Proactive has Benzoyl Peroxide which is commonly used in many acne treatments. If you can tolerate it, and doesn't cause too much redness, it can stop the breakouts beneath the skin. It will bleach out towels, but that doesn't mean it's harmful to skin. Here's some good information Benzolyl Peroxide.
Benzoyl peroxide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Do not use oily creams such as Ponds, its made for a totally different skin type.