

As I, Dr. Stacey Shillington ND, peel back the curtain on my own struggle with hormonal acne, I invite you into a transformative discussion about the true path to clear skin. This isn't your typical skin-deep chat; we're taking a deep dive into the holistic approach that promises more than just a temporary fix. Throughout this enlightening session, I'll share why I steer clear of common quick fixes like benzoyl peroxide in my naturopathic practice, opting instead to restore balance to our internal organ systems and cultivate a nourishing bond with our skin. It's about fostering self-love and tapping into the remarkable healing powers that lie within us all.

Venture with me through the controversial landscape of benzoyl peroxide-infused skincare, where I'll unpack the startling implications of its use. Benzoyl peroxide may be celebrated for its bacteria-battling prowess, but its potential to disrupt our skin's delicate microbiome and its breakdown into benzene—a carcinogen—underlines the urgency of reconsidering its safety. I'll discuss eye-opening recent studies that bring these risks to light, prompting a necessary conversation about the unsettling levels of benzene found in this common acne treatment. And finally, I'll present you with alternative, skin-loving options that don't just slap a band-aid over the problem but address the myriad underlying issues—without jeopardizing your skin's health. Join me as we navigate this crucial journey towards long-lasting clear skin and well-being.

Interested in my new Clear Skin Group Program? Click here to learn more!

Click here to watch my FREE Clear Skin Masterclass and learn more about the 4 pillars of clear skin and my top tips to heal acne for good.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to Naturopathic Beauty's Clear Skin Sessions, where we heal your acne from the inside out. Hello, beauties, and welcome to the Naturopathic Beauty Clear Skin Sessions. I'm Dr Stacey Shillington. For the past 18 years, I've been helping people heal their acne naturally from the inside out, and this podcast is an accompaniment for you on your clear skin journey. My aim is to share my knowledge, my wisdom and my experiences with you so that your clear skin journey can be an epic experience for you, so that it can take you beyond just clearing your skin, but also optimizing the health of your body and cultivating deep self-love, because often, when acne is present, self-love is something that can fall by the wayside, and it is actually something that's essential for helping us learn how to heal and live our very best lives. So this podcast is going to focus on an acne medication called benzoyl peroxide, so it's recently been put through a stability study. I'm going to talk about whether or not I feel benzoyl peroxide is helpful to treat acne, but in the end, the decision is up to you whether or not you feel as though benzoyl peroxide, in spite of the new information that we have now learned, if this is the right acne medication for you. So I know hormonal acne.

Speaker 1: 1:25

When I was in my late 20s I went off the birth control pill and my face blew up in the most inflamed, painful acne that I could have imagined. It changed my personality. I really went from being outgoing and confident to just wanting to curl up in the fetal position and avoid the world because I was so embarrassed about my skin. And I know this is how a lot of my patients feel when they come to see me. And that is why I made it my mission to really understand how to heal acne permanently, because I had been on that hamster wheel of trying to heal my acne for many, many years and I wanted off. I did not want to think about acne, I wanted nothing to do with experiencing acne anymore, and that is what I learned. How to do is to permanently eradicate acne from my life, and that's what I want to teach my patients to do as well.

Speaker 1: 2:17

The way that I treat acne is by addressing the root causes of acne that are internal. Acne is actually a complex medical condition. It affects many different organ systems in the body, but when we balance those organ systems, that's when we're able to actually eliminate acne. So I've never used benzoyl peroxide to treat acne in my patients. I just have not, because I do not find it necessary. So patients come to me when they're ready to get off that hamster wheel of acne and when they decide they truly want to heal their acne from the inside out. Because we now know that topical medications and internal medications are band-aid treatments. They are not going to solve acne permanently. So often, once my patients have cycled through all those different options, they have understand that nothing really has worked permanently. That's when they come to see me and they are ready to heal their acne from the inside out. So those are the patients that I see, those are the patients that I help.

Speaker 1: 3:17

And the thing is is that when I'm healing acne from the inside out, I don't need to use harsh topical medications. Instead, I can focus on really nourishing the skin, really optimizing the skin's health by being sure that the microbiome is preserved, that the pH of the skin is optimized and that the moisture barrier of the skin is optimized. And when I can ensure that the skin is as healthy as possibly by using gentle natural products, you know, and I combine that with the internal healing, I don't need to worry about using harsh topical acne products at all. So you know I work in a very different way than a lot of other acne practitioners out there that focus on utilizing these harsh topicals to really get rid of acne. So you know I look at this through a different lens than most other practitioners because my approach is so different. The skin is the largest organ in the body. It performs so many vital functions and in order for it to really perform well, it has to be in good health. And there's many different topicals out there that really don't treat the skin very gently at all. These treatments are very harsh on the skin, they're very aggressive and I never, ever agree with that because I love the skin. I really, really have grown to love the skin. Obviously, I think it's my favorite organ in the body because I think about it so much, I talk about it so much and I really have such a deep respect for how amazing this organ is.

Speaker 1: 4:58

And a lot of us, when we have acne, we tend to blame the skin and we tend to be harsh with the skin. We kind of internally have a little bit of resentment and hate towards the skin because it's causing us so much grief. But the truth is is that acne actually isn't a skin issue. It's deeper than that. We have to look at the other organs within the body. We have to look at our organs of detoxification. We have to look at our gut and how we're digesting. We have to look at our gut and how we're digesting. We have to look at our metabolism. We have to look at our nervous system and our HPA axis and understand how that's working. So you know, I don't want us to hate our skin. I want everybody to truly have a relationship of love with their skin, because the skin does so much and it's really a mirror. So I often feel that the way we treat our skin is a reflection of how we treat ourselves and how we feel about ourselves, and that's something that I think it's interesting to think about and interesting to contemplate.

Speaker 1: 5:57

And if you're one of those people that just really hating your skin, not being very kind to it and, you know, utilizing a lot of harsh, you know topicals on it to try and dry it out, to try and just really, you know, really burn the acne off of it, it might be worthwhile to consider a different approach. But, like I said, I am so passionate about treating the skin gently, and when I combine gentle skincare with internal healing, it always works. So you know, if you're one of those people that maybe you don't want to necessarily heal your body, you're not interested in doing the deep work, then you may have to resort to harsh topical medications in order to clear your acne. Or you know internal medications as well to help heal your acne. So this is an individual decision and you have to do what feels best for you and what works best for you.

Speaker 1: 6:55

Okay, so let's talk about benzoyl peroxide. So benzoyl peroxide is a chemical that is used topically for acne. How it works? So it penetrates into the pores of the skin. It breaks down into two different chemicals. One is benzoyl radicals. Now, benzoyl radicals create oxygen in the pore and this oxygen kills bacteria and inflammatory cells. The second chemical is benzoic acid and it breaks down oils and dead skin cells to unclog the pores. So, undoubtedly, benzoyl peroxide does work, but at what cost?

Speaker 1: 7:32

This is a very harsh medication and when any medication is put on the skin and it just kills bacteria, you have to understand that it kills beneficial bacteria in addition to the bacteria that's causing the issue. So, as I mentioned, the microbiome of the skin is incredibly important. There's going to be beneficial bacteria and unbeneficial bacteria on the skin. We don't want to kill the beneficial bacteria. That's going to, over time, worsen the quality and the efficacy of the skin's microbiome. And also, benzoyl peroxide is very exfoliating for the skin. So, again, used over time, it can definitely affect the skin's vulnerability and the skin can be more prone to irritation, to inflammation, to scarring, to hyperpigmentation and aging. So when the skin is more inflamed, its reaction to acne is going to be amplified, which means there can be more pigmentation, which means there can be more scarring than if the skin was in good shape.

Speaker 1: 8:36

So what are the side effects of benzoyl peroxide? Skin dehydration, inflammation, potential hyperpigmentation and worsening of scarring and aging. So just because of this, I decided a long time ago, even before I became a naturopathic doctor, that I didn't want to use benzoyl peroxide, that I wanted to use something gentler. I wanted to use something that had no side effects, because within me, I truly believe that when you heal acne, you shouldn't have to compromise other aspects of your skin's health or your skin's beauty in order to get clear skin. I believe very strongly in the body and I've always had this innate love and respect and awe almost for the body and how it can regenerate and how we can really optimize its health. And I've always felt the very same way about the skin. We can make the skin like so beautiful, we can make it glow, we can really bring out our best skin. But it has to be done by nourishing and healing and making sure the body is completely balanced.

Speaker 1: 9:41

So let's talk a little bit more about the benzoyl peroxide study. First of all, I want to talk about something called benzene. So when benzoyl peroxide breaks down into the benzoyl radical, this benzoyl radical can further convert into a chemical called benzene. And benzene is a type 1 carcinogen and according to the World Health Organization, there's no safe level of exposure to benzene in the air that we breathe. And breathing or otherwise absorbing benzene over time can lead to leukemia and other blood disorders, according to the FDA. So that's pretty serious. So that's why it's really important to look at benzoyl peroxide stability and be sure that it is safe to use. So an independent lab called Valissure tested dozens of benzoyl peroxide acne products for product stability. So testing revealed that benzene levels increase when the products are handled or stored at higher temperatures, such as left in a hot car or stored in a steamy bathroom.

Speaker 1: 10:47

So when this study was released, there was a lot of criticism that the benzoyl peroxide was exposed to temperatures that were too high for too long of periods of time. So how that was actually conducted is benzoyl peroxide was tested at three different temperatures 37 degrees Celsius, which is body temperature. 50 degrees Celsius and this is the accepted pharmaceutical testing temperature, so pharmaceuticals are always exposed to this temperature to assess for product stability. And 70 degrees Celsius Now this is hot. This is like a hot car sitting in the sun hot. So the FDA guidelines recommend up to two parts per million of benzene. That's their recommendation. Do not go above that because then you're at higher risk of disease. So at 37 degrees Celsius, which is body temperature, when benzoyl peroxide was exposed to this temperature, we saw a dozen parts per million of benzene being released. So that is well above the FDA guidelines and this is at body temperature. So when you are applying benzoyl peroxide to your skin day after day, we now know that more benzene is being released than the FDA guidelines recommend. More benzene is being released than the FDA guidelines recommend. When benzoyl peroxide was exposed to 50 degrees Celsius, 10 to 1500 parts per million of benzene were released. And at 70 degrees Celsius, wildly elevated parts per million of benzene were released. So what is the bottom line of this study? So the FDA guidelines recommend up to two parts per million of benzene and at 37 degrees Celsius, which is body temperature, we are seeing a dozen parts per million of benzene being released.

Speaker 1: 12:43

This is not safe enough for my patients. This is not safe enough for me. When we put this product on our bodies at 37 degrees Celsius every day, we cannot be sure that benzoyl peroxide is safe for long-term use. So what should you do? My suggestion is to stop using any product that contains benzoyl peroxide until it has been proven safe for use.

Speaker 1: 13:06

And there are other ways to heal acne. And one of the very other ways to heal acne and you know one of the very best ways to heal acne is to discover what's going on in your body, what imbalances are actually triggering your acne, to, you know, be consistent and to be chronic and to start to address that. And topically, you want to be very careful. You know, just coming off of benzoyl peroxide, cold turkey because you will likely get rebound acne. I see this in my patients all the time. So if you're using benzoyl peroxide, there's two steps you need to adhere to. Number one start healing your body from the inside out. We want to start addressing the internal reason for your acne. And number two you're going to slowly reduce usage and replace benzoyl peroxide with products that nourish the moisture barrier. If you're using benzoyl peroxide twice a day, start by using benzoyl peroxide only once a day for a couple of weeks and then wean down to once every two days for a couple of weeks, and then once every three days for a couple of weeks, and by that point you should be ready to drop benzoyl peroxide. Your inflammation should be reduced adequately and you should have a new skincare regime in place that will help prevent acne from recurring. That will help prevent acne from recurring.

Speaker 1: 14:29

There's other great skincare products that you can use instead of benzoyl peroxide. They're not as potent as benzoyl peroxide, so that's why you have to do the internal healing at the same time that you start utilizing these. So niacinamide is one of my very favorite options. So utilizing niacinamide in the morning and at night, after washing, before moisturizing, is a really good substitute for benzoyl peroxide. Mendelic acid is a really gentle exfoliant that you can try, and azelaic acid can be helpful as well. And, of course, another product you could consider is a retinoid Retinoids. Again, you have to be very careful when you start using them. They can be very you know irritating to a lot of people's skin. So be sure you work with a professional to really understand and use that retinoid properly. But there are other options that do not potentially, you know, expose you to cancer causing chemicals.

Speaker 1: 15:27

So if you want more tips, I am launching my hormonal acne healing program very shortly. I want you to get excited for this because this program is going to be the best value out there to help you heal your acne. The link is in my show notes. If you want to work with me, book a call with my team to sign up for my acne programs once right away, and my team to sign up for my acne programs right away, and my team will walk you through my programs, what they entail and how we can help you solve your acne. I hope that you've enjoyed this episode of my podcast. I hope this has shed some clarity on how you can best treat your skin topically without harsh acne medications. I want you to be exposed to safe medications. I want you to be exposed to safe products. I want you to be healthy, I want you to feel wonderful and I want you to feel wonderful about yourself and love yourself as much as possible. So sending you tons of love. Have a great week and I'll see you soon. Music.