Benzoyl Peroxide (PanOxyl)

Photograph of Benzoyl Peroxide under the microscope.

Benzoyl peroxide is primarily used in the treatment of acne vulgaris due to the antibacterial activity that these types of peroxides display. The drug is marketed under a variety of trade names in over 200 formulations. In treating patients with acne, the disappearance of acne coincides with the reduction of both the levels of P. acnes bacteria and free fatty acids. Benzoyl peroxide is absorbed in the skin where it is metabolized to benzoic acid and then excreted as benzoate in the urine. Side effects consist mainly of skin irritation including burning, blistering, crusting, itching, severe redness, and skin rash.

© 1995-2022 by Michael W. Davidson and The Florida State University. All Rights Reserved. No images, graphics, software, scripts, or applets may be reproduced or used in any manner without permission from the copyright holders. Use of this website means you agree to all of the Legal Terms and Conditions set forth by the owners.
This website is maintained by our
Graphics & Web Programming Team
in collaboration with Optical Microscopy at the
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.
Last modification: Monday, Jul 02, 2018 at 04:22 PM
Access Count Since April 15, 1997: 85315