I have had problem skin since before I hit puberty. When I was 10 or 11 my mom started noticing little bumps on my cheeks and chin. They weren't zits, but they were a precursor of the acne horrors I would start to endure once I turned 13. While my acne was never bad enough to scar (thank goodness) it was bad enough to make me horribly self-conscious about my appearance for a good 15 years. No, that's not a typo--my acne stayed terrible from age 13 through 28.
Over the years I tried pretty much every OTC acne treatment known to man, and more than a few prescription treatments as well. Nothing really made much of a difference. Pretty much the only thing I hadn't tried as I neared my 29th birthday was Accutane, and I've lived in fear of it ever since I watched a close friend go through a few cycles back in college. It was getting to the point, however, that I'd begun to consider asking my dermatologist about it once my husband and I decided we were done having kids. Pregnancy made my acne (which is clearly hormonal) much worse, and since many acne medications aren't safe while pregnant I was beyond miserable when, in August of 2010 I found myself starting my third trimester of pregnancy with a complexion much worse than the one I'd sported at 16.
It was pure coincidence that landed me at Sephora that day--I was actually at the mall to buy a coming home outfit for the new baby--but it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that I was in a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad mood and needed a cosmetic pick-me-up. I grumpily tossed some new foundation and mascara into my basket, and then wandered over to the Clarisonic display. I'd been hearing about it for awhile, and in a moment of madness decided to screw my monthly fun money budget and buy one.
Many women report experiencing a "purging" period when they experience more acne than usual for 1-3 weeks after first beginning to use a Clarisonic. My skin was already so bad when I began using mine that if I did go through some kind of dermatological purge it wasn't noticeable. What I did take note of, however, was how my skin immediately felt softer and cleaner after only a minute of Clarisonic use. The little bumps that had been my constant companions for nearly 20 years were gone within the week, and my actual zits disappeared shortly thereafter. Eureka!
I still do experience the odd blemish a few times a month, but overall my skin has seen tremendous improvement thanks to the Clarisonic. I cannot recommend it enough, particularly to women who've been around the block with medications that don't seem to help very much. The initial investment is steep (and I've been told that there are a wide variety of drugstore knockoffs that are worth investigating) but having confidence in my appearance is worth it.
