The Benefit of Sulfanilamide

I just happeded to use google to serch for acne product and found your website very interesting. i am a 23 years old thai female. i have been using a thai product which contained sulfanilamide as a main ingrediant. i have been using it for many years and found that my face has improved amazingly. i got no spot, pimple nor blemish. i would like to know that what is the benefit in a short term and long term of using the sulfanilamide product? has this ingrediant been used widely for acne? does it has any side effect at all? are there any test from dermatologist or sciencetis of using sulfanilamide for acne? has it been approved that it is safe for all the consumers? i woule be grateful if you could answer all of my questions. i am wondering because i have been using for my face for a long time. i also recommended it to my friends who have had pimples and rashes because of using some other herbal product for their faces. i think they are allergic to it so i told them they should try the prodcut that contain sulfanilamide and they all said their faces have got better and their pimples have reduced.
thank you in advance
regards
Tuangrat

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Many acne products in this country contain sulfur and/or sulfacetamide.  I assume that you are talking about a cream, not a pill, in which case it will probably work the same way, though I am not familiar with this particular sulfa-related ingredient in a cream.  As an oral medicine, sulfanilamide is highly photosensitizing (it makes people sensitive to light.)  That would make me reluctant to recommend it, especially when there are good sulfacetamide products that don't have the sun-related issue.

If your face has improved over many years, is it at least possible that you've outgrown your acne and don't need anything medicated at all?  

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[xeros]

My Thai girlfriend aged 28 has had an acne problem for a few years.
She recently used a product made in Thailand that contains 99%Sulfanilamide. It's a powder and the instructions say that it should be rubbed onto the affected areas of skin.
Within an hour, her face became very hot, fire red and very itchy.
I gave her anti-histamines and then I took her to our GP and she also prescribed anti-histamines as well as washing the face with sterile saline.
It took several days before her face began to look normal again.
One can only conclude that she had become very allergic to this product after using it only a few times.
I prescribe antibiotics regularly for my dental patients.
Sulfa drugs are still available but the practitioner is running the risk of having a major allergic reaction in his patient.
Large doses taken internally by a patient who is allergic can have life threatening consequences.
If the product was safe and effective for acne, it would be a major seller on the market.
Ask yourself - why is it not so popular (or not even stocked) in western pharmacies?
Do a search in Google "sulfa drugs allergy" and see for yourself!