SkinCeuticals : Blemish + Age Defense

save your money.

I am 25 years old and my biggest issue is oily skin, large clogged pores and closed comedones. they lend my skin a very bumpy uneven texture and it feels pretty gross when I wash my face. occasionally I get inflammatory pimples, but usually it's when I mess with one of the little bumps. I have had stubborn bumps on my forehead for years even though I use benzoyl peroxide on them twice daily. recently, I got a facial which included extractions and she recommended I try this product to help with congestion. it's expensive so I was skeptical, but go big or go home, right? also, it has alcohol in it which I thought was a big no but I honestly could care less so long as it works. I have been using this morning and night for about a week and a half and my forhead looks clearer than it has since I can remember. it doesn't dry me out, in fact I think it's moisturizing compared to the BP I was slathering on every day. it hasnt burned upon application and doesnt seem to be causing irritation, although my forehead skin is much less sensitive than other parts of my face. the skin looks healthier overall and my bumps either have come to a head(tiny, insignificant uninformed ones) and healed up or just gone away. I did use this on my entire t zone for the first 7 days and while it cleared some stubborn stuff out of the sides of my nose and under my eyes, it made my skin shiny. crazy shiny. like necessary to wash my face a third time in the middle of the day and blot every couple of hours shiny. so, I am currently just applying this to my forhead so I can see if my skin will adjust or if that's just what this product will do on my skin. my sister (who has extremely mild acne, just an occasional tiny pimple) uses this after a gentle unmedicated cleanser as a spot treatment and swears by it. four stars only because of the price.

I don't notice a difference, I often wonder if it even has all the ingredients listed, because other products with similar ingredients work.

I had severe acne, and this stuff helped clear up my skin. it has stopped the spread of acne on my face. i can face the world again. It does dry your skin out a little but it is totally worth it. Make sure you have a good water based moisturiser

I was given this product, along with the Retexturing Activator, by my dermatologist, for my acne. I had moderate acne with inflammation on my cheeks and jawline. I kept taking photos of my face for 3 months to see the difference, and it kept getting worse. At first, I thought it was the purging phase so I was patient. But the acne got worse, I had inflammed red spots everywhere. Even when my face was full of acne (I've never in my entire life experienced such breakouts, by number and the inflammation wasn't getting any better), I continued using it because of all the good reviews I read online and because my derm said she wanted to see me after 3 months, so I decided to give it the time it needed to work. Except that it didn't. It ruined my face completely. I stopped it after 3 months of using it religiously, and when I went back to my previous routine, my face calmed down, but I'm left with scars and red spots everywhere on my cheeks. Bottom line, it is the worst product I have ever used for my acne. Horrible experience. Couldn't even go out of the house without foundation, and couldn't look at myself in the mirror. That's how much it was horrible. Let me just say that the very tiny places on my face where I didn't have acne (forehead and chin), the texture of my skin got better, so maybe it's a good product for people who don't have acne, but I don't know why on earth would they recommend it for people having acne.