The Chronic Consumer

I’ve been suffering from acne ever since I was a teenager. I thought things would get better as I moved into adulthood, but that hasn’t been the case at all. So here I am at 34 years of age still buying and trying new skin care products for acne!

I first heard of the Paula’s Choice line of skin care products from an acne-related message board that I was checking. I bought two different items from the online store: the Skin Recovery Toner and the 2% beta hydroxy acid (BHA) gel. I liked the toner a lot, so I had high hopes that the BHA gel would work as well. Fortunately, it did!

In addition to suffering from acne, my skin happens to be very sensitive. That means that typical acne treatment products such as benzoyl peroxide tend to dry my skin to the point of irritation, which leaves me walking around with a red, flaky face. Not very attractive!

But I’ve always had better luck with salicylilc acid (aka beta hydroxy acid), so I was eager to try this product.

The Paula’s Choice BHA gel is great! It feels very light, is absorbed quickly, and can be worn under makeup, allowing me to treat my acne while still getting on with my life. According to product literature, the 2% BHA gel exfoliates both the skin’s surface and inside the pore lining, helping to clean up and prevent blackheads and blemishes. I will say that I definitely noticed improvement in this area, as I had far fewer blackheads while using the gel.

The only problem I have with Paula’s Choice 2% BHA gel is the price tag. It costs $17.95 for a 4oz. bottle, which is pretty expensive compared to other products out there. But since it works, I’m not going to complain too much about having to spend a bit more. I just wish this stuff had been around when I was in high school… it probably would have saved me from a lot of angst and embarrassment!