Cutie_pi's Full Review: Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash
Imagine being 23 years old, and getting a zit.
It sucks. Really puts a crimp in your social life. Kills your self-confidence. Makes you want to hide out in your apartment until it goes away. Yeah, yeah, some may say that’s being superficial, and putting too much emphasis in one’s appearance… yadda, yadda, yadda. But let’s face reality – when you get a blemish (especially on your face) it affects the way you deal with the outside world. Suddenly you don’t look forward to checking out the newest club in Buckhead with your girlfriends on Friday night. Suddenly you aren’t so enthused when that hot guy who works down the hall calls you to meet for lunch. Suddenly you don’t have as much confidence in the whiz-bang presentation you’ve just completed for your new client. An acne blemish is bad enough when you’re in high school, but when you’re an adult, it’s even more traumatic.
”Uh, I have to leave early today – I have a Dermatologist appointment.”
After a couple months of sporadic breakouts, I decided it was time to see a professional. I had already tried all of the over-the-counter remedies, and to no avail. Most tended to over-dry my skin, caused dry patches, and never seemed to completely cure my problem. My family physician recommended a well-reputed Dermatologist for me, and I made an appointment to see him as soon as possible.
As it turned out, my little infrequent blemishes were nothing serious (and apparently there were grown women with far worse problems than I was facing), so he put me on a simple regimen of Minocycline (an antibiotic) and Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash. I was surprised at the latter recommendation – oh, sure, the bottle says “Dermatologist Recommended,” but was it really true? I guess it was. However, I was a little relieved. After all, I had always been a fan of Neutrogena products, and I knew they were affordable, and available at any corner drugstore or supermarket. So I went right out and bought myself a bottle of it – again, very affordable at less than $8 for a 6 oz. Pump.
This is Dermatologist Recommended?
I went home that evening, feeling that I was well on the road to recovery. When I went to wash my face before bed, I followed the directions as listed on the bottle. After wetting my face with warm water (not too hot – that will only dry out your face more!), I pumped a small amount into the palm of my hand and began to work it into a lather. The first thing that struck me was the scent. While mild and non-offensive, this stuff looks and smells exactly like Dial Antibacterial Soap! (later, upon further investigation, I found that the ingredient lists are strikingly similar). I began to massage the lather over my face, avoiding the eye area as directed. Then I rinsed with warm water and patted dry (again, exactly as directed). So far, so good.
However, the next morning, it was another story. Overnight, my skin had turned excessively red, and felt taut and tight, and already, I was beginning to feel the first signs of peeling at the edges of my nose. However, trusting in my beloved Dermatologist, I used this product again. In fact, I continued to use it over the course of two weeks, and experienced a multitude of problems as a result.
What KIND of problems, you ask?
Well, first came the aforementioned drying and redness, as well as the resulting peeling and flaking (imagine a bad sunburn all over your face). But what came next was far worse. Now let’s keep in mind that this product is intended to cure existing, and prevent future acne breakouts. So one would think that this would be the last product that would create further problems! Not the case with Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash.
Within about three days, my forehead began to develop tiny, raised, pink bumps. At first, this didn’t bother me. Afterall, I know to expect some irritation when making drastic changes in my sink-case regimen. However, within a few more days of use, the small bumps began to grow larger, and were covering most of my face. While they were barely noticeable to most people, my skin felt somewhat like coarse-grained sandpaper to the touch. I called my Dermatologist, and he advised that I continue the use of this product for the duration of two weeks, in order to allow my skin time to adjust to it.
Fast forward two weeks…
Well, being the optimist that I am, I followed Doctor’s orders, and continued using this stuff. And at the end of those two weeks? Well, things were looking worse than when I began. I never fully recovered from the initial redness, and the drying only became worse, leaving the edges of my nostrils and my cheeks in a constant state of peeling.
Not only did this product not clear up the problems I had to begin with, the excessive drying and peeling, combined with the ever-present tiny red bumps made my skin appear worse than ever. Every morning I awoke looking as if I’d just spent a day at the beach, and even the finest makeup could not completely disguise this discoloration.
To heck with the Dr. Recommendation!
Once I ceased using the product, my skin returned to normal, and in a short time, actually cleared up completely. Apparently the antibiotic my Doctor had prescribed for me was exactly what I needed, and that coupled with my normal skincare regimen was (no pun intended) just what the Doctor ordered!
In light of my horrible experience with this item, I cannot, in good conscience, recommend it to anyone. I do not have a tendency toward dry skin, yet my face felt like the Sahara Desert when I used this cleanser. And as we all know, when you over-dry your skin, it boosts your sebum production to compensate, which actually results in more breakouts. So if your Doctor recommends Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash, ask for a second opinion!
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