Thursday 23 February 2012

Quinoderm (and TMI Thursday Update 3)

Well my lovelies, it's TMI Thursday again and therefore time for another problem skin update. This week I have been using Quinoderm cream morning and night.


Quinoderm cream contains 10% Benzoyl Peroxide and 0.5% Potassium Hydroxyquinoline Sulphate. The Benzoyl Peroxide works by breaking down some of the links between the skin cells in the top layer of skin and allowing them to slough away: it works a bit like a skin peel, useful in acne because a lot of the problems are caused by pores becoming blocked by dead skin cells. The blocked pores then become infected which is what gives you nasty spots, and that's where the Hydroxyquinoline comes into play: it kills bacteria and fungi that could otherwise have infected your pores.

The cream itself is described as a 'vanishing' cream, this just means that you don't have to rub it in very much and it will still disappear quite quickly. It's an off white colour and it has a sort of musky, medical smell. You apply it to the problem areas of your face after cleansing and then you leave it alone to soak in.


I'm not going to lie to you, girls. (And boys? Do I have any male readers? I hope so!) This stuff is STRONG. 10% Benzoyl Peroxide is about as strong an acne treatment as you can get without a prescription and you're going to need to do a patch test before covering your face in this stuff for the first time. You're also going to discover one especially noticeable side effect when using Quinoderm : it STINGS. Not unbearably so, but it's definitely beyond just 'tingling a bit'. The stinging lasts maybe 5 or ten minutes after application and then it goes away. You will also need to be careful not to get it anywhere near your eyes; this means if you apply make up, don't accidentally transfer the cream from another part of your face onto your eye area because YOU WILL REGRET IT. Trust me on this one. You won't die, or go blind, but you'll have some pretty uncomfortable burning sensations under your eyes for about half an hour to an hour afterwards and let's just say it won't be especially fun >.<  In order to avoid this happening, I try to let the Quinoderm dry right into my skin before applying moisturiser etc. I also do my eye make up first before the rest of my face so that I don't accidentally pick any of the cream up and move it to my eye area on my make up brushes.

Something else I've noticed is that this cream causes a bit of dry skin and peeling. This is SUPPOSED to happen because it's part of the way it works. It's annoying but not so bad it can't be dealt with by moisturising well and the careful use of a facial scrub here and there. I'm just gritting my teeth and telling myself it's a sign the stuff is working! (EDIT: I eventually found that the dry skin wore off anyway: it seems to be an initial reaction that doesn't last forever)

This stinging and the peeling is definitely worth putting up with, though. I've been using Quinoderm for about three weeks now, once a day to start with and over the last week I've increased it to twice a day - and there's a definite change going on here. It's too soon for my spots to magically vanish (I'm told it can take 6-8 weeks of twice a day application for that to happen) but I've noticed that my blackheads are becoming much easier to remove, and when I have a spot, it's smaller and doesn't seem to last as long. I haven't had to use my extraction kit as often, which can only be a good sign! (EDIT: after 6 weeks, magic happened. Trust me, it's worth persevering with this stuff).

I'm not going to put up any progress photos this week though. Even though things are definitely better and my skin has improved, it doesn't seem to want to show up in photographs just yet. The change is more to do with how my skin feels and how long the spots hang around when they do appear. Only bad things happen quickly, eh? Watch this space and hopefully I will have update piccies for you in a week's time!

14 comments:

  1. Great review. You wouldn't recommend to use this solely to remove blackheads, right? If not, what would you recommend?

    Thanks for your comment. I am now following =)

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    1. Thanks for the comment and the follow! If you have a lot of blackheads then I would still use this. It breaks down the skin cells that block pores and makes it much easier to remove the blackheads manually. If you just have a few blackheads, though, it's probably overkill to use Quinoderm - instead just steam your face and then squeeze them out gently with fingers or an extraction tool. If you're prone to them then a product with salicylic acid in it (there's treatment gels, creams, scrubs, cleansers, all sorts) should help to keep them at bay, along with an oil free moisturiser. I'll be reviewing some of these soon so keep watching :)

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  2. Love your blog, thanks for following, have followed you too xx

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  3. Hello I love your blog!

    I've just awarded you the versatile blogger award!! go check out my blog for the info :-) xxx

    www.laurentfashion.blogspot.com

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    1. Aw thank you so much, that's absolutely made my day :)

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  4. I've just awarded you with the versatile blog award.

    You can see it in my blog:http://turquoisedreaam.blogspot.com/

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    1. Aw thank you hun, you're so kind ^_^ I'm smiling so wide now!

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  5. I have really bad skin and have tried so much,I got Zineryt from the doctors but it really dried my skin and got rid of the spot over night but they kept coming back..might ask around for this :)

    xxx

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    1. Good luck! Hope that the benzoyl peroxide works for you :)

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  6. Hmm, looks effective, especially with the strong and hot reaction to the skin. I should give my brother some of these. He's been conscious about his acne lately, and I feel bad that he doesn't go outside with his friends because he's scared he'll get picked upon by others. I hope I get to buy that product in the local store.

    Tobi Fistcher

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    1. If you can't get this exact product, ask for something else that contains the same ingredient, Benzoyl Peroxide. There are several brands that use it, (although I am not sure if there are any that also have the Hydroxyquinoline). Good luck!

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  7. I bought this a while back but it didn't work for me I only used it about a week but after reading your post I'm going to dig it back out and be more patient haha xx

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    1. Definitely persevere for longer if you can. It takes a few weeks before you really start noticing the difference but it's worth the wait, as it's good stuff!!

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