Acne and Breakouts Skincare Update

by Ruth Crilly | Nov 15, 2012

Since I last mentioned my pustule-like spots, I have been using one skincare product religiously, and I suppose that is what the video below is all about. It wasn’t until I pared my skincare routine right down to two products (cleanser and then the blemish treatment) that I saw proper, quick results. The red, irritated spots on my cheeks disappeared almost overnight, and with continued use they have all but disappeared. Faint red marks in certain (harsh) light, but nothing that can’t be easily covered with even the lightest foundation. I’m overjoyed!

Product? La Roche-Posay’s Effaclar Duo. A small tube of gel-cream that costs just thirteen pounds. Who’d have thunk it? To be honest, I have always expected spot treatments to be quite inexpensive – I don’t know why, but I have always considered them to be very functional rather than luxurious and so priced accordingly. Which is a ridiculous way of thinking, actually, isn’t it? Because surely we would pay more to treat an annoying, potentially upsetting, potentially disfiguring skin condition than we would for a rose-scented oil with a nice glass bottle…. But, such is the way of life. Or the way that my brain works, at any rate! It’s the same with shoes and dresses – we might spend loads on a “going out” outfit that we wear just a few times a year, but scream at the thought of paying the same amount for a pair of jeans, which potentially could get worn every day… (Actually, jeans are a bad example because I always buy quite expensive jeans. You catch my drift at any rate. I hope.)

Someone reign me in! I’m digressing all over the shop today! Where was I? Thirteen pounds. That’s all the Effaclar Duo costs, and it’s so good. An all-over facial treatment that’s light, non-sticky and has no overpowering fragrance or unpleasant chemical odour. It spreads easily but doesn’t “slip” across the skin – you need a few pea-sized blobs to cover face and neck. It doesn’t dry my skin out at all, though I’d be interested to see what drier-skinned people had to say about it.. NOTE: the US formulation, if you’ve bought it in the US, has different ingredients. It includes Micronized Benzoyl Peroxide at 5.5%, so makes it a little more – how shall we say – potent than the UK version. I’m not too well-versed with the US version, so please let me know in the comments if you have any experience with it.

The UK/European version pretty much cleared up my spots, as I said, overnight, after everything else under the sun (or in my beauty cupboard) had struggled. I think that it just had the right cocktail of bits and pieces that my skin needed at the time – I’m now quite scared to try anything else! The thing is, now that the spots are almost vanished, I want to get back to my usual routine of Liquid Gold and the myriad of other beautiful things that I like to pamper myself with! I suppose I shall have to go easy. I don’t think that my skin is lacking anything – the Effaclar seems to be keeping it adequately hydrated and fresh – I just love my little routines, my lotions and potions and my face masks and peels!

Have a little watch of the video, anyway, and listen to me talking about a few changes I’ve made to my routine and lifestyle. If you’re trying to blast some spots away (teen or adult) then you might find some of it helpful and equally have your own tips and tricks to share. Please do leave any of those in the comments section at the bottom of the page – all product links and extra info are below the video pane.