We put CLENZIderm M.D. by Obagi to the ACNE Test. How did it do?
- Reduces the visible signs of acne in as early as two weeks… - - When I first heard this I was like, “yeah, right” every acne system claims faster, better results what makes this one any different or more unique? As an esthetician, I get quite a few manufacturers boasting about their acne treatments and why we should use theirs in our clinic and believe me, I have tried dozens of different treatment modalities for mild to moderate acne. Some work okay for a while and then start to lose potency; most often, however, compliance is the number one problem with acne treatment.
Compliance, for most clients, diminishes with each day of the treatment because either they are not seeing the results they wanted fast enough or they get lazy and don’t want to have to bother with twice daily application of a treatment regimen. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard, “well, I tried Proactive but it dried me out and then stopped working” so now I decided to come in and have my acne treated. I have one hour of your time every six weeks – do you really think I can get your acne under control in that one hour? Of course not! If you are serious about treating acne and preventing future breakouts, then you must change your schedule to fit in a treatment regimen. Five (5) minutes in the morning or five (5) minutes in the evening, that’s it.
My sister is a typical acne sufferer. She is in her early 30’s and has had acne breakouts on and off since her teens. Her acne has changed over the years to a more cyclical breakout (hormone induced) but she still complains about the way her face looks and has begged me time and time again to help her. I have treated her in the office and sent her on her way with more acne products than I care to count – and every time, she comes back with her standard response “it worked for the first week or two and now my acne is back”. You can’t just treat acne while you have active lesions and expect that they are gone for good… A consistent daily regimen will prevent new breakouts from forming or at least significantly reduce the acne formation. If you can’t get your own sister to comply with a daily regimen, how can you expect clients you only see every few months to stick to a product regimen.
When CLENZIderm M.D. by Obagi came out in December 2006 during its “soft launch”, our clinic was one of the first to get our hands on the kit. The system technology is unique and we were intrigued by the concept – but would it work long-term? We started two of our clients on it that had suffered with acne breakouts for over a year and both called within two weeks of using the system with positive feedback. Okay – but what about a month later? two months later?…
Four months later – and still going strong for both clients – one still has minor breakouts each month around her cycle, but overall both clients have been acne free! They are thrilled with the results and we are surprised that they stuck it out. One of the clients said the reason why she continued to use it is because she saw her face clearing up within the first week and she got so excited that she couldn’t wait to see how she looked at week two and then week three. By six weeks into the program – this particular client had no active pimples on her cheeks and jawline, and it had been over two years since she was 100% blemish-free.
Now, for the real test. I bought one and gave it to my sister. If anyone could sabotage the great feedback we have had – it would be her! On day two of starting the regimen (April 14th, 2007) she called saying that her face smelled funny and was that normal? Does it smell like menthol, I asked? Yeah – that’s all I can smell on and off all day long I keep getting bursts of menthol smell on my face, she replied. Please, I said, give it two weeks and then if you don’t like it you can stop…the menthol is suppose to soothe the skin and calm down inflammation.
It is now the 11th of May 2007 and she is still using the CLENZIderm! Why, because by the second week of using it – her face had cleared up and around the time she had her first cycle after starting it – no breakouts. Now – that is a true TEST of a product.
Here’s the kicker - - you can’t just use one product out of the three-step system, you MUST use all three products systematically for it to work properly. No cheating! With this system, it is all or nothing. Of course, the Foaming Cleanser lasts longer than the Serum Gel so we have taken some of the kits apart to allow our customer’s to purchase each item separately for convenience.
What makes this system unique? The Benzoyl Peroxide in this system is in liquid form. What does this mean? It means that the Benzoyl Peroxide is one-tenth the size of a regular benzoyl peroxide molecule and this allows it to penetrate into the pore where the p. acne bacteria is thriving and causing inflammation, redness, etc. This particular type of bacteria cannot live in the presence of oxygen. Benzoyl Peroxide emits oxygen into the pore, killing the bacteria on contact disrupting its “reign of terror” on the skin. Step 1 – Daily Care Foaming Cleanser removes surface debris and oils from the skin with salicylic acid. Step 2 – Pore Therapy opens the pore and lowers the pH of the skin preparing it for the third step. Step 3 – Serum Gel penetrates the pore and kills the bacteria. The key is the size of the BPO molecule and CLENZIderm is the only system on the market that has this technology.
I recommend that ANYONE who has acne breakouts that are mild to moderately severe should try this system. Teens under 12 years of age should be cleared by a physician to use this system prior to starting it.
The cost for this kit is $70 and it lasts about two months (8 weeks) – that is a little over a $1.00 per day for the treatment. Is your skin worth it?
** Note: Benzoyl Peroxide may bleach hair or dyed fabrics**
