Wednesday 23 July 2014

3 Acne Busting Products

products that treat acne

Life is a struggle for a person with acne prone skin. Those with acne will understand how it feels like to have to constantly pile on the foundation before you feel confident enough to brave the world. "Good skin days" are days where there is only one or two pustules. I have tried countless products before finding a select few that actually worked in treating my breakouts. I used to only develop whiteheads until recently my skin decided to bless me with spots of the cystic kind as well.

In this post, I'll be sharing my Top 3 Products for both whiteheads and cystic acne.
FOR WHITEHEADS
Product: Clean&Clear Advantage Fast Clearing Spot Gel (AUD$8.99)


clean and clear advantage fast clearing spot gel
I find that salicylic acid is the most effective ingredient in fighting whiteheads ie. those raised bumps with a pus-filled head and are the easiest to treat. Salicylic acid is gentle on the skin and does not dry the skin out which is one of the reasons why I prefer to use salicylic acid when I can.

There are many drugstore salicylic acid treatments to choose from but the Clean&Clear one is the best I've tried. The tube may look tiny but you only need a little bit each time. Overnight, I can see results immediately but it takes at least a week for the spot to completely go away. It is also effective when I can feel a new blemish forming and a dab of this ensures that the little bugger doesn't surface.


FOR STUBBORN WHITEHEADS
Product: Oxy10 Extra Strength Vanishing Cream (AUD$~15)


oxy vanishing cream

Now there are times when you encounter whiteheads that seem to be more stubborn and resilient against the usual dose of salicylic acid. That's when benzoyl peroxide comes in. It is much more powerful than salicylic acid at fighting acne but comes at a price; that is, it dries the skin out. It can be really drying to an extent that the whole blemished area will become raw and dry making it hard to apply makeup over it. But if you want something fast and don't mind the dryness, benzoyl peroxide is your guy.

Oxy10 contains 10% benzoyl peroxide, but I suggest starting off with 5% or less to see how your skin reacts to it. The greater the concentration, the more drying it will be. The reason why I opted for Oxy10 is because my skin has become more tolerant of benzoyl peroxide, and requires the big guns for it to be effective.


FOR PAINFUL, CYSTIC ACNE
Product: Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion (USD$25) available here

mario badescu buffering lotion

A few months ago, I was hit with a full blown attack of cystic acne. It was worse than I had ever experienced particularly in the chin area where there were about 3 painful bumps under the skin. It got so bad that it felt my whole chin was swollen and it hurt to even touch it. Cystic acne is even harder to treat due to it being deep under the skin and squeezing it can cause long-term scarring.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. After two days of using the famous Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion, it was as if angels had touched my face. The size of the bumps had significantly reduced and the painful feeling was gone. One month on, I can still feel traces of the cyst but it is now a tiny spot that is very much under control. I have never been so thankful and this product pretty much saved me from sinking into a hole of low self esteem. I highly recommend it.

I know this was a lengthy post but I hope it was helpful! I just really wanted to share with you my experiences because I know how hard it is to struggle with acne everyday and not just the odd spot.

What is your favourite acne/spot treatment?

43 comments:

  1. I have been wanting to try out some Mario Badescu products. This one sounds great. I love the Natio spot treatment for my spots. It works wonders for me. I didn't have much luck with the oxy 5 because it just made my skin dry and flakey though. Its very hard to fight acne when you have really sensitive skin as well.

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    1. Thanks for recommending, I've never heard of the Natio one! Yeah Oxy does really dry out the skin but it does work for some blemishes. I agree! :)

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  2. i've been attacking my acne n oily skin since 4 years n i've also tried some acne products, acne treatment, beauty clinic products for acne. and finally found my soulmate for acne defense from the body shop, i love their tea trea series product, works good to reduce my acne. but those product looks work well on you too. thanks for sharing it. n pls let me know if you might want to follow each other. thx. :) xxx

    glorychen.blogspot.com

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    1. Oh I've heard good things about The Body Shop's Tea Tree line. Tea Tree is supposedly a good natural ingredient to combat breakouts, but my skin is sensitive towards it :(

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  3. Back in high school I used the Clean & Clear spot gel, that was the only one that would get rid of spots overnight! It was amazing!!!

    Lisa | Multitasking Damsel

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    1. Yes! My skin doesn't really respond to other salicylic acid treatments except for this one :) x

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  4. I've had great experience with Benzyl peroxide gel, I always get it water based so it doesn't dry out my skin too much and tea tree oil worked well for me too although using it more than two nights in a row would dry out my skin a lot! Thanks for sharing your picks!

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    1. Oh that's a good idea! Never thought of a water based benzoyl peroxide!

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  5. I've got a few friends that use that clean & clear gel, it sounds really promising! I'll actually have to pass this post onto a friend of mine who suffers with acne, so helpful! :)

    The Sunday Chapter xxx

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  6. Great post! I feel ya girl. I actually haven't yet found a spot treatment that I LOVE or that works immediately for me. I do really like the Buffering lotion but it's no miracle worker. Glad it did such good for your skin though!

    Tasha // shiwashiful.

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    1. Yeah, it would be great to find a miracle spot treatment that works for everything! I feel like the Buffering Lotion stops working after the initial cyst has subsided but I'm not complaining as long as it shrinks it!

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  7. Great to see some different product for acne I use tea tree face wash and it does the job I don't break out a lot anymore which I consider my self very lucky x

    Varinder Makeupmeandyoyo

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    1. That's great, I know tea tree works for a lot of people. I can't wait till I reach the stage in life where I stop breaking out haha.

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  8. ohh thanks for sharing your tips! I find that salicylic acid works well with my skin in terms of blemishes and such too

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  9. Mario Badescu is a new brand for me, I have ordered cucumber lotion. Hope it will work for me. xo
    http://makeuptricksandtips.blogspot.com

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    1. Ooh never heard of the cucumber lotion before! What is it targeted towards?

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  11. Great picks dear. I heard a lot Mario Badescu's drying spot treatment. I generally just use an anti acne toner twice a day and good anti bacterial cleanser. It keeps away my acne. Simple skin car regimen :-p
    If a pimple pops up rarely..I just use tea tree oil. Natural things are gentle and works wonders.
    http://naturelbellefemme.blogspot.com

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    1. Yeah I'm kinda interested in trying their drying lotion too. Unfortunately, even if all my skincare products are anti-acne , I still get pimples.
      I agree, except my sensitive skin can't take tea tree oil *sigh*

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  12. I was suffering with Cystic acne for years, generally all over my chin. One would slowly decrease in size, but another would pop up right next to it. I couldn't find anything at all!
    I am now on a prescription to deal with it and I haven't had a cystic pimple since!

    Jacquelyn xx | heytherejacquelyn

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    1. Ohh I so know what you mean! Because the bacteria causing the cyst was always remaining in that area, I would get new ones in the same place too! Atm, I want to see if I can treat it on my own and I'd rather not resort to prescription unless things get really bad.

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  13. Great tips, I definitely have to check these out !

    Madeline | Its a Mads Mads World

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  14. I definitely will have to try out the Clean & Clear spot gel as it's inexpensive. Acne is definitely not fun to have! Thanks for the recommendation :)
    Natalie♥
    Yours Truly, NY


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    1. I know, it makes leaving the house a challenge when you have acne all over!

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  15. The Mario Badescu oil looks good. I'll have to look that up on the internet Right... NOW! haha
    http://reneehartsthis.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/its-giveaway-time.html
    Renee x

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    1. Yes it's famous for a reason! Haha ;) x

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  16. Salicylic acid doesn't work at all for me, so I go straight to benzoyl peroxide products. Sometimes, even that doesn't help, so I think I may check out some Mario Bedescu products for the first time ever. Thanks, Sheri!

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    1. I remember my skin didn't seem to respond to salicylic acid, then I switched to BP. Then that stopped working and I switched back to salicylic acid and it worked again! Haha, sometimes you need to switch things up.
      Thanks for reading! x

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  17. Great post! I love finding new products.

    Jasmine x
    For a Real Woman
    So easy Spanish!

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    1. Thank you! Me too, especially when they turn out to be real gems!

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  18. Thanks for all the recommendations! I currently use differing gel daily to help keep my skin clear, and I do spot treatment with this bi-phase treatment from LIERAC.

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    1. Oh both sound really interesting and new to me! Thanks for sharing and reading :) x

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  19. Salicylic acid products are definitely the best to use! I love them!

    The Velvet Black // UK Style, Beauty & Lifestyle Blog

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    1. Love how they are effective and gentle! My skin sometimes gets used to them though :(

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  20. Great reviews!! Your blog is amazing, following now! :)
    xx
    The Stylish Confessions

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  21. Just discovered your blog, I love it! These products have just come in hand for me as I may need some for some dumb zits on my face. :(

    xx

    Crissy from MY CUP OF TEA

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    1. Thanks so much! Ugh pimples... gotta hate them!

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  22. I just discovered your blog and I absolutely love it! I love your pictures and the way you take them :)
    xx

    http://blonde-stuff.blogspot.de

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Thanks so much for reading! Your comments make my day.