SMARTMED Ollie Belle Cover Dot Acne Care

I never really got acne as a teenager and thought that I had lucked out. Unfortunately when I was twenty-two and just starting grad school, the nightmare that is cystic acne began. It was so painful and I wished I had just gotten the non-cystic kind back when I was a teenager and everyone else had it. When it first started I would try to pop them, using my fingers or one of those pimple extractor tools. What a huge mistake, which left me punished by an even more disfiguring skin condition called impetigo. As a result, I started seeing a dermatologist. The dermatologist prescribed me a multitude of topical treatments, but nothing seemed to work. Right when my skin would start clearing up, a new cyst would pop up. I would try to schedule an appointment to get cortisone injections right when I felt a cyst forming, only to be told the soonest I could come in was a week later. For those that struggle with cystic acne, you probably know how these little cysts like to grow and conquer a huge portion of your face (forehead for me) as well as your self-esteem in the matter of days. So there was no way waiting days to get an appointment was an option for me. Especially when traveling where a dermatologist visit is not possible.However, I finally perfected a skin routine that keeps my acne manageable, and my skin looking great. It is not a cure to acne, but it has lessened the frequency and quantity of my acne and treats the infrequent cysts and blemishes that I do get with extremely fast results.1. Every morning and night cleanse your skin with a non-exfoliating, gentle cleaner using just your clean fingertips and warm water. (DO NOT USE a washcloth, face brush/polisher, Konjac sponge, etc.). Let your skin air-dry.-I cleanse my skin with  Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, For all skin types 2. Then apply a small amount of acne spot treatment to your cyst or blemish.-I personally like  Philosophy Clear Days Ahead Fast-Acting Salicylic Acid Acne Spot Treatment .3. After the spot treatment is dry place the cover-dot over the blemish/cyst.-These things are great, however I think they are noticeable in public even if you try to cover them with makeup, which is why I only wear them when I am at home, sleeping, or on an airplane.-I also use these Cover-Dots for non-acne related skin irritations, like split lips I get from having chapped lips.4. Wait about five minutes to make sure the adhesive bond between the Cover-Dot and your skin has formed. Then apply whatever moisturizer works for you over the rest of your face.-I personally like using  Glo Therapeutics Oil Free Moisturizer  or  Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion .5. When the Cover-Dot turns white or you need to be seen in public, remove the Cover-Dot.-I try to keep the Cover-Dot on for as long as possible so it has more time to heal and it comes off easily.6. Repeat steps 1&2 (Face Cleanser and Acne Spot treatment gel).7. Apply your moisturizer to your entire face (don't avoid the acne)8. Next apply a sunscreen that works for you, making sure to avoid your eyes.- I hate using sunscreen outside of the SPF contained in my makeup because it makes me break out or it stings my sensitive skin, even the glorified EltaMD. If I'm not spending the day at the beach, I only use sunscreen as a spot treatment over my blemishes, acne scars, and smile line wrinkles. -The sunscreen I use is  Neutrogena Pure and Free Baby Sunscreen . I'm sure there is a better sunscreen out there, but this one I know does not sting my irritated skin.9. If you wear makeup, apply it now.-The makeup routine that works best for my acne troubles is as follows:I apply  Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 30 . It is amazing. Because of the way this foundation fills in my pores and kind of has a priming effect, I apply concealer on top of it. I use a makeup sponge and apply  Glo Minerals Camouflage Oil free Concealer Makeup  or  Maybelline New York Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer  over any blemishes, scars, marks that remain visible. Then I use bareMinerals Warmth as a cheek contour, bareMinerals blush, and bareMinerals mineral veil.10. Spray your face with  Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater  for the finishing touch!-This step is especially helpful for me since it helps set my powder makeup.P.S. I have also tried the 3M Nexcare Acne Absorbing covers and Dream Dots, but these SMARTMED Cover-Dots are my #1. The Nexcare ones are much thicker and harder than these. The Dream Dots are similar to SMARTMED's Cover-Dots and I wouldn't say they are better or worse than the SMARTMED brand, but the Dream Dots are more expensive and only come in packs of 24 dots for $16.99, while you can get a 48 Cover-Dot pack for $15.75.P.P.S. I know my review was long, with lots of product recommendations, so I feel the need to let you know that I DID NOT receive any free product or compensation for this review.

Great for teens

I bought these patches mainly to keep me from picking the angry zits in my "sideburn" area. I started the habit out of stress this summer and was having a really hard time breaking it.Pros:- These blend in with my pale irish freckled skin very well, since I'm not putting them in the middle of my face.- They stay on really well, even through sleeping. I've worn one for three days straight, and it only got a bit wrinkly.- Because I'm more worried about the habit than self-conscious, I have no problem wearing these in public. They're only really visible at certain slants of light, and if anyone notices them, they don't bother commenting. Disclaimer: I do not wear much makeup, so I do not know how well they hold up under, for instance, foundation.- They make it hard for me to pick! I reach to touch the zit (like I said, very ingrained habit) and instead just end up pushing my finger on the smooth surface. I know that sounds a bit odd to keep doing, but skin picking can be an addiction, and I think it is one of my worse stress behaviors, and it is actually pretty soothing to touch without adding to the problem.- The adhesive does not give me an allergic reaction like other hydrocolloids I have tried!Cons:- I am not sure that they are actually helping to heal the zits. I know they are keeping me from touching them, but I'm not sure they go away faster than they normally would. They do not seem to pull as much gunk out as the other hydrocolloid bandages I have tried.- They do hurt a bit to take off. I find massaging with water or baby oil first makes them come off easier, but sometimes they do take a little layer of skin off, which results in a small amount of bleeding (this is not a big problem for me, considering how much worse the bleeding was when I was picking.)Overall, I'm really satisfied with this product and just ordered my second set. My cheeks/jawline looks better than it has in months, and I find I am not having nearly as many urges to pick. I would recommend them if you think you can resist taking them off too early! I would recommend getting more if you have a lot of zits, I have 5-6 at a time and I have already used the 24-pack in a couple weeks.