So I suffer from moderate acne and this brought my self-esteem down so I decided to buy clean and clear persa gel 10. But here's the problem, I don't know how I'm supposed to use it. Am I supposed to let it dry or rub it in? The directions say to let it dry but its a creamy substance and I don't see how its going to dry. If I'm supposed to let it dry, am I supposed to wash my face when the product drys up? But the directions don't say to wash your face when it drys. I'm so confused. Somebody please help me?
If it doesn't instruct you to wash it off, then don't. It should be fine to rub it in gently. Don't use too much; maybe that's why it's hard for it to dry. It should be fine if you just put it on after cleansing your face with warm-to-hot water (to open your pores) and then continuing with your day.
For my acne control (I still suffer a few breakouts) I do the following: Wash morning and night with St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub (with Salicylic Acid). It might be too harsh for some people to use a lot of products so you might want to use a neutral soap like Cetaphil to cleanse your skin. Followed by Clean and Clear Continuous Control Acne Cleanser (With 10% Benzoyl Peroxide) which I massage on my face for 30 seconds as the directions say. After that is said and done, I use an equivalent of the Clean and Clear Persa Gel. I prefer the up & up (Target generic) maximum strength acne medication because it's a little cheaper (about $4) and I can rub it on clear. It's a little watery but I slather it all over my face and let it dry for about 15 minutes. If there's any white spots left on my face, I get a Kleenex and put some non-comedogenic (won't clog pores, look for that on any cream you buy for your face) facial moisturizer and rub it on the white spots and they go away. You're supposed to let it dry on your face. You have to get used to how much is right for your face because sometimes you'll use too little or too much and you have to gauge what's right for you. The only problem with benzoyl peroxide is that it'll ruin your shirts if you sweat. And remember to wash your hands before and after you put anything on your face (after to prevent you staining clothes and towels and stuff). At first, using benzoyl peroxide might be too harsh to do it as many times as the label on the medicine says, so ease up on it, maybe once a day and then build up tolerance, as it also suggests on the label. Don't forget to use sunscreen (that also says non-comedogenic) because benzoyl peroxide increases your susceptibility to burning. Anyway, hope this helps.
benzoyl peroxide is the only thing that ever worked for me. It worked well too. exfoliate/do whatever you do to unblock pores then apply. I never used brand names. avoid oil-based moisturisers/etc. If your skin dries out too much use a non-oil based one after. your skin will actually appear to get worse first, as everything comes to the surface, but it should be noticeably better a week or so after starting. You really need to remember to do it every day. From what I know things like proactiv are basically just expensive branded versions of the same routine. 1 - exfoliant 2 - benzoyl peroxide 3 - oil-free moisturiser
Been on antibotic for backne since a year, and while it is better >.> I know its side effects, but I want it over with an hope she just puts me on accutane Anyway, that was kind of irrelevant. I will back AlamoCity's advice here. Benzoyl is great for killing the bacteria. But I also really liked Apricot Scrub (helped with exfoliation). That combination worked really well for awhile. I always wear a white undershirt if I know I will be sweating after applying Benzoyl.
