Acne Products | Beauty and Fashion Tech

Claro Acne Clearing Device Review

Acne sufferers! Take notice of the CLARO Acne Clearing Device (Nordstrom Exclusive)! This intense pulsed light device (IPL) works quite well at clearing standard acne and, although not developed for use on cystic acne, had some effect on some that was bordering on being that type for me as well. Before I give my Claro review, here is what the company says about it:

CLARO offers a completely new way to treat acne–no lotions, creams or pills. CLARO is a personal acne-treatment medical device that is based on the same Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) technology used by dermatologists worldwide. The IPL system used in the CLARO harnesses a powerful combination of heat and light to treat mild to moderate acne quickly and naturally. CLARO delivers a series of pulses in six seconds that safely penetrate the skin to target the cause of acne.The effective and natural treatment for acne:- Fast and easy to use.- Kills up to 94.8% of acne bacteria after just one treatment.- Results you’ll notice quicker than with competitive devices.- Painless, gentle treatments.- Safe, with no side effects.- Natural alternative to drugs and lotions.- Portable, battery-operated and rechargeable. Color(s): cobalt blue, hot pink, onyx black.

I have been using the Claro for over a month now, with some particularly heavy use on a post-holiday breakout. I think all that bad eating didn’t do well for my skin! I ran into a couple of minor difficulties using it, but overall I was quite happy with the results.

About the Claro Acne Treatment Device: The Claro uses a pulsed light laser to kill bacteria. It also generates heat, something that also help treat acne. It is formulated for use on standard pimples, not for use on cystic acne or blackheads.

Using the Claro Acne Clearing Device: To use the Claro, it is turned on and held over the pimple that is being treated. Two sensors on either side of the light must be in contact with the skin for the device to work. The unit beeps to let you know that contact is made. Then, the button is pressed and the device emits 12 pulses of light over 6 seconds. After one treatment, the user is instructed to wait a few minutes and then treat the same area again. One pimple should be treated this way no more than once every 8 hours. After one set of two cycles, the device pauses and cant be used again for a minute. This is a safety feature to allow the device to cool.

I found that using the Claro Acne Treatment Device was generally easy and comfortable. It heats up slightly while emitting the IPL pulses, but it is not uncomfortable. If you have ever used a Zeno (link is to previous review), the sensation is similar. It is not at all like the quick shocks of heat that come from the now discontinued Thermaclear (link is to previous review). Where I ran into problems at times was lining up the device. It is a bit hard to tell if it is centered over the area of acne being treated, and I have contemplated drawing a black arrow on mine with a sharpie! Also, in areas where the face curves, such as the chin, it can be hard to keep both sensors in contact with the skin. This can result in the treatment cycle being cut short. I sometimes had both cycles cut off, and then had to wait for the device to allow me to use it again.

Effectiveness of the Claro: Here is the great part. I found the device to be very effective, and much more so than the Zeno was for me. The first time that I used it on an area of standard acne, it was practically gone the next day, with only a bit of redness remaining. Needless to say, I was impressed! Then, I tried it on an area that had several pimples, including a bit of particularly inflamed acne. It cleared the entire area up quite well. Finally, I gave the Claro Device a try on a particularly difficult area of adult acne, that was bordering on being cystic acne, but not quite there yet–keep in mind that the Claro was not developed for use on cystic acne. It did not completely clear that one up, but I felt that it hastened its clearing—something I also feels that the Zeno and Thermaclear do with particularly inflamed or cystic acne. I think that heat generation might be the main cause of help when it comes to the tougher to treat types of breakouts. Again, the Claro does not advertise that it works on cystic acne, and does not recommend its use on that type, so there should be no expectations from it on that type of acne. Any such use is off label and not recommended by the company (or me for that matter). It also won’t do a thing for blackheads, and is not recommended for use on them.

Safety of the Claro: Because the Claro uses a pulsed light laser, the user should never look into the light and it should be used with caution around the eyes. The device is shipped with a set of mini goggles if you would like extra eye protection. I used them when treating an area underneath my one of eyes.

Price and Product Life: The Claro is $250. Not mentioned on the Nordstrom sale page is that it also has a product life. It will last for about 800 six second treatments, which if you are comparing it to the Zeno, comes to about equal in pricing since the Zeno is cheaper but needs its tips replaced more frequently.

Want it? You can purchase a Claro below:

This review is based on a product that was sent to me by a representative of the company. For more, please see my disclosure page.

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Murad Acne Kit

When I was having a particularly hard time clearing up an adult acne breakout, I gave the Murad Acne Complex Kit ($97 Value!) a try. This is a highly rated kit, but I had mixed results with it, although I have seen rave reviews from others on it. Personally, I would just buy the treatment gel and spot treatment, which I like quite a bit, and use other products in place of the cleanser and lotion.

The kit contains the following:

Clarify Cleanser: This is a basic no frills cleanser that has Salicylic Acid to help exfoliate and fight acne. I found it a bit drying, but otherwise it is a decent enough cleanser. I like using something much cheaper though, such as a Neutrogena cleanser.
Exfoliating Acne Treatment Gel: With Retinol, Glycolic Acid, and Salicylic, this gel has a nice ingredient mix. It is light and non-irritating. I do really like this one for daily prevention/treatment, and would consider buying it separately.
Skin Perfecting Lotion: This is an oil free lotion with Retinol. I don’t think the Retinol amount is very high. At least my skin didn’t notice it the way it would with a high concentration. It is a good basic light lotion, but I prefer using a light drugstore brand or Exuviance Sheer Refining Fluid (read review).
Acne Spot Treatment: Murad’s spot treatment has 10% sulfur, which is a good antibacterial agent for treating individual areas. The product has a bit of an odor, but any sulfur treatment will. I liked this one, but I also like using sulfur masks as spot treatments, especially on the more difficult to treat cystic type of acne. DDF makes a great sulfur mask (read review).

Overall, this is a decent enough kit to give a try. I ultimately only really liked two of the four products enough to consider repurchasing them, but the other two were OK. I just prefer other brands.

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Exuviance Matte Perfection

I am in love with this mattifier! Exuviance Matte Perfection is a light, oil-free gel primer. Aside from acting as a mattifier, it also contains Mandelic Acid, a naturally occurring Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) found in almonds, and Gluconolactone to improve uneven pigmentation and roughness. Mandelic Acid can also help a bit with acne.

The primer feels like most silicone primers and absorbs quickly. It can be worn alone as a mattifier and treatment product, but it also provides a nice base for makeup by filling in fine lines and smoothing the skin. When I use it I find that I tend to stay shine free for most of the day with it.

Exuviance has a real winner with this one!

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Bliss Spa Peeling Groovy

Bliss Peeling Groovy Facial Serum is a basic light AHA serum that is perfect for easy and effective light exfoliation. I gave it a try over a period of a month and found that I got effective exfoliation with no irritation. I also found that it prevented blackheads for me quite nicely.

This one is a bit on the light side though. I did see a nice increase in general brightness of my skin, but it really had no effect at all on my areas of melasma or other discoloration. So those with more serious skin issues will likely want a stronger product or will want to add an additional item, such as a more powerful lightener or wrinkle treatment, to the mix.

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PCA Skin Care Purifying Mask

Every time that I try a PCA Skin product I end up impressed. So of course I loved PCA Skin (pHaze 9) Purifying Mask when I gave it a try. This came in my first edition of Beauty Fix (read review), and is one of just many products in the kit that I love, proving once again that the editors there have great taste.

What is great about the PCA Purifying Mask is that it really does double duty as an acne treatment, pore cleansing type of mask, and as a scrub. This fascinating mask (yes, fascinating!) has general the texture of a clay mask, but it contains pumice as a scrub. So when you apply it, it does all those great things that a purifying mask should do, and then when you wash it off, you get a nice little exfoliating scrub as well. I truly love the concept!

The active ingredient list is quite nice, with treatments for acne and ingredients for general brightening and protection:

Algae
Pumice
Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil
Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil
Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E)
Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A)
Wine Extract
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Olivate

When I used this mask, it left my face bright, and between the active ingredients and the scrubbing action, it left my skin quite ready for serums and moisturizers. One item of note: The pumice in this gives a medium to slightly heavy scrub, so sensitive skin types might was to rinse the product off without rubbing. Those who like a heavier scrub can get one by firmly removing the mask with circular motions. So it is rather flexible in that aspect.

This one very well might make the best of 2009 list in December (yeesh that is a long way off, I just finished the 2008 one!) along with another product or two from the Beauty Fix kit. They sure can pick em!

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Starlite In-Home Laser Skin Care

The Starlite in-home laser skin care device is an at home light treatment product used for anti-aging and acne treatment. Known as a “soft laser,” it works by using the power of a specific wavelength of light to heal. According to the product’s website, that wavelength tends to be effective for superficial skin use without penetrating to deeper tissue and has been shown to be best for wound healing and skin conditions. The company lists the following as conditions that the starlite laser can treat:

•Wrinkles and Fine Lines

•Age Spots

•Blemishes

•Scars

•Stretch Marks

•Collagen Stimulation

•Cuts and Bruises

•Chapped Skin

•Sun Damaged Skin

I gave the Starlite a try for a period of 4-6 weeks. The “laser” is hand held and easy to use. Simply turn it on and massage it over your skin. If it is taken away fro the skin, the light automatically goes off to avoid accidentally shining it in the eyes. Treatment times vary from six minutes to upwards of fifteen, with multiple session per day recommended.

After a couple of weeks, I saw some effect on my adult acne and perhaps a tiny bit on some of my areas of minor hyperpigmentation when I used the Starlite with two 15 minute daily treatments. I was particularly happy with how it worked for acne, because the results were certainly noticeable after 4 weeks of regular use. I also detected some overall skin brightening. But I did not see any effect on the areas of dark melasma. I think that to have success there, the device would need to be used more than twice daily and for a longer period of time.

If you have the patience to use the Starlite enough to see results, it is a fairly decent product– it really does require regular and lengthy use. At a retail price of around $160, it is certainly cheaper than full blown pulsed light or laser treatments.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Contest! Win a set of Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Products and the Book Confidence is Queen-the Four Keys to Ultimate Beauty Through Positive Thinking

Congrats to Kandice, comment number 19, on winning this contest! An email is on the way to you!

Everyone could use a bit of stress control, so Beauty and Fashion Tech is happy to hold a reader giveaway for the items described below:

A Confidence Inspiring Book: Neutrogena spokesperson and former Miss USA, Susie Castillo, recently published Confidence is Queen: The Four Keys to Ultimate Beauty Through Positive Thinking. In the book, Casillo writes about her experiences growing up and shares the lessons she has learned about positive thinking. I flipped through it and it looks like a pretty good motivational read. It also is getting good reviews on Amazon.com.

Products from the Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Line: This line aims to help you gain confidence by making acne one less stress. The items in this giveaway are:

· Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control 3-in-1 Hydrating Acne Treatment: A water-based acne treatment, with an ultra light formula that it is absorbed quickly and without a greasy residue, while also absorbing excess surface oil. The treatment contains MicroClear™ to boost the delivery of 2% salicylic acid to reach the source of acne. The treatment is infused with a cucumber scent.

· Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Power-Clear Scrub: This scrub softens skin, while microbeads massage and exfoliate. Containing the new MicroClear™ technology, it dissolves oil to reduce shine and utilizes 2% salicylic acid to fight breakouts. It is scented with green tea and cucumber.

· Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Triple-Action Toner: This multi-tasking toner is formulated with MicroClear™ technology and has a cucumber scent.

To enter, leave a comment before the beginning of Thursday, September 11 (midnight between Wed. and Thur.), stating why you would like to read Susie Castillo’s book and/or why you would like to try any of the items from the Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne stress Control line. You must answer one of those questions in order to be entered. Just saying “hi” won’t cut it! One entry per household please. Duplicate entries will be disqualified. On September 11, I will randomly select a winner, who will be notified here and by email. Failure to respond within 7 days will result in the prize being redrawn.

Promotional/spam comments entries will be deleted per the comment policy. Please don’t use your website as your user name or include promotional or commercial links in the text, it violates the comment policy.