Murad Pure Skin Clarifying Dietary Supplement Review

I had tried these about a year ago, and wanted to write a quick review. My mom had bought me two bottles of them off Sephora.com because they had really good reviews. Each bottle has 120 vitamins/pills (whatever you want to call them) in it, and you can take 2 in the morning, or 1 in the morning and one at night. They claim to clear up 55% of blemishes in six weeks, which for some reason made it sound more believable than it really was, because you know what they say: “If it sounds too good to be true; then chances are that it is (too good to be true)!”So this sounded believable because 55% isn’t a super astonishing number especially when it comes into the realm of acne products. I pulled this off the Murad website to explain a little of what the product is.


“Vitamin A stabilizes cell turnover to help prevent clogged pores Yellow Dock and Burdock support the body's ability to remove blemish-producing toxins Zinc helps support resistance to skin irritation US PATENT: 5,962,517*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”

So after taking them for 3 months or 12 weeks everyday not a whole lot changed and I thought how could they be rated so good, and not work at all for me? I went online at that moment and googled the supplement reviews, and I realized just about every person who wrote a review on the product was female, and in the 20-30 age group! Out of about 60 reviews that I went through I found only one guy’s review, and he was in the 50-55 age group! So I learned that you can’t just go off the good reviews of a product and think it will work until you actually look closely at things like: is the person reviewing a boy or girl, how old is he or she, and possibly what type of acne or skin does he or she have. These things are all important to look for especially if you’re a guy, because not many guys go and review products they’ve tried. If you’re buying a product with good reviews chances are that only girls have reviewed it, and girls have nowhere near the same type of skin as a guy does so the product probably won’t work the same! Now I’m not saying that it won’t work, but next time when shopping for a product just look to see if any people in or close to the same boat as you have tried it.

-jpc

Proactive Product Review

Over the years, like many I have tried too many products to count, and seen minimal results even with the top treatments. One of the more recent products I tried before starting my caveman regimen was Proactive. I had always known about Proactive way before I even had acne because of all the mass advertising they did on TV and the internet. It was like you couldn’t watch TV without seeing a damn Proactive commercial! Though I never believed anything marketed like that on TV really worked, and for the price that it was back then I didn’t even want to try it. Though as time went on and as my list of things to try and get rid of my acne grew very small I only had about 2 real options to try… Accutane or Proactive. I totally don’t want to do Accutane at all because of all the negative side effects even if I was guaranteed to get clear if I used it. So I went for it and ordered Proactive eager to clear my skin.


I ordered it online when they were having a deal for only $20.00. I got the main 3-step system, and I got to choose 2 free gifts, so I chose the Refining Mask, and the Daily Oil Control. As soon as I bought it I was already skeptical because after you buy it, they tell you that you will be billed every month after that automatically. I chose to have it shipped 3 day air because I was eager to get it fast. Though the next day they emailed me and said that they were all out of stock, which is stupid because it’s the only thing they make! Anyways after about 2 weeks I finally got it, and opened it up. Everything is reasonably sized the only thing that was disappointing was the refining mask which was already in a small container, but it’s only half-full. The main 3-step system which is good-sized consists of the Renewing Cleanser 4 ounce, the Revitalizing Toner 4 ounce, and the Oil-Free Moisturizer 1.7 ounce.

After washing my face with the Renewing Cleanser, which is just a liquid wash with its main ingredient being 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide, my face became extremely dry! It was crazy how fast it became so dry before I could even put anything on. The next step which at this point I should’ve skipped is the Revitalizing Toner. After I put this on my face tightened so bad that I couldn’t smile without it hurting. So at this point my face was now cherry red, super dry, irritated and I still had one more step which is the Oil Free Moisturizer. It is an SPF 15 moisturizer, but it is very light so I had to put on multiple layers on. My skin continued to dry up every few minutes so I put a ton of some other moisturizer I had to calm it down. After that I learned to only use only a little of the toner and only once a week, and wash my face with the cleanser once a day until my face built up some resistance.

My face never really had an initial breakout like I had read about happens when using Proactive for the first time. Nothing really changed with my skin at all except that it never felt healthy, and didn’t look it either. It was pale and blotchy with redness and irritation in some areas. It was dry in places and oily in others like my nose would be super oily but my chin would be dry. I stuck with it for about 6 weeks before dumping it, because absolutely nothing was changing at all. I wasn’t very surprised though it wasn’t the first time, but I’m glad it didn’t because I’m reading a lot about how people who use Proactive, once they stop their acne comes back like crazy!

So there’s no doubt that Proactive works for some people, I know it works for some of my friends, but it just didn’t do a thing for me. Now I understand that some people say, well you have to wait a long time for it to clear you up, but this wasn’t just taking a long time to clear me up it was taking a long time to just make a pimple go away so I stopped because it wasn’t working at all!

-Jpc

How To Pop a Pimple: The Right Way

Everyone who has acne, whether they like to do it or not have popped their pimples. It’s advised by dermatologists that you do not pick, pop, squeeze, scratch, etc. your pimples, but sometimes it is inevitable and you absolutely have to pop them! For example, say you wake up for the first day of school only to look in the mirror and find that you have a few giant whiteheads; one smack in the middle of your forehead, one on the tip of your nose, and one bulging from your chin. If you’re a girl you can try and cover them up with makeup, but if you’re a guy you’re ultimately left with two choices… You can pop them and put some ice over the pores after to reduce the swelling and hope that the blemishes won’t be super bad… Or you can do the right thing and not lay a finger on them; the only thing though is you’ll catch everyone’s eyes on your face in the halls and in class. So I know when I’m in these desperate situations, which is quite often I always opt for the easy way out, and unfortunately pop them. Though I have learned some good skills and techniques to reduce the damage and scarring of popping pimples to very little or none at all!

• Never continue to pop and pick at the same pimple or scab over and over as this will lead to permanent scarring, but rather make sure to get it all out with one swift pop, and dab some tissue there every 30 seconds to absorb the excess blood. Then you can use some ice to reduce the redness and swelling.

• Don’t go for pre-mature pimples, which are pimples that you have to squeeze and push pretty hard to get out. These pimples are still deep in the pore and rip the skin apart when popped which can take a long time to heal and lead to scarring. If a pimple is ready to be popped it should come out fairly easy with hardly any pressure applied to it at all. Usually ones ready to be popped will have a big white/yellowish head, and will sometimes pop themselves.

• Always wash your hands and your face with a gentle cleanser, or sterilize the area on the face before popping a pimple with a pad or wipe.

• Use tissue paper, and wrap a piece over each index finger. This ensures that no bacteria or oils left on your finger will get into the open pore.

• Never squeeze! Instead gently apply pressure and push down around the pimple, and then slightly inward.

• Go from side to side, and then from up and down. This ensures that everything will come out so that it can heal properly, and so the pimple won’t come back or get infected.

• Don’t spend more than 30-60 seconds when popping a pimple, because any longer batters the skin tissue and can cause scarring.

Keep these tips in mind whenever your popping a pimple; they can save you from bad scarring! Also I’m making a video about this I’m just waiting for the prime pimple to use, so look out for it!

-jpc

The Caveman Regimen: Update Week 3

Last time I updated it had only been one week on my version of the caveman regimen, which is basically when you don’t wash your face to heal your acne. If you happened to miss my version on the first update it is: I let warm shower water hit my face on the lowest pressure setting for about 30 seconds, and then pat dry with a towel when I get out. At night all I do is dab some apple cider vinegar on my face using a cotton pad. I cut out all treatment creams and cleansers, because I felt they were doing more harm than good.

Overall I would have to say that my skin is doing a little worse than when I started the regimen. This, although is normal and could last weeks to months, so I am not about to give up it anytime soon!

Some days I’ll wake up and my skin will look pretty good, while other days I’ll have up to 10 new pimples or whiteheads. On about day 8 or 9 of this my forehead broke out like crazy, and continued to breakout for the next couple of days with tiny whiteheads. It looks to be finally calming down though so that makes me happy. Other areas of my face like my chin will be clear for up to 2 days at the most, and actually look pretty good, but I’ll usually breakout with 2-3 big whiteheads after. This is also pretty much the same for the sides of my face as well, but all the pimples are usually gone within 2-3 days sometimes less. Also I have been shaving every Saturday in the shower using Cetaphil as a substitute for shaving cream, and that has been working really well. For the rest of the day, and for most of the next day my skin will look and feel really good after shaving. A cool thing I noticed is that my skin is no longer super dry after I get out of the shower, and it doesn’t get super oily anymore until later in the night! Also another thing I noticed about this regimen that I like is that I don’t stress as much about my acne and often forget about it. This is because I don’t have to worry about washing it with a certain cleanser each and every night, or putting on creams anymore. Also I don’t have to keep caking on the moisturizer which doesn’t help my face feel any better, and makes it even oilier.

Although the results might not be there yet, something deep down inside tells me that I’m doing the right thing! So whether or not its true time will tell, and we’ll just have to see if anything changes next week. So until then enjoy the site!

Updated before and after photos...

Before (4/7)	After (4/27)

Before (4/7)	After (4/27)

Before (4/7)	After (4/27)

Before (4/7)	After (4/27)

-jpc

The Almighty Aspirin Mask

News of the Aspirin mask is spreading like wildfire because it’s cheap, it’s easy to do, and it works! It is excellent for people looking to soften their skin, or for people who have acne because Aspirin has Salicylic acid in it and gently exfoliates the skin. I started using the mask a little over 3 weeks ago, and I do it every Friday or Saturday on parts of my face that have the most/worst pimples. This is one of the first things that I have done and been stunned by the results after I tried it! Just about every pimple I apply it to will literally be half the size if not gone within a day or even a couple of hours. Basically all it is are some brand name Aspirin, or generic brand (either works the same) non-coated tablets. They can found at just about any of your local markets for around $3 bucks.

You get 3-4 Aspirin or more if you want, but I have read that people vomit if they use more than 4-5(I’m not sure if that is true though?). You then put them in a plate or bowl and add a few drops of water or more depending on the consistency that you want. You then wait a few minutes for the tablets to soften and take a spoon or your finger to mash them up and apply it to your face. It will be chalky depending on how much water you use, so be gentle when applying it to your skin. I end it with that and put it on my skin for 20 minutes, but there are a lot of variants! For example: Adding honey, or lemon juice, olive oil, etc. So be creative and experiment a little to see what works best for you!

Some things to remember are: Don’t use it more than 2-3 times a week, 3 times being the most! Don’t put it on or around your eyes. It’s probably not a good Idea to leave on for too long, but everyone is different so whatever works for you. Also beware it does smell sour.

So that is about it for the Aspirin mask, I definitely would recommend giving it a try or two, and telling me about your experience! Thanks for reading, and have fun if you decide to try it!

-Jpc

Product Review: ZENO Hot Spot Acne Treatment

So I read about this acne device called the ZENO. I hadn’t read any really bad reviews on it, and everyone just about had something good to say about it. It claims to remove your blemishes fast, eliminates acne bacteria, and that it starts clearing your acne in 1 hour.

I decided to try it to see if it could help get rid of some of the whiteheads I get, and to help prevent new ones from forming. So I picked one up at CVS for $40, and went home to try it. The whole device is really simple; there is an on/off button, and a plastic tip that heats up and is what you put on the pimple. Also it only has 80 uses in it, so there is also an indicator light that lets you know how many more uses you have left. Each pimple needs to be individually treated for 2-1/2 minutes, and the ZENO beeps every 30 seconds, and then turns off after the 2-1/2 minutes are up. It heats up pretty fast, but it doesn’t get super hot or anything, so you don’t have to worry about burning your skin.

I tried it on 2 whiteheads I had, and a pimple I had forming under my skin, in front of my ear. The process went by pretty fast, but I couldn’t see myself doing for every pimple I had. Also the heated plastic tip is small, so it’s annoying trying to keep it on the pimple the whole time without looking in the mirror. After an hour went by absolutely nothing had changed, so I tried again a few hours later as directed, and they decreased in size a little, but nothing drastic at all. Though the back of the box says that in their studies “up to 90% of blemishes treated with ZENO disappeared or faded within 24 hours.” So before I decided if it was complete garbage or not I waited till the next day.

After about 24 hours I looked in the mirror and the whiteheads had gotten a little smaller, but whether or not it was just my skin healing naturally or the ZENO, I was disappointed.

The bottom line… I think the ZENO is a piece of junk! I could use an ice-cube on my pimples and see results 4-times as good, and it’s free! If you suffer from mild – severe acne and breakout a lot, the ZENO would be just a big money and time pit, and I wouldn’t recommend it. If you are thinking of trying it though I suggest that you try putting an ice-cube on your problem pimples and see how that helps; I guarantee that you’ll see results! Also more picture updates on my face will be going up in a couple of days, so be looking for them!

                                                                   -jpc

Just how stressed some people can get!

Here is a video to show you just how mad and stressed some people can get after playing some video games!

Jeeze it's like quit acting like a baby and go running or something to burn off your anger!




I'm have yet to lose myself like that thankfully (knock on wood)!

Video Games and Acne

Now if you’re a big fan of on-line video gaming you definitely know at times they can be very stressful and aggravating! Especially if you play any intense multiplayer games like Halo, Call of Duty, Forza, etc. I myself play Modern Warfare 2 religiously whenever I can, and sometimes it can get me so heated to the point where I just want to throw my controller and scream! So whether my heart is pumping with adrenaline, or I’m turning red with anger it made me wonder could there be a link between video gaming and acne?

I’ve definitely noticed that after a night of staying up late and playing Modern Warfare on my Xbox 360, that my face gets super greasy, and the morning after I usually have a few new pimples. My theory for this was whether we notice it or not, that we’re putting our bodies through a great deal of stress when playing some of these games online. Usually when the human heart is pumping that fast and producing that much adrenaline is when one is playing an intense sport for example like basketball, or when ones exercising/ weightlifting. These activities burn the away the stress and adrenaline, because the body is moving in conjunction with the amount being produced. With video gaming on the other hand though these things have nowhere to go and just stay stagnant in the body, and my guess is that the added stress makes the oil glands work overtime and produce more oil, which if you already have acne is not a good thing! So unless your jogging in place or something while you’re playing (which I doubt many do lol) this problem will not go away. That is one the reasons why I try to work out every other day, because it’s good for you and for dissolving daily accumulated stress! Though it is not just video games that exert stress in the body there are other things that are similar for instance watching a scary movie, an intense game of football, or just about anything that artificially gets the heart racing!

Despite what I think it does not stop me from playing Modern Warfare one bit, because I love it that much, and if any of you ever want to play just send me and invite! My gamer tag is: PIMPLEPLANETcom

Well that’s my theory I’d like to know what you think on the subject, and if you ever want to play just shoot me an invite!
-jpc

The Tool...

Hey Pimple Planet -- thanks for having me as a guest blogger! I am old -- a 47 year old who has had acne issues on and off since my early teens. These days it is just an occasional zit... but they always seem to materialize at the worst possible time -- like the night before an important meeting.

Fortunately, I discovered an esthetician's secret weapon... the comedo extractor. I just refer to it as "The Tool". With minimal pressure an no collateral damage on the skin, you can empty the contents on a pesky zit in 2 seconds. There are a lot out there, but the one I use is called the FPO Double Comedo Fine Loop Extractor. I linked it so you can get one!

It is best after a warm-hot shower or after washing your face. Line up the loop, add a little pressure, and voila... a perfect extraction! Has to be one of the best $10.80 purchases I have ever made!

http://www.prettylikeme.com/FPO-Double-Comedo-Fine-Loop-Extractor-p/rb-011489.htm

-Mark

For your weekend enjoyment

Hope everyones having a great weekend I just wanted give a little update on my progress... My forhead brokeout like crazy this morning I have too many whiteheads to count, but they are all very tiny. Im hoping they go away soon, but other than that the rest of my face hasn't really changed at all.
Also just wanted to post this video for your enjoyment!
-Jpc

The Caveman Regimen Pt. 2

Okay, so I included some before and after pictures below. It has only been 7 days, but you can definitely see a little difference in my skin. On the “after” pictures(from last night) you can notice that there is some dead skin forming on my left cheek, and the scarring looks to have faded a little bit, but my chin and forehead have more pimples and whiteheads than before. Although my chin and forehead are breaking out more I notice that the pimples heal a lot faster than when I was popping them, and putting on creams, etc. For the first couple of days I was breaking out with HUGE whiteheads on my chin and forehead, and it was almost unbearable not to pop or touch them, as I usually pop whiteheads at the first sight of them! At the end of the day though it is like they pop themselves, and all I have to do is gently white off the puss with a tissue. When this first happened I regretfully squeezed a couple of them thinking there would still be puss inside, but there was nothing! So when I get a white head now I don’t sweat it as much, and it’s usually gone within a day or two, and they heal up twice as fast if I don’t pop them! For example I’m guessing that the blemishes that can be seen on my forehead will be completely gone when I update again in a few days!

The bottom line is that it is too early to say if this is working or not. I personally feel that it is definitely working, but only time will tell. One thing that has drastically changed is that my face doesn’t get super oily/greasy anymore!

Here are my before and after photos, tell me what you think!

Before (4/7)	After (4/14)

Before (4/7)	After (4/14)

Before (4/7)	After (4/14)

Before (4/7)	After (4/14)

 
                                   -JPC

The Pimple Planet blog is pretty plain right now, so I thought I'd "Juice" things up a bit... here are a few gross videos for your enjoyment!



If a pimple gets infected this is what could happen!

The Caveman Regimen Pt. 1

Alright everyone I’ve decided to try this regimen I read about, and put my Murad on hold for a bit… There are many variations and names for it, but basically they serve the same purpose, and that is to cut out all cleansers, and acne treatment creams like BP or SA. It’s simply just washing your face by splashing water on it at the most twice a day and nothing else, but some people take it all the way and quit washing their face for days all together!

The idea is to just let your skin, which has been ravaged over the years by acne treatments, to naturally heal itself and rebuild its strength. This in turn will make your skin more tolerant to breakouts, and even out the amount of oil that your face is producing. If you have acne, and use treatments and rough cleansers does your skin get oily not even 2 hours after washing it? This is supposedly due to the fact that your face gets so dry, damaged, and irritated from all of the treatments, that your sebaceous glands have to work over-time and produce greater amounts of oil to try and get your skin back to normal.

When I first read of this I thought it was unlikely that it could work, but then I read some example of it working for people in the Army or Marines. Some of these guys that were 18-21 years old that had acne would come back home and be perfectly clear, and they explained that they didn’t have access to water or soap for days, sometimes even weeks, and that’s how they got clear! So I decided why not try it, and if it doesn’t work I have my brand new Murad kit to clear me up. So in the mornings I’ve been letting water hit my face for about 30 seconds in the shower(on the lowest pressure setting), and at night the only thing I do is apply some apple cider vinegar using a cotton pad. The vinegar serves as a very gentle toner, and will not strip the skin. It also helps the skin transition from the use of BP to SA or any other thing that you may have been using on your skin.

I started on Friday April 9th, and it has been about 5 days. My skin is doing quite well to my surprise, although I read that you’ll breakout pretty bad usually after the first week. So I’ll go into more detail later tonight after work, and also post up some pics for you all to see!

                                                   -JPC

Benzoyl Peroxide or Salicylic Acid

Just about every product for acne these days has one or the other of these active ingredients, but which one works better at treating acne and what is the difference?

I have used many regimens with SA (Salicylic Acid), and many with BP (Benzoyl Peroxide), but never payed attention to which one worked in clearing up my skin better. After doing a little homework on the subject I’ve found their differences.

Benzoyl Peroxide is used to kill the acne causing bacteria deep in and around pores.

Salicylic Acid is used to exfoliate the skin by shedding off the top layer of skin cells, which is supposed to prevent the pores from clogging.

From what I’ve read many people male and female have seen good results when using the products together (But not at the same time). For instance after washing the face in the morning apply a 2% Salicylic Acid treatment, and at night after cleansing the face apply a 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide treatment. Also never use a product with over 2% SA, and never use one with over 2.5% BP, because it could irritate the skin making the condition worse. Just remember with acne sometimes, less is more!

Also product reviews will be going up shortly, as soon as I get my Murad Acne Complex in the mail. These reviews will also include day-to-day pictures of my skin, to show if the product is working or not! Last, but not least I’ve come to wonder if congested sinuses could be linked to acne, because I always have the worst sinus problems. So I also ordered a sinus rinser to see if it could possibly help. I’ll keep you all posted throughout the next couple of weeks, but in the meantime go and upload your Pop or Not pictures!

                                  -JPC

With Raging Hormones Comes Raging Zits!

Throughout the years I’ve read plenty of articles and things on acne, but the two most important things I learned are:

1. There is no definite cure for acne.
2. It is not for surely known what cause acne.

Now, if you did not know this and feel like screaming that is okay, but know that it only explains why anything in the past you’ve tried didn’t work. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t theories on the matter, I for one have heard of many like… Eating fast food, eating pizza, eating red meats, and eating too many carbs can all contribute to acne. People also believe that acne is caused because of genetics, and also changing hormone levels found especially in people who are going through puberty.

So after reading and understanding all of these things I came up with my own theory on my acne. I believe that my main acne contributor is the thing that you hear most associated with puberty… the “raging hormones”! The constant changing levels of hormones during that time causes the bodies oil glands to produce more sebum thus causing the pores to become clogged, and form a pimple. Although not everyone gets acne when they go through puberty, so I also believe another contributor is my genetics as some of my family members had acne during this time as well. Lastly I believe my final contributor is my diet because I do eat plenty of greasy junk food. I have started a new diet, and cut out all fast-foods, sweets, red meats, and the amount of carbohydrates I eat. It has only been a couple of weeks, but I’m thinking by doing this my body will produce a healthier, better quality sebum that won’t clog my pores. With this experiment I’m hoping that I will no longer break-out from clogged pores, and that my skin will be able to heal. In the meantime though try to think of all the possible things that could be contributing to your acne, and see if there is anything that can be done to help!

- JPC

My Struggle with Acne

Like many, my acne began in my high school years, right around the middle of my sophomore year. At the time it was never anything serious, just a few pimples on my chin every now and then. I of course overreacted every time -- washing my face with large amounts of rough cleansers, and globbing on spot treatments every night; not knowing that it was doing more harm than good.

So slowly, but surely, it grew from 2 pimples here and there to 3 or 4, and the acne gradually moved up my face. It never bothered me too much, but as the months went on the condition began to worsen, and I began to get more self-conscious about it. I felt less and less confident about myself each time I looked in a mirror, and I wondered why all the different products I had tried weren’t working. Every time I tried a new regimen, it would work for a week or two, but then it was like my acne would adjust to it and come back like the wash was no longer effective. So all through my sophomore and junior year I fought a slow, but surely losing battle with acne. Every time my face would clear up the acne would only come back twice as bad as before. I was becoming miserable.

By the start of my senior year I had lost all control of my skin. I had minimal self-confidence, and hated going to school because I was so self-conscious about my face. I traded going out on weekends, and hanging out with friends for staying at home and playing videogames. I fell into a time of depression where all I wanted to do all day was lay in bed, and play games. Enough of the sob story already! It makes me mad that I let it ruin some of my high school years. Now a days I try not to let it bother me as much, or at all for that matter!

The bottom line is that we have all had our rough times dealing with acne, but instead of hiding away in the shadows, or feeling down it the dumps while hoping to find a cure, we should live our lives! To let acne control your life is a huge, regretful mistake; so always practice good hygiene by washing your face 1-2 times a day, and see a dermatologist to have your type of skin condition properly diagnosed. So from now and up until you have clear, acne-free skin... ease up a bit and live your life!

                  - JPC