FIT FACE: Skin Care Products that Work

Hide My Face!
It’s hard to feel great, no matter how hard you workout, if your face is all broken out. I mean, at least you can cover up your body with bigger clothes – but you can only do so much with your face.

When I was in high school, I constantly battled acne. Thanks the LORD I was a good make-up artist and learned how to master covering up my blemishes, but I never, NEVER, went anywhere without make-up on. It was like a ball and chain that drug me down. My face was so badly scared at all times, I never felt comfortable without make-up even in the privacy of my own home.

Pimples AND Wrinkles? Come on!
I remember thinking, “I can’t wait to grow out of this” – and I am STILL saying “I can’t wait to grow out of this”. Honestly, I thought when I hit 40 I’d quit dealing with this bad skin. Unfortunately, it is something I’ve delt with all my life. The only difference is I am smarter. After becoming a certified skincare specialist in my twenties, I understand my skin better and know how to combat it.

Last week I had a pretty bad breakout. I realize now it was due to my new face cleanser that was, well, not cleansing. I was a mess. So, I ran to my doctor’s office (Vein Therapies, in Vero Beach) and got some heavy hitters.

Powerful Products
You see, facial treatment products are a lot like vitamins and supplements. Just because they tell you it has a certain percentage of active ingredients, or so many milligrams of some vitamin or mineral, doesn’t mean you are actually going to absorb it – and the products I got at the doctor’s office are absolutely the perfect example of this.

I picked up some CLENZIderm Pore Therapy & Therapeutic Lotion, part of the CLENZIderm starter kit by Obagi. At first glance, you may see similar ingredients to common over the counter acne treatments.

Benzoyl Peroxide, Size Matters
Benzoyl peroxide, which is in most acne treatment creams, increases cell turnover and clears pores, ultimately reducing the bacteria count. This is also why your skin may get dry and peely. Unfortunately, most people just get frustrated and quit using the product. They key is not to stop using it, but to back off – using it every other day, or every 3rd day, until your skin learns to tolerate it.

Oxy, Clearasil and Persa-Gel 10 all have 10% benzoyl peroxide, but it doesn’t wipe out bad skin nearly as much as CLENZIderm’s Therapeutic Lotion, which only has 5% of the same active ingredient. The reason it is more effective is not how much active ingredient is in the product. What makes the product more effective than other brands is because the solubilized form of the 5% benzoyl peroxide is 1/10,000 of the size of all the other brands. The smaller the size, the deeper the product goes – to the root of the problem.

Think of panning for gold. You put the dirt in your box and let the smaller particle sift through the screen to expose the larger pieces. Your skin is like that screen, and it’s there to prevent stuff from getting in your body – even the stuff you want. High quality products are “high quality” because they are created to penetrate the skin. This goes with moisturizers and treatments alike. This is also why many acne products will cause the surface of the skin to be dry, yet you are still just as oily underneath.

The Power of Salicylic Acid
The other product I purchased (and am totally addicted to!) was CLENZIderm Pore Therapy. Oh my gosh! And to think I almost didn’t buy this product. The key ingredient in this product is Salicylic acid – big whoop right? Wrong!! I have been around skin care products all my life and I have never experienced such a cool product! The most common products that have salicylic acid in them are Stridex, Clearasil acne pads, and most acne washes.

Pore Therapy is like Seabreeze on steroids. I like to FEEL a product working. I know that it is not always realistic, but it’s kinda like wanting your muscles to be sore when you workout. I want to know it’s actually doing something – and in this case, I want to FRY the bad stuff on my face and kill it dead! This product gave me that feeling. You could literally feel the power this product has. It burned a bit and then had this really cool warm sensation that was screaming “DIE ZITS! DIE!”. Ha!

The oil in our skin acts as a glue to dead skin cells, so when the 2% salicylic acid dissolves oil, it releases the skin cells and unclogs pores, acting as a powerful exfoliant. Salicylic acid also restricts poor size, as well as reduces bacteria. Since you apply the product with a cotton ball, you can literally see the product removing the dead skin cells and make-up residue, as well as see your pore shrink up.

Results are In
Finally, it has been less than a week since using the products and I’m completely healed and my skin is smooth. I did treat my skin aggressively, meaning I used the product often and didn’t care if I got a bit dry and peely. I also used a retinal (Retin A/Vitamin A) product (also by Obagi) to help speed up cellular growth. I have a video shoot today so I had to clear it up fast. End result is “awe-mazing”!

Why am I sharing this with you? Because no one should go around feeling horrible because of acne. It stinks and it can ruin your day, week, month and years! If you, or your loved one, struggles with skin problems, just as you would run to a trainer to help you with a weight problem, seek a professional and get the professional treatment you need and deserve! It may cost more money at first, but it will save you time and money in the long run – and you can finally quit trying every other over-the-counter product on the planet, searching for one that actually works. 🙂

To learn more about Vein Therapies, or schedule a consultation with Dr. Fegert, visit 3770 7th Terrace #102 Vero Beach, FL 32960 or call (772) 567-6602.