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Treatment
Reviews
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Clearasil Ultra
Review
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Clearasil is one
of the most popular brands in acne treatment, and chances
are you can find their products at a store near you. They've
been crowding the shelves of retail outlets since before
e-commerce even existed. However, not until recently have
they really thrown their hat into the Proactiv-dominated
multi-step system market.
Clearasil Ultra
is an acne treatment system with 3 core steps, although they
also throw a spot treatment in with the bundle. The focus
here is on exfoliation, as two of the three steps (the
cleanser and lotion) use salicylic acid as a main active
ingredient. The SA concentrations are on the
mild-to-moderate side, with the lotion being fairly gentle. However, the
spot treatment packs a potent 10% benzoyl peroxide, which is
overkill for most people (2.5% works just as well, and is
easier on your skin). The toner is alcohol-based.
This being
Clearasil, there are also literally dozens of additional
products on offer that are claimed to enhance your results,
although whether that is a good thing or not is debatable
(wouldn't it be nice if more companies just offered one
product that worked?).
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Clearasil Ultra at a
glance
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Fairly cheap and available at many stores. |
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Moderate doses of SA can help those with
mild acne. |
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For a little more money, you can buy more
products to customize the treatment to your
skin type. |
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Core system is too weak to combat more
severe cases of acne. |
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10% BP spot treatment is harsh without
giving any real benefit over gentler
concentrations. |
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Surface-level treatment that does not get to
the root cause of acne or offer prevention. |
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Small portions offset the cheap price. |
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Key
Ingredients
Cleanser:
2%
Salicylic Acid
Toner:
Alcohol
Lotion:
0.5%
Salicylic Acid
Spot
Treatment:
10%
Benzoyl Peroxide
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Who should try
Clearasil Ultra
If you have mild
acne and suffer mostly from occasional whiteheads or
blackheads, Clearasil Ultra may be worth a try, just be sure
to only use the spot treatment sparingly. Those with
sensitive skin who experience irritation resulting from most
topical treatments may also find Clearasil Ultra to be less
abrasive thanks to the lotion's lower concentration of SA. Some
users report this being easier on their skin than Proactiv.
Clearasil Ultra
is fairly inexpensive to try, but it should be noted that
the bottles are on the small side compared to alternatives
such as AcneFree or the Acne.org Regimen.
Who should
not
try Clearasil Ultra
Clearasil
Ultra's core system is not that strong, and so those with
more stubborn breakouts of pustules and cysts may find the
results unsatisfying. There are stronger products available
from Clearasil, but you're better off buying them separately
and skipping the system. The 10% BP cream is also sure to
cause irritation for most users, and there are better
alternatives for an acne spot treatment.
If you haven't
seen results with similarly mild treatments such as
Proactiv, Clearasil Ultra is unlikely to be much different.
Don't go in expecting prevention or relief from deeper
pimples, since the exfoliation-based approach is aimed at
treating current, surface-level acne.
Average Price
$18 to $20 plus
S&H at most retailers
Alternatives
Proactiv
Solution, Other multi-step treatments based on salicylic
acid
Have you tried
Clearasil Ultra?
Submit a user review
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