Your skin doctor prescribed a benzoyl peroxide cream to get rid of your pimples, but it just made things worse. My advice is to go back to your doctor and let him know. Then he can change your prescription. However, if you choose not to do so, then you need to do some testing and thinking for yourself. You need to think back - what happened when you applied the benzoyl peroxide? Did your skin turn red, and after a few days even more pimples popped up where you applied it?
If this is what happened, maybe you are one of the small percentage in the population who have a reaction against this common anti-acne treatment. Or maybe the cream or gel you used is too strong, or may be contaminated. The first thing you can do is try to get a weaker formulation. You should be able to easily get a cheap commercial preparation for 2.5% benzoyl peroxide from Oxy or Clearasil. If you need to try something even weaker, you could ask your local pharmacist. He may be able and willing to prepare a weaker 1% house formula for you.
If all these fail, then you will have to consider alternatives. Before that, you need to know how benzoyl peroxide works and how it gets rid of acne. You need to know that skin irritation, even if it is so minor that you do not normally feel anything, can lead to blackheads and whiteheads. From there, it is a simple step to bacterial infection. Once infection sets in, you get even more irritation and inflammation, and this is when your pimple pops up. Benzoyl peroxide works on two levels. It kills the bacteria in your pimples (and blackheads and whitehead). And it dries up the pimple. The problem is that this drying action can be too strong and cause even more skin irritation and pimples in some people.
So, what else can you use, then? Maybe you can get a generic brand antiseptic solution or antiseptic cream. This way, you still get the antiseptic action without the drying effect. Dead bacteria in your pimple means your pimple heals faster. On the other hand, maybe you still want the drying effect, just milder. Then you can try mixing your own solution from iodine or potassium permanganate. Both of these are cheap water-soluble antiseptics, often available as raw crystals. On my skin, at least, both of them seem to have a drying effect. For the face, I think iodine is a better choice. Once dissolved in water, it is a light yellowish-brown in color, which is not as noticeable as the purple of potassium permanganate.
You need to be aware that using a weak antiseptic may not be able to kill all the bacteria in your pimple. You may need to apply it more often, bearing in mind to be careful not to irritate your skin. And you also need to remember to wash your face before you apply the antiseptic. If you suffer from dry skin, you should also consider applying moisturizer after the antiseptic or benzoyl peroxide. The moisturizer will help to soothe your skin and prevent irritation.
