HELP!! benzoyl peroxide irritation

5% might be too strong for you :( I'd stop using it and ask my dermatologist whether it's possible to prescribe 2.5% BP instead to start with. You can even be allergic to benzoyl peroxide all together. Anyway, I'd return to the dermatologist for advice

5% is definitely high if your starting off, try to just use soothing or hydrating products that are basic too. Avoid any types of exfoliators as well. If you do want to try it again, definitely a cleanser form is much more gentle than a spot treatment! I recommend this one, again once you feel comfortable to do so. And if it felt like burning fire, just don’t apply anything and just let it rest for a while; then avoid touching your face a lot.

I’d give your skin a break and maybe switch to a lower strength BP. After that you could try again. I’ve seen some people put it on before washing their face and only leave it for 5 mins or so and then cleanse and moisturise.

This happened to me too when I first started using 5% benzoyl peroxide (no clindamycin). Please wait until your face heals back before trying again. Here are some suggestions to decrease irritation. 1. Switch to a lower percentage 2.5% still stung my face, but it was less painful. 2. Use the 5% as short contact treatment. Right now, I put BP on my acne areas in my night routine. It’s the first thing I do (you may want to wash your face first if you wear makeup). Then I wait around 15 minutes, brush my teeth, floss, go on my phone, etc... then after 15 minutes, I proceed to my routine (cleanse, moisturizer, etc...). Since there are wash off BP products at 4%, I know this short contact method is still effective (however, I’m not sure how long you need to leave clindamycin on your face for it to be effective).

So you might need to decrease usage of benzoyl peroxide and focusing on healing the skin using cica products