I first became interested in Zeno, an acne clearing device, when I saw a woman rush into Walgreen’s with a cell phone to her ear. She went straight to the Zeno display and exclaimed into the phone, “Oh Thank God, it’s here!” She quickly grabbed a Zeno box off the shelf, handed the clerk her credit card, and ran out of the store as quickly as she had come in.
I casually walked over to the shelf to look at the Zeno price tag. “One hundred and fifty dollars!” I shouted to my fellow shoppers. Is Zeno really worth all that money? Obviously that woman thought so.
Zeno is a dermatologist recommended, battery-operated medical device that can be used to treat mild to moderate pimples. Zeno works by applying a computer-controlled, low-level heated tip to an individual pimple. The heat causes the bacteria within the pimple to self-destruct. It should only take two to three 2 ½-minute treatments, over 12 to 24 hours, to work.
Zeno admits that it does not work on pimples that have already surfaced. It also states that you need to treat the pimple in the early stages. Zeno should not be used on people with severe acne, and it does not work on blackheads and whiteheads.
The idea of being able to zap a zit intrigued me. Many of my most important days in my life had been ruined by an unsightly blemish or two. To be honest, I’d be willing to dish out big bucks if I could say “Take that!” to my skin that had betrayed me on so many occasions. So I bought one.
Does Zeno work? Yes and no. In order for Zeno to work, you must catch the pimple in the early stages before it surfaces. For people who get one or two pimples a month, I would highly recommend purchasing a Zeno. In fact, in 90 percent of patients involved in an FDA-reviewed clinical trial, pimples caught early and treated with Zeno faded or disappeared within just 24 hours. It would be the perfect solution for those pimples you get right before dates, prom, weddings, job interviews or those monthly break-outs.
But it does not work well for people, like myself, who experience daily break outs. I am rarely given any warning that I’m going to break out so I miss out on that window of opportunity to treat it early. Zeno also has a safety feature which only lets you treat three pimples at a time. This can be aggravating for anyone dealing with multiple pimples.
One of the most frustrating aspects of Zeno is that you must replace the tip after a certain number of uses, which for most Zenos is 90 treatments. The computer chip inside will keep track and will not work once you have used up the 90 treatments. You will then need to purchase a new tip cartridge which costs around twenty-five to thirty-five dollars. That means if you are treating three pimples a day, three times a day, your initial cartridge will have to be replaced after only ten days of use.
There were a few other things that I don’t care for about Zeno. When you do a treatment, there are a series of beeps that direct you through the process. I found it very embarrassing to do a treatment because the beeps are loud enough to be heard from the next room. I’d rather keep my pimple treatments private. Also, the treatment cycle of two and a half minutes may not seem like a long time, but if you are treating more than one pimple, it can start to consume a lot of your time.
I caution people to be careful when cleaning the tip before using your Zeno. One time I used a wet washcloth to clean my Zeno which left a small drip of water on the tip. When the device heated up it also heated the water on the tip to a dangerous temperature which could have burned my face. Therefore I recommend cleaning the tip after using it instead of right before like the instructions tell you to do. And never immerse the tip in water since that can cause product failure.
After doing a treatment cycle, you will notice a red spot around the treatment area. The instructions say this is normal and the mark should fade within a few hours. Mine usually last around an hour. But if your skin starts to blister stop using Zeno. It’s possible that your skin is sensitive to the heat and it could cause scaring. You should also avoid using Zeno around your eyes and lips since these areas are very sensitive.
I think for some people Zeno can be the Holy Grail of acne treatments. If you are the type of person who gets an occasional pimple that you can feel days before it surfaces, then I highly recommend purchasing a Zeno. If, on the other hand, you suffer with daily acne or have sensitive skin, a Zeno probably isn’t worth the spendy price tag.
