Today’s review begins with a bit of a skincare lesson. All of this is from my personal research, so if any experts would like to pipe in, please leave a comment!
Acne happens when sebum is trapped inside a pore – this can happen for a number of reasons. The important thing to understand is that sebum is the “white” part you find in “whiteheads”, and it’s also what’s trapped inside those horrible deep pimples that won’t come to a head. Sebum is a fatty substance naturally produced by your body.
There are two types of chemical exfoliants: AHAs and BHAs. Alpha hydroxy acids (lactic acid, glycolic acid, etc) are water-soluble and do a great job of removing dead cells from the surface of your skin. The only beta hydroxy acid used in cosmetics is salicylic acid, and it’s fat-soluble. (I promise I’m getting to a point here…)
So, if sebum is a fatty compound, you’d want to use a fat-soluble exfoliant to get inside the pore and break down the sebum, right? Right.
Herein lies the problem with many “acne treatments” – they are either chock full of benzoyl peroxide (a drying antiseptic) or AHA exfoliants that can’t penetrate your pores. I’ve tried using BHA products all over my face in the past and my skin didn’t respond well. So when I discovered Neutrogena Rapid Clear Sore Pimple Gel ($9.99 for 0.5 fl. oz), which is basically a concentrated BHA treatment, I was really excited to say the least.
You won’t be getting before/after pictures because I’m seriously not going to post a macro shot of my zit all over the internet. (You’re welcome.) What you will get is my unabashed praise of this product. I used this on several of those horrible, under the skin, hormonally-driven pimples overnight and in the morning they were significantly less noticeable.
They didn’t completely disappear, but they either came to a head so they could be popped (skincare experts, pretend you didn’t read that) or became much less inflamed so they could be covered with makeup. Yeah, I know you’re not supposed to touch blemishes, but sometimes it’s better than leaving the house with a raging whitehead. As for the second claim, I can’t say I noticed any kind of soothing on contact. More like an acidic burn that lasts for about 5 seconds.
Overall: If you have stubborn acne that won’t come to a head, try this treatment!
Availability: Ulta, Target, drugstores, supermarkets. Check the weekly sale roundup (right sidebar) to find out when this goes on sale!
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