Review: Aczone (5%) Gel 30g

ACZONE Review: One Month Use

Hello dolls!

This is my review on the physician prescribe anti-acne medication called Aczone. Again, this is a prescribed acne medication, so you would have to go to your dermatologist to get it.

What It Claims: "Treats your acne gently but firmly. It's not a benzoyl peroxide (BPO), not an antibiotic. It's something all on its own that helps control acne in a gentle way and helps make your skin clearer." (Aczone website).

When I went to my dermatologist, it was over my experience using Exposed Skin Care line (I'll put my review on the next post). My dermatologist let me know that I might be allergic to some of the active ingredients and that's why I had the rashes on my face. I also have sensitive skin, so he didn't want me to use just any medication. He wrote me a prescription for Aczone and told me it was a better fit for me. He also gave me a coupon so I wouldn't pay more than $50.00 USD per bottle ($25 if insured). I was happy I would have something that would work. He did let me know that Aczone DOES NOT treat existing acne. It only prevents future acne. So the pimples I had would still be there for a bit. I could live with that if I didn't have any more acne after so I went about my way.

What it Costs: I had a coupon for Aczone (3 refills) so I paid a lot less than most. He did let me know it was pricey. I was curious so I asked the CVS pharmacists how much it is without the actual coupon. I could not believe it. The retail price for Aczone is $225.00 USD. That is extremely high. I do know a lot of acne medication can be expensive, but I think 225 for a very tiny 30 g is ridiculous. Specially when the flip top weights heavier than the actual product.

Product Texture/Application: I decided not to argue and dished out the $50 and went home. Because I have acne all over my face and a little on my neck, my dermatologist suggested I place a small amount all over my face avoiding the eyes, and the remainder down my neck every morning and every night, after washing my face. If I experienced any dryness (which I did), I would put my moisturizer (couldn't contain any anti-acne stuff) on top. He did mention that Aczone is not photosensitive, so you don't need a sunblock over it. However, I can't leave my house without sunblock, as I get rashes from over exposure, so I put regular sunblock on.

The actual Aczone gel is very light and feels really good at first. As you start working it into your skin though, it becomes watery and grainy. It's not a texture I'm comfortable with. If you don't put moisturizer on top, it leaves these weird white patches. It does dry extremely quickly, so that's a plus. It also spreads easy so you use less product. At 225 a bottle though, I would expect something like this.

The CVS pharmacist let me know that one bottle should last me one month. If I don't have too many problem areas, it should last a month a half. If you have the bottle for over two months, you're not using enough.

Results/Review: After the first week of use, I noticed more blackheads around my nose. They were getting darker and bigger. This should have been my sign to stop, but as usual, I like to be fair and give a product one month before calling it quits. Sometimes your skin has to get used to a product. Since I already have blackheads around my nose, I didn't think of it as a problem.

In week two, I had one full week of back to back midterms. I can say that I accidentally skipped to put Aczone on my face in the morning two of those days.  I noticed that those two days I was extremely oily. You could probably fry an egg with the amount of oil on my face. I have never been that oily in my life and it was a concern for me. I called my dermatologist and he said that it was normal side effect and I should give it until end of November or December before deciding that its not for me.

It is now late November and I can truly say this product has NOT worked for me. Not only am I more greasy, but I get breakouts where I never got breakouts before (on my chin). The pimples I do get now are very big and painful. They never turn to white heads and take longer to get rid of. My skin on my face is rough due to my pores being easily clogged now. I have to exfoliate at least twice a week now to get my pores clean. AND my acne scars have increased and are extremely visible now. In order to conceal I need to use a lot of makeup. I don't ever use makeup unless going out, so my scars are there for the world to see Monday-Friday and Sunday.

Aczone has been a nightmare for me. It is not the worse product I have ever tried, but it's up there. I stopped using it today. Hopefully my skin will heal by itself and I go on the hunt again. 

The Skinny: Aczone is just not right for me. For some reason, it's formula promotes acne that is hard to get rid of. It also makes your skin sensitive to acne scaring. I'm not sure who's skin would be an appropriate candidate for Aczone.