Hi everyone. I've been reading posts on this website for a while but just created an account today so I could share my story.

All through high school I was blessed with clear skin except for the occasional pimple that would subside on its own in a couple of days. The summer after high school I began to develop mild-moderate acne on my chin and forehead and eventually my cheeks as well. I hoped that it would go away with a little time so did not start any treatment until partway into my first semester of college.

About a month into my first semester of college I ended up with a girlfriend and began to be more and more self-conscious about my acne because I wanted to impress her and look nice when I was around her. The first product I tried was the Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Control Kit. It reduced my acne initially but after using up most of the kit my skin began to get very red and sensitive and I experienced a burning sensation whenever I applied the creams. Additionally my skin became extremely dry and would visibly peel on my cheeks. Clearly this was not the product for me.

The next product I tried was the Clean & Clear Advantage 3-in-1 Exfoliating Cleanser. I used this product successfully for several weeks and the severity of my acne lessened but it did not go away. I discontented this product because it contained small particles for physical exfoliation and it was too rough on my skin. While the product was physically rough on my skin I experienced no redness or chemical-irritation like I had on the Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Control Kit. I think I reacted to the kit because it used high-concentration benzoyl peroxide in combination with a salycic acid moisturizer and salycic acid spot treatment. I think my skin was simply to sensitive for this cocktail of chemicals. With this assumption I decided to stick to just benzoyl peroxide as an active ingredient moving forward.

This brings us to my current product of choice: Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10. I first came across this product when I saw it on a friend's desk and shortly after picked it up at the local Rite-Aid. I liked that this product had the same concentration of benzoyl peroxide that had been in the 3-in-1 Exfoliating cleanser but didn't have the physical exfoliating scrub that had damaged my skin.

I started using Persa-Gel 10 twice daily with some success but the product left my skin significantly dry (very, very dry) after application. I didn't have any moisturizer without harsh chemicals in it so in a pinch I started using straight jojoba oil (a few drops rubbed on my hands and then rubbed on my face) as a kind of moisturizer. Eventually I realized that it would be a good idea to add some kind of cleaner to my routine so I picked up some Cetaphil cleanser. Twice a day I would clean my face with the Cetaphil and then rub some jojoba oil on my face and splash water on my face to rince off any excess jojoba oil. Finally I would gently apply a conservative amount of Persa-Gel over my entire face. I found that by applying jojoba oil to my skin prior to applying the Persa-Gel my skin would not dry out. I have been following this routine for several weeks now with great success. Most of my acne has subsided except for the occasional pimple here and there.

This was a long post but I just wanted to get my story in writing and put it out there. Hopefully it can help at least one person in some way.

My Routine

1) Cetaphil Cleanser

2) Jojoba Oil (to prevent Persa-Gel from drying out skin)

3) Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10 (conservative amount, gently spread)