So one night I found myself trawling aimlessly on the interweb (more of an every night thing..) looking for products containing salicylic acid. After having some luck with the Paula's Choice Extra Strength Anti-Redness Exfoliating Solution I thought I would try and find a spot treatment for when those pesky spots arise and also to diminish the red marks left behind. Of course I am wanting to purchase a full size of the Paula's Choice, when funding permits, but for the meanwhile I was hopeful to find something a little closer to home that would be a bit gentler to my cash-strapped bank account.
Anyway, as I was saying I was on the hunt and found myself on the chemist warehouse website looking at the John Plunketts Sunspot cream (and yes I was looking at EVERYTHING). Now this may sound like an odd place to land when looking for a Salicylic acid treatment for acne prone skin and you are probably right. However, once you look into the properties of Salicylic acid and what it does, it might just sound a little less strange. Something which you may not realise is that Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid, or BHA and so causes cell of the epidermis to shed more readily, opens clogged pores and neutralises bacteria within. In saying this, due to the shedding of skin cells, if you have dark skin be careful using salicylic acid products as you might end up with some hyper-pigmentation, but on the other hand it can also help diminish hyper-pigmentation for some. So best to test on a small patch of skin to begin with if you have dark or very sensitive skin.
So back to this cream! This sunspot cream by John Plunkett contains 5% Salicylic acid, which if you put in perspective the Paula's Choice had 2%. So it seemed to have the making of quite the effective little spot treatment! It also contains 5% Urea, which is known to moisturise and soften the skin, with it often being used to treat Eczema and dermatitis.
Claims:
From the John Plunkett Website:
"
- Sunspot Cream is an exclusive formula that works gradually to remove the sun damaged layers of skin.
- These layers are then replaced by healthy new skin.
- Its ingredients assist in nourishing and restoring skin to a clear condition. "
Ingredients:
I couldn't find a complete list of the ingredients anywhere, just that it contains 5% Salicylic acid and 5% Urea.
So here's the run down:
Price: I purchased from Chemist Warehouse for $17.39
Weight: 100g
Packaging: Round plastic tub with screw off lid
Consistency: Thick creamy consistency
Fragrance: A non offensive smell, very similar to sorbolene cream.
Application: After washing and toning my face I apply this cream at night as a treatment on acne areas or if I have a spot coming up. I leave it on overnight and cleanse my face in the morning. When you first put the cream on, there might be a slight stingy sensation, but this fades quite quickly and that's the only discomfort noted. Despite this feeling, which is just the salicylic acid doing it's thing, I was worried it might dry out my skin, but the urea definitely does it's little thing too.
Finish: I find this cream will sink easily into the skin, so you could wear it under make-up. It doesn't peel or leave any coloured residue, unlike a lot of treatments I have tried.
Overall impressions: I am glad I stumbled across this product on a whim. It's a great spot treatment that helps diminish and reduce any acne spots I may have. Due to the simplicity of this product and the elimination of any scent or perfume, I find I do not have a reaction or become red from using this product. I would highly recommend you try out this product if you find salicylic acid works for you. At $17.39 for 100g, this is a huge amount of product for the price, that you would be hard pressed for find anything similar for the same value. So overall, I'm very happy with this product. It helps eliminate redness, spots and acne marks on my face and doesn't leave it feeling dry, tight or dehydrated. I recommend giving this product a go, however exercise a bit of caution. Don't use too close to the eye area (which you shouldn't do with a lot of other treatments anyway) and use a test spot if you have very sensitive skin.
Have you got a go to spot treatment or tried this?
Ellen Rozalia xx
*Disclaimer: All products mentioned were purchased with my own money and all opinions are my own
