My Personal Skin Nightmare by Gianna Paluso

Last time, I wrote about how there’s not one product for everyone.  I can attest to that personally.  Here is my story:

When I was a teenager and my friends were carrying Stridex in their backpacks and had weekly appointments with their dermatologists, I was one of fortunate ones.  My skin was like porcelain.  I rarely broke out.  I used Noxzema to wash my face because I felt like I should, not because I was trying to treat any sort of problem.

It wasn’t until I hit the big 2-0 that my skin rebelled.
The stresses of the real world set in & took its toll out on my face.  I got acne so bad it looked like I had hives.  So not cute.

At the time, I was working for Murad, a well-known skincare company with a high profile Acne Complex Kit.  How fortuitous that I was working for a top-ranking skincare brand, with a best-selling acne kit, just when I needed help in that area!

Of course, I faithfully used the products.  I wanted nothing more than to be my own walking testimonial for the brand.

Unfortunately, it wreaked havoc on my skin.  So much so, that Doctor Murad had to prescribe antibiotics to help treat my acne.  The antibiotics caused problems of their own, but that’s a story for another day…

How disappointing!  At work, all day long I received calls from clients singing the praises of Acne Complex:  how grateful they were for the products and what amazing results they saw in their own skin.
I was dying inside.

After trying virtually everything on the market, my mother bought another acne kit from Proactiv, our direct competitor.  Oh the scandal!!  I was skeptical, after every other brand had failed me, I really doubted that this would work.  Plus working for Murad, on principle alone I couldn’t use Proactiv.  But it was my last option before resorting to Accutane and my mother put her foot down.  I’m glad she did.

While so many of my customers were loving the Acne Complex kit and sending photos to me of how great their skin looked, my skin hated it.  On the other hand, a mere three days after giving in & using Proactiv, my skin was well on the road to recovery.  The difference was incredible!  After a month, it was all about maintenance.  I would have to spot treat here & there, but overall the breakouts were gone.  Amazing!

Don’t get me wrong; I am not saying that one of these brands is better than the other.  I can sing praises for both skincare lines.  The Acne Complex wasn’t suitable for me, but to this day, I still enjoy a slew of Murad’s products, particularly the Vitalic line.  Tho, I will always be grateful to Proactiv for helping me through a very dark time in my skin’s life.

What about you?  Have you had any skin nightmares?  Share with me, if only so that I’ll know I’m not alone.

Posted Under: Beauty Tips | October 1st, 2009 | No Comments