My skin has given me fits since November, and I have written some posts about the different products I have tried. Well, Clnique Acne Solutions line has been the best answer thus far. It is reasonably priced and effective. And it does not irritate my skin. There are five products and I love each one.
First up is the cleansing bar. I use this at night, and positive results from this inspired me to try the rest of the line. The bar is huge and comes with a nice, sturdy blue case that even drains excess water. At $14.00, it is very reasonably priced considering the size and nice case. There is 2% salicylic acid in this bar, which did cause a little bit of dryness, but nothing troublesome. At night, I use the foaming cleanser which also works really well, but is a little more gentle. After cleansing, I use the clarifying lotion, which is not a lotion at all. At first, you will find two layers: the liquid and a white solid layer. Mix well and you have a nice toner for oily skin. This product has 1.5% salicylic acid, but I haven't had any issues with it drying out my skin. It helps keep blackheads away and gets rid of any extra dirt and oil. The moisturizer consists of 2.5% benzoyl peroxide, which is also a great ingredient for clearing blemishes but is not as drying. Since this moisturizer is designed for acne prone skin, I was not expecting to be that great of a moisturizer. However, it is a nice moisturizer for combination-oily skin and is a nice finishing step. I also use the spot healing gel on a daily basis. This is the best spot healing gel I have ever tried. Ever. It is quick, non-irritating and effective. I have a few spots on my cheek that are very stubborn, and this product is really helping. Since I do have eczema, I have been scared to try a line designed for acne prone skin for fear that it would be too harsh. But this line is the perfect medium. Clinique is designed for sensitive skin, so that is a wonderful bonus and was a selling point for me. There are some other factors such as diet and adding certain vitamins, but this skincare routine has really helped.
Before pics: In the first photo, you can see the deep blemishes on my forehead and beside my nose. You can see some progress in the second picture.
After pictures:You can see a few acne scars, but no deep blemishes =) I still have the pimples on my cheek, but they are slowly going away.
