Over the past... 10+ years, I've tried all the home 'treatments' for spots - toothpaste, ice, lemon juice, tea tree, face washes, face scrubs, face masks, and always ended up with it staying exactly the same or getting worse - one bad face mask left me with a red, burning face and the spots looking angrier than ever.
In March I had a bit of time on my lunch break and went into Home Bargains looking at the beauty products. I saw Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Seal To Clear Gel and figured I could give it a shot. I didn't expect it to work but at least I would feel like I was being proactive.
The packaging claims that it will 'visibly reduce spot size and redness in 4 hours. The seal helps hold the spot-fighting ingredients on the spot as it clears.' It forms an invisible barrier to help protect spots and attacks them with Salicylic Acid 2%.
Salicylic acid acts as an exoliant, and helps encourage the shedding of skin cells - which occurs less in acne-prone skin. 2% is the highest concentration of Salicylic acid which can be purchased over the counter.
As it is a chemical exfoliant, you may experience a slight burning sensation (if this persists, discontinue use) or dry, peeling skin (a good, oil-free moisturiser can sort that out).
The directions say to apply a drop of the gel onto spots morning and night, but if I'm not going anywhere, I will reapply every 4 hours or so, and it really does make a big difference in the size of my spots - breakouts that would usually last a few days to over a week now last 1-2 days.
I do experience dryness and some flaking of the skin around the areas I apply it to, but I use a good water based moisturiser and Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and it usually gets back to normal pretty quickly.
One of my favourite things about the gel is that, because it creates an invisible barrier and dries pretty quickly, I can apply my makeup over the top and I'm still getting the benefits of the spot treatment when I'm out - I don't have to sit inside for 4 hours and wait to wash it off.
The packaging is great, as it comes in a little tube like a lipgloss - perfect for your makeup bag or handbag. You get 12ml of product, and mine has lasted 3 months so far and doesn't look like it's set to run out any time soon.
The gel is currently on offer from 7 Day Cosmetics, at £2.45 down from £6.50, and I would highly recommend taking advantage of the deal.
It is also available from a variety of shops on ebay (check the seller's rating before purchasing!), for £3.74 on Amazon, for £5.37 at ChemistDirect or for £6 at Tesco.
There are a lot of Salicylic Acid products on the market, including face washes, scrubs, lotions and creams, but I feel that this is an excellent place to start.
If you try it, let me know what you think of it in the comments below!
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