What Is Sulfur?
Sulfur is a natural mineral essential for the overall health of connective tissues, skin, bones, teeth, hair, and muscles. It’s an age-old remedy used to treat skin conditions for thousands of years and is found in various washes, soaps, and creams. When applied topically as sulfur mask, ointments, or sulfur spot treatments, it improves skin health. Sulfur also plays a key role to cure acne for its peeling and drying properties.
Sulfur Benefits And What it does?
Sulfur acne products are very popular and used for skin in the midst of breaking out or in need of oil control.
(i) Acts as a mild antiseptic that helps disinfect skin, and boasts both comedolytic and keratolytic properties by helping
(ii) Promotes quicker shedding and exfoliation of pore-clogging dead skin cells, also clear dirt, oil and other buildup that tend to clog pores and cause breakouts
(iii) Facilitates drying out of existing blemishes
(iv) Assists exfoliate dry patches and trouble areas for a smoother complexion
(vi) Averts spread of acne-causing bacteria
(vii) Prevents pores from being clogged and later getting inflamed
(viii) Helps diminish oiliness
(ix) Refines skin tone and texture
Sulfur Acne Treatment – Does It Work?
Sulfur is mild but effective. Unlike more drying agents such as Benzoyl Peroxide, Sulfur acne spot treatments do not dehydrate skin and make it further irritated. Instead, sulfur works to get rid of extra shine, and over a period of time, nurses existing acne breakouts for a brighter, clearer, and remarkably smoother complexion.
To Quote Dennis Gross, a New York City dermatologist: “A time-tested, gentle acne fighter sulfur acts like a sponge to draw oil out of blocked pores. This dries up pimples and keeps sebum production in check, helping to prevent future blemishes.”
Sulfur Acne Treatment Tips
(i) Many people who have acne on Asian skin type respond satisfactorily to the combination of foaming sulfur in the morning and topical tretinoin at night.
(ii) For people having fair skin, foaming sulfur treatment will probably make pimples “come to a head” so that they drain quickly.
(iii) For those who have dark, oily skin, foaming sulfur treatment will probably minimize pimples and help blackheads fall out of their own.
(iv) Make sure to test a little bit of sulfur product on the skin of your forearm to check whether you are allergic to it before putting it on your face.
(v) Avoid using sulfur products containing fragrances to cover up the sulfur smell. The fragrance can lead to irritation which might offset benefits of the sulfur.
(i) It smells bad (apply these products at night), and can temporarily discolor skin.
(ii) Side effects such as peeling and redness and occasional fissures around the mouth can occur, but overall sulfur is well tolerated.
(iii) Allergy to sulfur itself is very rare, however sulfur is often combined with sodium sulfacetamide, and allergy to sodium sulfacetamide is more common, affecting around 3% of people. Medications that combine sulfur and sodium sulfacetamide should not be used by people with allergies to sulfa drugs.
The FDA has included sulfur as a pregnancy Category C drug, meaning it has shown adverse effects on the fetus in animal studies but there are no sufficient and controlled studies on humans. Therefore it is recommended that women planning to become pregnant, pregnant, or lactating speak to their doctor first before using any sulfur product.
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