Dermalogica Special Clearing Booster

...buy this from any local dermalogica stockist (hair and beauty salons) or purchase online. £30 is about average for this product, but you can get it cheaper.

At the age of 26 I suddenly developed acne. It felt and look pretty bad so I decided, being a fan of Dermalogica products, that I would try the special clearing booster.

The packaging is white and grey which are the usual colours used for Dermalogica- it is easily ...
...you should cleanse your skin thoroughly (Dermalogica products are recommended- but at around £30 for a bottle of cleanser- they would be, wouldn't they?!). It comes in a small bottle (30ml) but a little goes a long way!

The directions do not make it clear whether this should be applied over moisturiser or vice versa- in my experience, it is best to apply this to skin straight after cleansing and if you wish to moisturise, apply this ... more

I paid around £30 for this, from a local beauty salon. You can buy this from any local dermalogica stockist (hair and beauty salons) or purchase online. £30 is about average for this product, but you can get it cheaper.

At the age of 26 I suddenly developed acne. It felt and look pretty bad so I decided, being a fan of Dermalogica products, that I would try the special clearing booster.

The packaging is white and grey which are the usual colours used for Dermalogica- it is easily identifiable as being manufactured by this group. Before use you should cleanse your skin thoroughly (Dermalogica products are recommended- but at around £30 for a bottle of cleanser- they would be, wouldn't they?!). It comes in a small bottle (30ml) but a little goes a long way!

The directions do not make it clear whether this should be applied over moisturiser or vice versa- in my experience, it is best to apply this to skin straight after cleansing and if you wish to moisturise, apply this after the product has dried thoroughly.

The active ingredient in this product is 5% benzoyl peroxide. It also contains extracts of calendula, chamomile and st. johns wort which claim to help soothe acne and irritation. The product has no obvious smell or fragrance.

When I applied this to my skin is stung like mad to be perfectly honest! My skin became very red and sore. The packaging instructs you to apply this every 6-8 hours or as required. I found that after 2 applications, the spot was inflammed and sore and the skin surrounding was dry, crusty and flaky. In my opinion, it looked worse than when I started. I also found that the longer I continued to use this for, the worse things became. I discontinued use after 4 weeks.

I believe that some of the difficulties I encountered may be due to having sensitive skin- I would suggest applying a few times a week rather than every single day. I would also recommend the use of a good moisturiser to counteract the flaking skin. Another disadvantage of the product is that the active ingredients cause bleaching on fabrics- so be careful that this does not come into contact with towels and/or clothing as they will have obvious bleach marks which do not come out. I have two lovely hand towels which are now ruined as I did not realise that it was this that caused it.

I have since been to my GP and have been prescribed another topical cream for my acne (called Zineryt)- at the time of writing this I have been clear of acne for 4 weeks- it took only 3 weeks to clear (fingers crossed it doesn't come back!!). I would recommend anyone with acne to go to their GP and discuss options with them, rather than spending a large amount of money on this product. 

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