For such an embarrassing, painful problem, spots and blemishes are surprisingly common. It’s all very well to battle them in your teens when four in five of your friends are also besieged, but when you still ladling on the industrial strength concealer in adulthood, it’s a different story...
As a teenager, I tried all the usual suspects - masks, Clearasil, even a painful facial, complete with nasty extraction session, organised for me by my well intentioned mum. Nothing worked. Eventually I grew out of the worst of it, and my skin settled into a manageable monthly breakout routine. It was not ideal however, and I continued to try everything from laser treatments to diet adjustments to clear up the teenage spot hangover with little success.
Then Proactiv landed on my desk. Endorsed in the States by celebrities such as Katy Perry, P Diddy and countless other A-listers, I’d heard of the brand, but dismissed it as another spotzapping ‘miracle’ potion with a clever marketing plan. Created by US dermatologists, Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields, who were inspired by their own experiences of acne, Proactiv® Solution is a full-face treatment that combines salicylic acid (a proven enemy of spots and acne) and sulphur, with soothing natural botanicals like allantoin, panthenol, aloe and chamomile.
The kit contains four bottles, a Renewing Cleanser with tiny beads that gently exfoliate, a Revitalising Toner; alcohol free with natural botanicals and vitamins, and a bottle each of Repairing Day Lotion and Repairing Night Lotion. Using the system takes about five minutes - once in the morning and again in the evening.
Oh yeah... and it works. It actually works!
Over the years I’ve reviewed hundreds of products, many came with big promises and even bigger price tags, but I’ve never come across one that does exactly what it says on the bottle. After just one use, the following morning that familiar redness, swelling and irritation on my chin (forever my problem area) was noticeably less sensitive. I was impressed. After a week of use, the spots I had were visibly healing and no new ones had appeared.
I’ve now been using Proactiv Solution for four weeks with awesome results - I’ve had no new spots and what I had has completely disappeared, leaving only some minor redness - the product of years of abuse. According to the Proactiv Live Chat (a free instant chat system on the Proactiv website where you can ask anything about the product and get an immediate answer) “these dark spots are called hyper-pigmentation which is a fancy word for a dark skin site. It’s actually a sign of healing, but it can last up to 18 months.”Whether you’re fighting a losing battle against teenage acne or stuck in the impossible ‘stress equals spots equals more stress’ merry-go ‘round, you could do worse than to give this stuff a chance. Have mercy and buy it for a teenage son (the bottles are plain and medicinal - nothing girly to fear) or niece - if it works they’ll be your BFF forever. No wonder those Proactiv celebrities always look so happy. Not only do they get to cash a million dollar pay cheque for a few photographs, but the product they’re endorsing actually works to boot...
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http://www.beautyfeatures.ie/Products/397-anti-blemish-4-piece-kit.aspx
Article from the Cork News 5/3/10, written by KM