La Roche Posay Effaclar AI: Read Before You Buy!

April 9th, 2010 admin Posted in Acne Prevention Tips, Acne Questions and How-To's, Acne Scars, Acne Treatments, Adult Acne, Body Acne, Features, Other, Over-The-Counter, Research and News No Comments »



New From: $14.95 In Stock

I have a big problem with this product. It's basically the same problem that I have had with pretty much all la roche posay effaclar products that I have researched and it has to do with what's contained in them.

I'll tell you this. It's very hard to get accurate information on just how they work, if they even do work and the company itself seems to be content with keeping the mystery going.

This is why you'll find adds for this product listed all over the Internet that for instance, tout it as being one of the few products available that combine salicylic acid and benzoil peroxide. Guess what?

Go check the contents at the companies main site and you will see that it contains “no benzoil peroxide”! So why all the misinformation and skewed claims? Just keep on reading and I'll explain.

For some reason this company insists on using substances in their products that are so obscure that the independent industry panel that researches and grades chemical substances that are used in cosmetic products doesn't even list half of them. That's not good.

You see we're not talking about experimental cancer research here. We're talking about emollients (moisturizers) and stabilizing agents. That's right! Aside from salicylic acid, which is an exfoliant, that's all that this product contains.

So not only are easily half of the agents contained in it, substances that a self regulating cosmetic industry panel recommends that you avoid due to lack of safety testing but they don't even treat acne, per se. It even has perfume in it! So called acne medicine with perfume!

Now get this! It's listed for $29 per .5 oz and it also lists it's main active ingredient as “spring water”! That's right! You read it correctly! They do it on some of their other products as well. Spring water!

That's $60 per ounce for water that is supposed to cure acne because it came out of the ground! Of all the BS that can be slung about! The sad thing is that people are actually buying this stuff and you can find the reviews that attest to this fact.

Read More Reviews on La Roche Posay Effaclar AI

It makes my skin look and feel better but does not help much to fight break outs, probably, just not strong enough for my skin. I use it as a moisturizer.
Posted by: Paul M

Though I am now in my 20s I am still breaking out, as I have been doing for nearly a decade. After using the toleriane moisturizing lotion and the effaclar K (which I love!) I tried this, and it has since become my favored spot treatment (and I have tried them all). For me this can be drying- not like benzoyl peroxide- but it will cause a little flaking in the immediate area if I apply it on a pimple for several days in a row. Personally, if I used it as a moisturizer I expect my face would be raw and bleeding in a few days time..and I would definitely not recommend this use to anyone else. It is sold as a spot treatment, and in my opinion it is an excellent one, as it decreases healing time with minimal peeling.
Posted by: Melissa D

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The Trichloracidic or TCA Chemical Peel: Understand the Facts

April 6th, 2010 admin Posted in Acne Questions and How-To's, Acne Scars, Acne Scars, Adult Acne, Body Acne, Research and News No Comments »




Not only are there far more skin care and treatment products available today but the marketers who sell them have also become far more sophisticated. Take the TCA chemical peel.

Add after add for this product in the search engines tout it as being able to dissolve away acne scarring. Well now! Wouldn't that be nice? Simply brush some acid on your face to remove scars.

Ironically, the real fact is that TCA or trichloracidic acid in untrained hands is perhaps one of the best ways to end up with scars to last a lifetime.

Even in the hands of trained plastic surgeons, TCA is a risky prospect and this is why far milder and more controllable face peels like Blue Peel are now a more popular choice.

Then there are the adds that list the before and after photos of TCA chemical peels, along with the prices they paid. Hey, they paid $500 dollars and got fantastic results! Why not just it yourself at home for only $50?

Sure! Why not!? Hey, while you're at it why not pick up a dental drill and give yourself a root canal or two? Just think of all the money you can save there too?

Take my advice. When it comes to a home chemical peel, time is definitely on your side. Make the smart decision to use a mild peel that you can apply a few times over the course of a week or so.

The big clue you shouldn't miss, is the TCA home kits that come complete with a tube of (antibiotic salve). Now think about it for a minute. Do you really want an acid peel that is going to eat away so much skin that you end up with open wounds that need an antibiotic salve??

Read More Reviews on the TCA Chemical Peel

11/10/09 - I have to say that i have had better luck with the 20% salicylic acid peel in fading dark spots as that actually makes my skin peel and with each layer that peels off my darks spots get lighter. I will defintely not repurchase this product and have discontinued using it.
Posted by: John R

Very good peel. It works just like a professional peel. I would highly recommend this product for people like me with hyper-pigmentation! I used it on my face, neck and hands. Really liked the results!
Posted by: Annalee G

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Spotlight on AcneFree Severe Acne Treatment System

April 6th, 2010 admin Posted in Acne Scars, Adult Acne, Body Acne, cystic acne, Over-The-Counter, Treating Adult Acne, Treatment No Comments »



List Price: $29.99 USD
New From: $15.99 In Stock
Release date November 12, 2006.

This product, in my opinion, is unquestionably the best multi-stage treatment for severe acne currently on the market. However; before I go into the reasons why, I would like to elaborate on a few things.

The first thing I would like to make clear, is that if you suffer from sever acne, you should in no way be deluded into thinking that a simple kit will cure it.

There “is a root cause” for your acne and your true cure lies in determining and treating that root cause. For starters, I would suggest for instance exploring the concept that food allergies may be at the very least, a contributing factor.

Even so, this kit can be the final nail in your acne's coffin if you are truly serious about attacking it from more than one direction. This is because it's main active ingredient is benzoil peroxide. The strongest over the counter acne medicine you can buy.

Now the fourth stage is tube of cream that contains retinol. It's basically a night time treatment course for addressing the scarring caused by acne.

However; be aware of this. Retinol is not water soluble and any part that it plays in scar prevention is questionable. However; none the less, it is proven to be important for healthy skin.

The deal is though, that because it's not water soluble most of the studies that have involved retinol's effects on the skins healing process, have involved retinol that's ingested orally.

So all things considered, if you want to use retinol as part of your regimen, you would be much better off buying and using a retinol suppliment that's in pill form.

Ok back to the other three stages of this four stage kit. The first stage is a powerful cleanser that also contains benzoil peroxide. Be careful when you use it because benzoil peroxide is a powerful bleach.

Anything that it gets on will be left with a bleach stain. This includes towels, your clothing and even your hair if it dangles down in the way. So rinse well before moving on to the the second stage.

This would be the toner. Its function is to sooth the skin and counteract some of the negative effects of the benzoil peroxide. Make sure that you do a thorough job and don't worry of you run out.

This is because if you find yourself running short of toner, you can use witch-hazel in it's place. Use a cotton ball or a piece of cotton gauze to apply the toner. The toner also functions to close pores.

The third stage is a specially formulated lotion. It's blended specifically to be used by people with sever acne. Don't try to supplement it with a standard lotion or you could be in for serious trouble.

The lotion also contains a high concentration of benzoil peroxide, so be careful with it because it too will bleach your clothes and hair. Also make sure that you only apply a very thin layer.

Never use the retinol cream and the lotion together. They will simply counteract each other if you do and all you'll be left with is the negative side effects. The lotion is for the daytime and the retinol cream is a night-time treatment.

At $25 per kit, the Acnefree Severe Acne Treatment System is not one of the best deals in the acne treatment market. Rather it is the #1 “best deal”. It comes out to be roughly $6 per container.

Find a better deal than that and I'll eat your hat! Also consider finding and using a good chemical exfoliant in conjunction with this product. A moisturizer might help too, if you're experiencing dryness.

Read More Reviews on AcneFree Severe Acne Treatment System

This has worked really well for me. I can't use it every day because it makes my skin a bit dry - but it's very effective at clearing up breakouts. I didn't have severe acne to begin with, but enough that I'd tried a couple different prescriptions from a dermatologist. This worked just as well, if not better.
Posted by: Bob A

AcneFree was reviewed in Allure magazine, with good results, so I thought I would try it. After two months, AcneFree didn't work and left my face extremely dry, unlike the magazine said.
Posted by: Janet E

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Spotlight on Microdermabrasion Treatments: Make an Informed Decision

January 23rd, 2010 admin Posted in Acne Prevention Tips, Acne Scars, Acne Skin Care Tips, Best Natural Acne Treatment, Research and News, Treatment No Comments »

Microderm or microdermabrasion treatments, as they are more often referred to, is a category of procedures that are quite popular in today's cosmetic dermatologists offices and day spas. With these procedures the top most outer layer of non living skin cells is removed by way of abrasion.

This procedure is noted for being quite painless and thus requires no anesthetic. However; in some instances a mild topical anesthetic can be applied, if it is requested. Also, although it's commonly believed so, there is no evidence that a topical non invasive procedure of this type in any way stimulates collagen production.

On the other hand, it has been demonstrated in controlled studies that microdermabrasion can have a positive effect on acne infection but it must be performed regularly to do so. However; this treatment should never be done on a person with acne who has taken the acne drug Accutane within the previous year.

Various Methods of Performing the Procedure

A woman undergoes microdermabrasion treatments


While the end results are the same, there are none the less several ways of accomplishing them procedurally. For instance, one type of system involves “sandblasting” the skin with jets of fine aluminum oxide crystals or zinc oxide powder. This is not done out in the open. Rather, its restricted an enclosed casing on the end of a hand held device that's used.

Then there are other systems that use a direct contact surface to physically sand away the dead skin cells that have built up on the outer surface of the skin. New systems that use a wand with an abrasive surface that are none the less, still controllable and safe enough such that they can be performed without anesthesia in a non medical setting.

With so many new systems and machines available there is no one set standard in the industry to go by regarding their use and the results they deliver. This is why it's always in ones best interest to have any microdermabrasion treatments performed by a qualified aestheticism. As it stands right now, crystal microdermabrasion is the most popular method being requested and performed.

Chemical Peel or Microdermabrasion Treatments?

There's a good handful of reasons why people in general consider having the top layer of dead skin cells removed from their face or other body area. As indicated above, doing so can in many cases can lead to a reduction in the severity of an acne condition. Also with dead skin cells removed, the skin becomes brighter in tone as wrinkles are also greatly diminished.

Because chemical peels also deliver the same results, the decision has to be made between chemical peel and microdermabrasion treatments. So what's the difference, aside from the obvious procedural differences? The following a list of both pros and cons that highlight some important points that set them apart.

To begin with, chemical peels come in different strengths. In a non clinical setting you would be dealing with the mildest because there are regulations in place that dictate that stronger peels must be done by a doctor. In fact you can even now buy very affordable peel kits that can be used in your own home.

Another thing to consider, is that there will be some level of pain involved with even the mildest chemical peels, while the worst discomfort you'll experience with microdermabrasion treatments is a mild tingling. Also there's more recovery time with a chemical peel. Redness that can last as long as 1-2 weeks with even the mildest peels.

On the other hand, chemical peels tend to deliver much more immediate results than microderm treatments' that can take up to 6-12 sessions to deliver maximum results. Also microdermabrasion requires periodic upkeep treatments on a more frequent basis than chemical peels. Even so, one important benefit that microdermabrasion has over chemical peels is that chemical peels can't be done on skin that's close to the eyes.

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Cystic Acne: New Understandings and Treatments

January 22nd, 2010 admin Posted in Acne Scars, cystic acne, Effective Prevention Techniques, Other, Research and News No Comments »

By far the most painful and debilitating form of acne, is what is referred to as cystic acne. Common forms of acne, from mild to severe will manifest themselves on the surface skin layers, while this far more severe form will occupy deeper areas of the skins substrate.

Scarring Caused By Cystic Acne

All types of acne can lead to scarring if not managed and treated properly but it is cystic acne that in virtually all cases will lead to scarring, including deep pits in the skin. While the acne in time will pass, the deep scars on the other hand can be counted on to last a lifetime.

New Dermal Fillers to Fill Deep Scars & Pits

Over the years several effective treatments have been developed for the treatment of general acne scarring, including laser but a real treatment for these pits has been elusive. However; all that changed just a handful of years go when new dermal fillers were approved by the FDA.

Cosmetic Results Last Up to Six Months & More

Dermal fillers with names like Restylane and Juvederm are composed of gel-form hyaluronic acid, a complex sugar that's naturally produced and stored in the skin. This means that side effects and allergic reactions are extremely rare after they have been used to fill pits and their results can last up to six months or more.

Still So Much to Be Learned & Understood

The fact is that there is still a lot to be learned and understood about acne and most particularly its most sever type, cystic acne. While it is agreed that there is a definite genetic connection in many cases, in others its base cause is for the most part a mystery.

The Food Allergy Connection May Be Your Answer

For some mild to severe as well as cystic acne sufferers, the solution can be traced to food allergies, with the main culprits most often being milk products and wheat gluten. The simple test and treatment to see if this is your case, is to completely eliminate these foods from the diet then wait for results.

How Easy is it to Eliminate Milk and Wheat?

Sound simple? In fact it's not and all one has to do is read the contents labels on so many common foods we eat and it quickly becomes evident how hard it can be to sustain a diet that is devoid of any traces of either of these two common food types and their byproducts.

Other Foods Can Cause Allergic Reactions on Skin

Also while the problem may be an allergy to a certain type of food, it may not be milk or wheat gluten. These are just the first two that should be checked in an elimination process. So now perhaps you can see why eliminating food allergies as a cause can be a very difficult, time consuming and expensive process.

Various Light Therapies Diminish Sebum Production

Other new treatments for all forms of acne that are continuing to be developed are various forms of light therapies. Diode laser, blue light or a combination of these and other similar treatments produce results by effecting glands deep in the skin that are producing excess sebum or skin oil.

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