15 replies to this topic

[lmh1105]

in looking that the regimens many people have in their signatures, it seems that lots of people who post on this board no longer use bp - instead they use alternate AHA or BHA products. is that correct?

so if i were interested in trying mandelic acid, i would be doing so while phasing out bp?

could someone give an example of a schedule i might want to try following? or would i maybe do one in the morning and the other at night?

thanks very much for any tips!

[JennaBabe]

Both Mandelic and BP can irritate skin, so if you use them both, just use one at night and one in the morning. You can decide if you want to phase out the BP or not. I'm finding that the mandelic is really keeping my inflamed acne controlled, which is what BP is used for, so you may not need BP once you start using the mandelic.

[Kiyosumi]

Do you apply the Mandelic Acid Serum in the same manner as BP?

[JennaBabe]

Some people use mandelic all over their face twice a day, while I only use it on my entire face in the morning, and then I just spot treat inflamed acne breakouts with it at night. So yes, it is used much like BP. It is most effective when you apply it to your entire face- this will help prevent breakouts. I also use it to spot treat inflamed acne, and the antibacterial nature of the mandelic acid helps clear up breakouts when I spot treat with it. If I wasn't using retinol at night, I would use mandelic all over my face twice a day, but since I am using retinol all over my face at night, I just spot treat with the mandelic.

[lmh1105]

so i've been using NuCelle for the last five nights (only at night), in place of BP

and i have gotten a whole bunch of new red acne-like bumps across my cheeks and under my nose.

is that to be expected? b/c i'm fighting the urge to start adding the bp on with the mandelic acid b/c i have the feeling i'm getting those bumps b/c i cut back on the bp to only once a day...

any thoughts would be appreciated.

[JennaBabe]

You will get an initial breakout with the Nucelle. It is an AHA, so it exfoliates the skin, and the oil and clogs in your pores will get pushed to the surface, causing the purging. The BP you were using was killing bacteria, but your pores were probably still clogged, because BP doesn't really do anything for clogged pores. Since you probably had a lot of clogged pores, you may have a lot of purging as the Nucelle works to unclog the pores. I would give it more time... I think it might be too irritating to use the BP with the Nucelle, and irritation can cause more breakouts. I would just give it another week or two and see then if your initial breakout is starting to come to an end.

[lmh1105]

ok, so this is the case (purging) whether there be visible blackheads or not...

b/c the bumps i'm getting...now on my chin too!!...were not associated with any visible clogs... at least i didn't think so.

but i will stay the course and give it another couple of weeks.

thanks, jenna.

[Vella]

Yeah my spots seem to be appearing totally out of blue 10 days into mandelic- I don't even have any clogged pores anymore so they're not forming from those!

Just hang in there, I'm feeling your pain too!!

x

[willow569]

Just wanted to reiterate a comment I have made about th NuCelle serum a few times. It contains algae, which can clog pores for some people. From what I can tell, either some people have problems with it and others don't or some forms of algae are comedogenic while others are not. Not 100% sure which it is, but if you keep breaking out on it - maybe try Vivant's mandelic. They have a good cleanser, toner and serum. The only downside is that their products do contain alcohol.

[JennaBabe]

Some forms of algae are comedogenic and others are not. I believe that the algae used in Nucelle is not comedogenic, and if people are breaking out from it, it is because their skin is sensitive to algae (or a different ingredient in the product), not because the algae is clogging their pores.

[willow569]

Some forms of algae are comedogenic and others are not. I believe that the algae used in Nucelle is not comedogenic, and if people are breaking out from it, it is because their skin is sensitive to algae (or a different ingredient in the product), not because the algae is clogging their pores.

You know, that question has never been conclusively answered, from what I can tell. Do you have a source that shows that this form is ok, and what form they use? Even when Paula B, who knows pretty much everything about ingredients, was asked about this her answer was that she wasn't sure about algae. If you do have a source for that, I'd love to see it - it might help us better distinguish between what formulations of algae are ok, and which ones are not. I do know that red algae is problematic for sure, but i have never seen anything published or documented about other formulations of algae.

[JennaBabe]

I did research on the different types of algae before I first started using Nucelle, so I will see if I can find the information again.

[willow569]

I did research on the different types of algae before I first started using Nucelle, so I will see if I can find the information again.

Thanks! that would be really great info to have. I tried doing some research on it, but couldn't find much.

[Jenstar]

The people at NuCelle claim the level of algae is so minute it should not cause any problems.

[acne_battle]

The people at NuCelle claim the level of algae is so minute it should not cause any problems.

Sorry to jump in here but company always claim their problems are minute because they want people to buy their product.

I used Nucelle serum for a couple of days and I broke out in cysts. I have no idea if that product had anything to do with it or not though

[Jenstar]

The people at NuCelle claim the level of algae is so minute it should not cause any problems.

Sorry to jump in here but company always claim their problems are minute because they want people to buy their product.

I used Nucelle serum for a couple of days and I broke out in cysts. I have no idea if that product had anything to do with it or not though

I agree. Of course they would say that.

A couple of days is a short amount of time for you to have given up on NuCelle.