Day Zero: OUTBREAK.
As soon as zit-zilla decided to take over, my roommate conveniently had a similar breakout, so she asked if I wanted her to buy me some spot treatment. After getting the treatment that day, I decided to wash my face and moisturize because the keys to good spot treatments are benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid because they dry the monster out.
Find it here.
Going with my roommate’s recommendation, I tried out Neutrogena’s On-The-Spot Acne Treatment because its main ingredient was benzoyl peroxide, and let us face the facts. As a college student on a budget, I wanted to get the best results possible for the least amount of money (in the least amount of time).
Treatment Day One: Outlook not bright.
The box said to start with one or two applications a day and build up to three gradually, so I decided to start with two applications — one application in the morning and one before I went to bed.
After one application, zit-zilla was noticeably less inflamed; however, the size did not go down by much. I continued my daily skincare routine but avoided the affected area so that when I put on the spot treatment, my skin would soak it up completely.
Day Two: Size reduced.
The morning of day two brought favorable results as zit-zilla was reduced in size but was still as inflamed as day one. Since my skin is oily and didn’t have any adverse effects to the treatment, I decided to bump up the treatment three times a day.
***I recommend doing your research on your skin type and determining how you feel after the first day before bumping up the number of daily applications.
My skin wasn’t showing any signs of drying until the third application before I went to bed. I noticed that the skin around the affected area was starting to feel a little rough, but nothing too bad. Besides, the zit was looking better!
Day Three: Zit-zilla WHO?
Need I say more? The zit was dramatically smaller and was barely inflamed. One thing to note was that my skin was dehydrated. I was perhaps two applications away from cracked skin, so I decided to lower my applications back to only two times a day. Mid-day, I decided to wash off the treatment, clean the area, and apply a generous moisturizer amount.
Day Four: Going, going, gone.
My face is zit-free! Although the zit was gone, the skin around the zit was dehydrated, but I decided to exfoliate the area and apply a hefty amount of moisturizer.
Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
The product did give the desired results in a good amount of time but dried the area affected a considerable amount. It’s definitely a good option for those working with a budget, but I suggest playing it out by ear. As soon as I noticed my skin feeling a little too dry, I replaced applying the treatment with moisturizer after cleaning my face.
One less thing to stress about!