This may help?

I must confess I'm getting to a point where I'm desperate to try anything to improve my skin condition. My skin has a brain of itself or something because near the end of the month, I start having breakouts around my jaw line. It's very annoying because after the flare ups, I have the scars and discoloration to deal with for months to come. Also, the zits always pop up in the same spots. I've been using lots of different products for years but nothing has come close to reduce those monthly eruptions.

Needless to say, it was not such a great surprise for me to bring home another anti-acne product. This time I have high hope because (a) it comes from a famous dermatologist, (b) it's in a serum form, and (c) the packaging is air-tight so the product's potency will remain constant.

Introducing Patricia Wexler M.D's MMPi-20 Anti-Aging Acne Serum with Acnostat Skin Clearing Complex! (wew, what a mouthful of words for a title, isn't it?)


Although the box looks really big, the bottle itself is quite slim and contains 30ml (1 fl oz) of liquid inside. It has a leaflet included to provide information about the product as well as other products used in conjunction with this one. The Wexler anti-acne system consists of 4 steps:

1. Cleanse: you get to choose between an exfoliating cleanser and a foaming cleanser with 2% salicylic acid.
2. Exfoliate AM or PM: instead of using physical exfoliator such as beaded scrubs, Dr. Wexler chose a 10% glycolic peel. I think it makes sense because glycolic acid, an AHA, does not only removes dead skin cells but also reduces the appearance of scarring. I think I'm going to need that one soon!
3. Restore AM or PM: the serum I bought is step 3 in her regime with 2% salicylic acid and MMPi-20.
4. Moisturize AM: with an oil free hydrator with SPF 30.

I've been trying step 3 for a couple of days now and so far so good. Why didn't I buy the whole kit, you asked. Because I have about 3 other cleansers at home needed to be used so I don't see the need to get the whole kit. On top of that my moisturizer works fine for me. However, as it goes any further, I will definitely get the glycolic peel set to help me reducing the ugly signs of scarring.

What I love about this serum:

• It is an anti-acne and anti-aging product: I'm getting to the age that I'd better taken good care of my skin or I'm going to wrinkle up like a raisin in the sun soon. Most acne creams make my skin feeling dry and flaky while my skin is oily. This one fights acne but doesn't dry out my precious skin so it's a plus in my book.
• It is contained in an air tight bottle: I'm against dipping my hand in a jar to scoop out anything. Open jars and tubes are breeding grounds for bacteria and in order to minimize bacterial growth, manufacturers need to add preservatives to it. The common one as we know it is a group of chemicals called parabens, which is linked to various cases of cancer. By using an air-tight container, the manufacturer can minimize or exclude the use of preservatives all together.
• It doesn't have parabens, thanks to the air-tight container.
• The bottle design is very cool: you just twist the cap around and the pump will come up. One pump provides enough liquid to coat almost all of my face so I don't really waste a lot of products at all.
• It is a serum and serums work better on oily skin than cream form.

The pump pops up after a twist of the cap

I dabbed a bit of the serum to show the texture

What I don't enjoy:

• The smell: it smells very chemical and I don't really enjoy it. So far I prefer to apply it about 1/2 hour before going to bed so the smell would fade away. And it does fade away fast.
• The price: I got it on sale so it was quite affordable but the full price is around $40. I tried to find the information at Bath and Body Works but didn't see it. So maybe it's only be sold as a part of the kit from now on.

The Anti-Acne starter kit can be found at your local Bath and Body Works or online. It seems like this kit is so popular it's already sold out!

It's Saturday again! How was your 4th of July? Mine was quite peaceful and I enjoyed it very much. Looks like it's about to rain outside, I don't have to water my plants, yay!

It will take about a month to see any changes at all and I will keep you posted with my progress on this serum. Take care and have a nice Saturday!

Your Makeup Blogger