Crepuscular Rodents & "Chacne"

This post is from my beauty blog, Glambunctious.

Confession: I have an on-again, off-again tumultuous recurrence of the dreaded cystic acne, a form of acne vulgaris (REALLY? As if it isn't hard enough to have acne, the latin name includes the term vulgar? File under "ironic" and "rhinoplasty"). Sometimes I can feel a VERY painful, blueberry-sized knot beneath the skin on my face for months before anything rears it's ugly head on my skin's surface like a crepuscular rodent. Before I discovered this phenomenon was known far and wide as cystic acne, I referred to them as "monsters of rock" zits, because they were just that epic. Research concludes that cystic acne is the hardest form to treat because it originates deep below the surface (much like satan), but the simplest solution is simplifying your skin care regimen and using products containing BHA's (beta hydroxy acids) and good old fashioned benzoyl peroxide.

I must admit that lately I've been using a veritable rainbow sherbet of products; judging from the current breakouts on my chin and cheeks, my skin is not amused. After researching products that will best help control/avoid these nodular zit-tastic flare ups, I settled on Paula's Choice CLEAR Regular Strength System. Paula Begoun AKA "The Cosmetics Cop", is a cosmetics consumer expert and best-selling author who has appeared on CNN, Oprah, Dr. Oz, PBS, etc, etc, etc. She runs the wildly popular website Beautypedia, which is a rich resource for those looking for consumer-focused reviews of beauty products. It's a wonderful site if you're looking for the FACTS about cosmetics, not just the claims made by the brands that produce them. Paula's Choice has been around since 1995 (aw! Back when I was rockin' mary jane Doc Martens and bowl-cut bangs and was madly in love with Brad Renfro) and the customer testimonials speak to the quality and effectiveness of her products. The CLEAN Regular Strength System includes a cleanser, toner and an acne-fighting treatment that contains 2.5% benzoyl peroxide which, according to the site, "is considered the gold-standard for preventing acne breakouts." As an added bonus, they offer a 60 day money-back guarantee and they are having a 15% off sale, thus making this $46.85 three-step kit ring up for a slammin' $39.82. The entire Paula's Choice line is extremely wallet-friendly. Typically, when someone considered an expert creates their own beauty line, they expect customers to fork over a veritable kwan cornucopia, so Miss Begoun's choice to keep prices equal to or less than drug store brands is very refreshing indeed.

I am very hopeful that this system will help me avoid future "chacne" (chin acne) blow outs and help coax the current breakouts away. I will definitely keep you posted after I receive the products and put them to use!