Acne. Even when it's hiding out, it's still somehow there. The teenage acne sufferer will assault his or her face with Ten-O-Six or straight lye well into his or her 50s, dead sure that the dread plague will attack from wherever it might be hiding at the slightest slackening of vigilance.
Typical treatment regimens skew hard toward anti-biotics, both topical and ingested, which work until they...don't. Birth control pills work for some types of acne (and then only for women) but not others. So if you've tried everything, topical anti-biotics aren't working any more, you're convinced that one more round of tetracycline will get you declares a national health risk, you're on the pill, you're still breaking out, but not badly enough to go the Accutane route?
Enter Evologie. Rather than depending on benzoyl peroxide (which, while effective, can be drying and can bleach darker skins), the line utilizes something they call YS3 complex. I have no idea what exactly that means. BUT as far as I can tell, it contains Azelaic acid, and sulfur. The former is both anti-bacterial and inhibits keratin, which contributes to clogged pores. The latter is a powerful anti-bacterial, and unlike anti-biotics, is less likely to diminish in effectiveness over time (meaning that you're less likely to develop a resistance to it, unlike, say, to over-using Penicillin.) And despite its claims to have an enhanced ability to deliver acne-fighting ingredients deep down where the problems start, the line claims to strengthen the skin's water retention barrier. So your face won't, like, peel off and stuff.
I figured it would be a waste to just test this on my CLAcne, so I hoarded one component (Stay Clear Cream) for myself, and shipped off the whole system to a One-A tester for acne stuff, eg, a teenager. The system is deceptively simple: Stay Clear Cleanser, Intensive Blemish Serum, and Stay Clear Cream. Easy: wash face, apply stay clear cream, use serum on active breakouts. Done!
Said zitty teen used the products for eight weeks (well, sort of, teenage boys are notoriously unreliable), and despite his failure to be consistent, actually found that the products worked. He saw improvement in frequency, duration, and aftereffects of breakouts, and a significant reduction in oil. The latter might make this a bit drying for the 40+ female set, so either 1) add a hydrating serum on top or 2) rotate the system in during heavy breakout periods, like summertime. I used the extra bottle of Stay Clear Cream on my cleavage for the same period of time to test its ability to prevent breakouts, and reduce scarring and dark marks. I was going through a rough patch of pimples from my sports bra when I started the test, and eight weeks later, I have definitely noticed a marked reduction, and some fading of the dark spots I had acquired in the ugly two weeks prior to the test. Yay!
PACKAGING: White plastic pump bottles. Some clogging in dispensers (in that creams tend to dry out upon contact with air) but not spring loaded, so no issues with product shooting out irrationally.
TEXTURE: Whitish, creamy textured. Medium foamy cleanser, reasonably concentrated. Stay Clear Cream spreads well, so the utility is good. PLUS. Bonus points for pleasant, green-teaish smell that isn't at all fragrance-y. (Zitty teen claims to smell tea tree oil, but who listens to teenagers anyway?)
USAGE: Morning and night, all three steps. Wait a good ten minutes for the cream to absorb fully before applying sunscreen, and you MUST use a physical, oil free sunscreen with a high SPF when using any acne regimen. The simplicity of the system is a PLUS.
MIRACLE INGREDIENTS: That's a fine question, but it ain't benzoyl peroxide. Best guess is Azelaic acid, salycylic acid, and sulfer, plus a barrier repair/restorative. Despite sneering at the zitty teen's whiff of tea tree oil, my guess is that's in there too (which would be beneficial, given tea tree oil's powerful anti-microbial properties), and willow bark extract (OK, I scooped that from Google) as anti-inflammatory. No parabens or sodium laurel sulfate. PLUS.
This system gets the thumbs-up for those with mild to moderate recurring breakouts, particularly anyone resistant to anti-biotic treatments or with darker skin.
Typical treatment regimens skew hard toward anti-biotics, both topical and ingested, which work until they...don't. Birth control pills work for some types of acne (and then only for women) but not others. So if you've tried everything, topical anti-biotics aren't working any more, you're convinced that one more round of tetracycline will get you declares a national health risk, you're on the pill, you're still breaking out, but not badly enough to go the Accutane route?
Enter Evologie. Rather than depending on benzoyl peroxide (which, while effective, can be drying and can bleach darker skins), the line utilizes something they call YS3 complex. I have no idea what exactly that means. BUT as far as I can tell, it contains Azelaic acid, and sulfur. The former is both anti-bacterial and inhibits keratin, which contributes to clogged pores. The latter is a powerful anti-bacterial, and unlike anti-biotics, is less likely to diminish in effectiveness over time (meaning that you're less likely to develop a resistance to it, unlike, say, to over-using Penicillin.) And despite its claims to have an enhanced ability to deliver acne-fighting ingredients deep down where the problems start, the line claims to strengthen the skin's water retention barrier. So your face won't, like, peel off and stuff.
I figured it would be a waste to just test this on my CLAcne, so I hoarded one component (Stay Clear Cream) for myself, and shipped off the whole system to a One-A tester for acne stuff, eg, a teenager. The system is deceptively simple: Stay Clear Cleanser, Intensive Blemish Serum, and Stay Clear Cream. Easy: wash face, apply stay clear cream, use serum on active breakouts. Done!
Said zitty teen used the products for eight weeks (well, sort of, teenage boys are notoriously unreliable), and despite his failure to be consistent, actually found that the products worked. He saw improvement in frequency, duration, and aftereffects of breakouts, and a significant reduction in oil. The latter might make this a bit drying for the 40+ female set, so either 1) add a hydrating serum on top or 2) rotate the system in during heavy breakout periods, like summertime. I used the extra bottle of Stay Clear Cream on my cleavage for the same period of time to test its ability to prevent breakouts, and reduce scarring and dark marks. I was going through a rough patch of pimples from my sports bra when I started the test, and eight weeks later, I have definitely noticed a marked reduction, and some fading of the dark spots I had acquired in the ugly two weeks prior to the test. Yay!
PACKAGING: White plastic pump bottles. Some clogging in dispensers (in that creams tend to dry out upon contact with air) but not spring loaded, so no issues with product shooting out irrationally.
TEXTURE: Whitish, creamy textured. Medium foamy cleanser, reasonably concentrated. Stay Clear Cream spreads well, so the utility is good. PLUS. Bonus points for pleasant, green-teaish smell that isn't at all fragrance-y. (Zitty teen claims to smell tea tree oil, but who listens to teenagers anyway?)
USAGE: Morning and night, all three steps. Wait a good ten minutes for the cream to absorb fully before applying sunscreen, and you MUST use a physical, oil free sunscreen with a high SPF when using any acne regimen. The simplicity of the system is a PLUS.
MIRACLE INGREDIENTS: That's a fine question, but it ain't benzoyl peroxide. Best guess is Azelaic acid, salycylic acid, and sulfer, plus a barrier repair/restorative. Despite sneering at the zitty teen's whiff of tea tree oil, my guess is that's in there too (which would be beneficial, given tea tree oil's powerful anti-microbial properties), and willow bark extract (OK, I scooped that from Google) as anti-inflammatory. No parabens or sodium laurel sulfate. PLUS.
This system gets the thumbs-up for those with mild to moderate recurring breakouts, particularly anyone resistant to anti-biotic treatments or with darker skin.
