Thursday, September 5, 2013

STRI-DEX PADS NATURALLY CLEAR Size: 70

STRI-DEX PADS NATURALLY CLEAR Size: 70Pros: Works extremely well for sensitive, t-zone/combination, acne prone skin, reasonable cost especially when it's on sale, size of product,

Cons: The number of pads in comparison to others, the need to use multiple times in a day, lingering soapy/filmy residue

I've been on a mission to clear up my skin for a while. I've used everything topically to clear my skin up. I've used scrubs, gels, concoctions, potions, lotions of with varying degrees of potency, prescriptions, old wives' tales, holistic remedies, etc... I'm surprised I didn't have someone burn sage and chant in hopes of warding off the bad juju haunting my complexion. So let me clarify once again I've used e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g topical to clear up my skin since I was a teenager. I have tried oral medications, but because I'm fair skin and haired, already extremely photosensitive to the sun, after my first medication related burn, I stopped. It wasn't working anyway to clear up my face, unless the goal was to burn off the acne with the sun. I'd rather avoid skin cancer, thanks. Plus, I think it is ridiculous to take something internally to fix a rather external problem and many of those types of medications have other undesirable side effects.

We're talking nearly two decades here of finicky, temperamental, acne prone, rash prone, combination skin producing boils, cysts, blisters, whiteheads, blackheads, relentless post inflammatory hyper pigmentation (i.e. extremely difficult subcutaneous lesions and severe purple or red discolorations that take months to disappear even after they've essentially healed). So I think that alone should endow me with some authority or clout when it comes to dispensing acne remedies advice.

I had gotten to the point of using so many different products that I was getting overwhelmed and literally threw out everything and started from scratch. Sometimes it's just best to start anew. I avoided investing in kits, though I had used those in the past. Although for some they can be great, sometimes you only really want or need one of the products in them and they add up in cost. First I found a good, gentle cleanser that was affordable and effective at balancing my skin. If you have very sensitive skin, you should not invest in scrubs, they tend to exacerbate the problem; causing splotchy excessive oil production, or over dry the skin. Find something that specifically states for sensitive skin and aim for something a little more natural; the less complex of ingredients the better. Also, don't over wash, this causes the same problems; twice a day or as necessary if you also work out.

Invest in sensitive skin specific towelettes or blotting papers to help reduce the appearance of oil on the skin during the day. Don't wear excessive or heavy make up. The less that inhibits your skin's ability to shed dead skin cells the better. And for the love of all that is holy, don't wear make up to the gym. You're just going to sweat it all off anyway. Give up on spot treating. I found it irritates the skin more than if you just wash your face, treat it as a whole, and let it alone to heal. Don't pick, pop, or poke. It's been proven you cause more damage than good. You want the nasty red thing on your face to go away quickly, but in picking, popping, or poking it, now you've caused a horrible discoloration that lingers long after the pimple itself has healed. This is called post inflammatory hyper pigmentation. It's essentially (subcutaneous) damage below the surface of the skin and it can take months to heal, maybe weeks with the assistance of medication.

I digress, back to the aforementioned mission...after a good cleanser I looked for an acne treatment that was simple, quick, and specific for sensitive skin. I gave up on benzoyl peroxide products entirely, regardless of the claims. Even the lower dosage caused problems. And with the popular kits the majority of the product has benzoyl in it, or a combination of benzoyl and salicylic acid so as a result you can over medicate or over dry. Chemically, in moderate to low doses, it can be an affective treatment for managing acne, but for those of us outliers with extremely sensitive skin, it can actually make it worse. It did in my case, so I ventured to salicylic acid only. I've used it in the past like the benzoyl, in varying degrees of potency. Most products have 2% and even that didn't seem to do anything. Thus, I went to a lighter dosage and that is where I found these.

The Stridex Naturally Clear pads gave me exactly what I was looking for: 1% salicylic acid (so I'd still have acne management in a low dose), alcohol free, in a pad (so it's quick and simple to apply), boasting natural ingredients, affordable, easy to find, and designed for sensitive skin. I'd considered the Stridex Sensitive Skin with Aloe with 0.5%, but I tried these first. I'm sure as I age and my skin changes I might have to go to an even lower dosage of salicylic acid, but until then, I'm happy using these. There are 70 in the container. I do wish there were more, but I can understand why they have less than their similar counterparts, as the individual pads themselves are huge. A pad is both large enough and loaded with more than enough medication to treat your face, neck, and shoulders if you so chose. In the morning and at night I wash with a gentle cleanser, pat my face with a clean towel, and use one of these. There are two sides to each pad, a smooth and slightly raised side. If I have a stubborn patch of blackheads I'm inclined to use the raised side, but I try to keep with the smooth side application when it comes to my face. The majority of days I use 2-3 pads, as sometimes when I hit the door in the afternoon after work I will use one hours before I intend to wash my face (just prior to bedtime). I would watch using it too close to the eyes and mouth as forewarned on the package.

The product has a distinct non-medicine smell. I will say it is strong, but I've gotten used to it and everyone is particular; what is strong and pleasant to some might be overpowering and nauseating to others. When you apply the product you may notice it leaves a soapy, almost filmy residue that takes a few moments to dry. I tend to apply, let it sit for a sec, and lightly pat the excess off with a towel. Additionally, I've invested in a light moisturizer with a high spf for during the day and at night I use another equally light moisturizer to go overtop the Stridex medication to keep from drying out. Thankfully, I've not really encountered that problem, nor have I had to deal with reddening, stinging, burning, excessive oil, etc...The great thing about this product is that in addition to gradually eliminating my acne and blackheads, it is also lightened the harsh discoloration of those I've long since healed in the past. As a result, I'm getting a very even looking complexion. I would love to say it completely gets rid of all acne and imperfections, but I've only been using this regime for a short amount of time. I've only had one lone evildoer pop up since (hormone related), but it was much smaller and easily dealt with than those that had come before it. I am extremely satisfied with the product in comparison to others. I will continue to use it so long as it works as well as it has been.

I loved the premise of switching from Stridex's sensitive skin pads to this natural one, but my experience was nothing but awful. As soon as I applied it to my face it started to burn like I'd just covered it with pure acid. I thought maybe it was normal and would subside after a moment, but the burning got so bad, accompanied by a tremendous painful itch, I thought my skin was coming off. My face turned blazing red and I scrambled to wash, hoping I'd saved my face in time. The salicylic acid component is 1% versus the .05% in the sensitive skin product, but I've used other brands with 1% without this kind of reaction, so either my problem was an allergic reaction to one of the components, what it felt like, or the salicylic acid is actually a greater concentration than the label states.

Buy STRI-DEX PADS NATURALLY CLEAR Size: 70 Now

This is my favorite stridex product, it actually works in clearing up acne and is easy on the skin, no burning sensation after use and no breakouts. This will definitely be a fixture in my skin regimen.

Read Best Reviews of STRI-DEX PADS NATURALLY CLEAR Size: 70 Here

I saw this on sale at the local market, and figured why not give it a shot. I've been trying to stick to more natural products so I was excited to see it. After using it, it seems to have made my skin worse. Stopped using it for several days, and my skin improved. I tried to give this product a second chance, but it didn't work out so well. Very disappointed as my friends all rave about Stridex. I think I'll stick to my Neutrogena Naturals; that works wonders on my skin.

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Bottom line: Soapy, excess liquid, made me break out like I've never broken out before.

First, I have very product-tolerant skin. I can use the stronger acne medications without breaking out (salicylis acid, benzoyl peroxide, etc.). I normally only get an occasionally large pimple, not a break out of small pimples.

I picked it up at the store one day since it was really cheap (about $3) and the packaging was really nice. I went home and opened it and first thing that I noticed was that there was an excess of liquid in the jar. I thought maybe the pads at the top had dried out or something so I tried to flip the container around so the pads could soak it up and when I opened it up, there was still a lot. I tried to drain it out, but now the pads are soaked with whatever that was.

First, I like the triangle shape of the pads. However, once I apply it to my face, it feels like I just rubbed soap onto my face. It feels very gross and leaves a film on my skin. I actually had to check the directions to make sure I wasn't supposed to wash it off (I thought I had bought face wash pads by mistake).

After I started using it, I started getting very large pimples. I'm not one to normally get small pimples, I only get large pimples once in a while. It was disgusting. I had no idea what was causing me to break out suddenly and I remember that I had started using this product. After I stopped using it, I stopped getting new pimples, however the ones that I got were red, swollen, and sore.

I came back to this product 2 months later and decided to try it one time to see if maybe I was only supposed to apply it only every so often... Sure enough I got huge pimples on my cheeks (before that, I had never gotten a pimple on my cheek before). I used to pride myself on not having problem skin on my cheeks but now it looks disgusting.

It's not that I regret buying this, it's that I used it and it's permanently damaged my skin. I have deep, dark scars that I've been trying to get rid of for a few months not and they're not budging.

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