LYNND1

I have had issues with hormone-driven acne for many years. St. Ives Blemish Control Green Tea Gel Cleanser applied at night followed by Clean & Clear Continuous Control Benzoyl Peroxide wash in the morning kept me clear 90 percent of the time until early last year when I began experiencing "breakthrough" cystic acne. When my OTC methods began to fail, I consulted a dermatologist for the problem for the first time since my 20s, when I went on Accutane and largely eliminated the problem until I hit my 40s. The dermatologist placed me on Differen gel to no apparent benefit whatsoever. When that didn't work, she proposed a stronger dose of Differen and added a daily, prolonged regimen of antibiotics. All the while, she told me not to use Salicylic acid products so I switched over to a non-medicated facial cleaner. I began breaking out worse after I began to use a "gentle" cleaner and it didn't quit. Nonetheless, I was unable to tolerate a stronger dose of Differen and the antibiotics were leaving me with other "problems" that women can get from antibiotic overuse. This product was the intermediate solution for me between too-strong Differen and too-weak Differen. As luck would have it, I stocked up on a bunch of these blemish control green tea facial cleaners prior to use of the Differen and so in lieu of embarking on the antibiotic over-use route I added this cleanser back in to my thus-far ineffectual Differen routine. Between the re-introduction of this OTC cleanser and the Rx, I have acne control without antibiotic over-reliance. Unfortunately, my stash of St. Ives Blemish Control Green Tea Gel Cleanser is about to run out and I know of no other comparable product to stand in for the fact that THE MANUFACTURER HAS DISCONTINUED THIS FACIAL CLEANER :-(. I do believe the synergistic aspects of this formula, which includes green tea, olive extracts and Salcylic acid, will be difficult to duplicate. If anybody knows of a substitute for this facial cleaner, I'd like to hear about it. With the sole exception of Clean & Clear's Continuous Control facial wash, I've never had such good success with an OTC blemish-control product. It's too bad St. Ives didn't consider running a proper advertising campaign before they discontinued it. Without this product, I will be left with antibiotic use and the unpleasant side effects of being on too much Doxycycline for too long.

Acne begins to form deep below the skin's surface as much as three months before it erupts. You need to give any product at least 4 months to judge the results.