Clear skin starts with clear pores.
Clear skin? Not exactly.
Clear pores? A bit.
Improved skin? Yes, but with the help of other products as well.
I picked up Neutrogena’s Clear Pore Treatment: Nighttime Pore Clarifying Gel when my acne was at its worst the end of my freshman year in high school. Did you or do you ever get that feeling where you wash your face at night, feel good, but then wake up in the morning feeling nasty and greasy and oily even though you swear you do your best to take care of your face? Well, I did regardless of what you did. And so I saw this on the shelf, and decided to give it a squirt.
Neutrogena and their box
The Clear Pore Treatment comes in a box that fits around the tube and has this chart on the back that tells you whether you will see “some improvement” or “clear improvement” after one, two, and three weeks in the following areas: smoother skin, improved skin clarity, improved skin texture, fewer blocked pores, fewer blemishes, and improved overall complexion. That seemed convincing enough to me. Hey, I was 13 at the time and all I wanted to do was have better skin.
Directions:
With regular use, you’ll keep skin smooth, clear, and less prone to breakouts.
Before using: at bedtime, wash face with a gentle cleanser.
Usage: apply a thin layer of the gel all over clean face. Leave on overnight. In the morning, wash face with a gentle cleanser. Use every night for best results. If bothersome dryness or peeling occurs, reduce application to every other day.
Smooth skin, improved skin clarity and texture?
For me, yes. These three factors did improve over time. Note: over time. The directions say to use every night, which I did, and what I suggest you do if you expect any results. However, this is not a product you can use by itself, and expect to get results. Even in the directions, it tells you to make sure you wash your face before use and in the morning after. This product will only help you in the process of clearing your skin with the use of whatever other products you may be using to treat acne: this is only a nighttime gel. My skin is definitely smoother and it’s only kept that way with regular use of this product.
Fewer blocked pores, fewer blemishes, improved overall complexion?
I say yay to fewer blocked pores. Fewer blemishes, on the other hand, I’m not too sure. I found that Neutrogena Clear Pore Treatment probably had something to do with my blemishes fading away, but it definitely took more than the three weeks they charted on the back of the box. Without the use of this product, my blemishes stay on my face (unless I use a concealer that has skin care benefits, like Almay’s Clear Complexion Concealer). So, I guess I can say with regular use, blemishes are under control.
Fewer blocked pores were definitely an advantage from Neutrogena Clear Pore Treatment. As I said before, at night I want to go to bed knowing that when I wake up I won’t have a surprise sitting on my nose or somewhere else on my face. I tend to roll around a lot in my sleep, often rubbing my face all over my pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, etc. When you apply this gel, make sure you give it a little time to dry. I feel that this gel won’t exactly make you feel not-so-greasy in the “morning” if you get more than a normal amount of sleep (more or less, 8 hours), such as when I’m on school break and sleep for 12+ hours. You also have to make sure you change your pillow sheets ever one or two weeks, as dirt and oil from your body will rub off and stay there until you clean it, contributing to the rise of pimples. But, this gel does help in reducing the amount of blocked pores, in given situations. It acts like a “shield” at night. Remember to clean your face in the morning, too. You might wake up feeling a bit “heavy” on your face; the gel sometimes has a little build up if you smoothed on a bit too much the night before.
Improved overall complexion: yes. As long as you make this a part of your routine in cleaning your face, it helps.
Salicylic acid, no drying, and no scent
Neutrogena Clear Pore Treatment contains 2% salicylic acid (active ingredient) but never dried out my skin. As a matter of fact, it helped my dry skin out on my end. Since this is a gel, it goes on smoothly and almost has this cooling effect, especially if my face is burning or drying due to some other factor. The gel never stings; so if you have an open pimple that you popped, the gel only glides over and doesn’t hurt.
The gel has no scent, either, so while you’re advised to smooth it over your whole face, you won’t smell a thing.
Controlling your acne and treating your skin
Though Neutrogena Clear Pore Treatment helps control acne and blemishes and treats your skin, it doesn’t get rid of problems all together. I still find that once a month (oh, yes, that lovely time) I still break out a little, and even with the use of this gel I can’t prevent that. The gel won’t make your skin picture perfect, if that’s what you’re expecting, but it will make your skin soft and smooth as long as you take care of your skin the rest of the day and every day at that. This probably isn’t something you should expect dramatic results from, especially if you have more than a mild case of acne.
Size and pricing
The gel comes in a 2 oz (56 g) inverted tube, so that it can stand on its own. Yes, it is a fairly small container, and with every night use, you’ll have to keep buying it. I find that one tube will last me one to two months — you’re only supposed to spread a “thin layer” of the gell every night on your face. And each tube costs about $4 to $5. It’s a bit pricey for a small tube, so make sure you really spread a thin layer on your face. Spreading more won’t necessarily help clear more or clear faster: it makes no difference. Your skin can only absorb so much of the gel.
Pros
smoother skin, controls acne (acts like a “shield” at night)
Cons
doesn’t make your skin picture perfect, is not to be used as the only product
The Bottom Line
A good thing to smooth on at night, but a bit pricey: it’s just one of those products you’ll either love or hate. Just try it.
Recommended:
Yes; I would give it about 3 out of 5 stars.
