I purchased this around the time it first came out which just happened to be the time that I was trying everything in my power to get rid of my acne that wouldn't go away. I was iffy about spending the $150 for it because I didn't know if it would work but I was desperate so I did. I was immediately angry that I had spent the money. It did absolutely nothing for any pimples I had not to mention that you have to sit there & hold it on to each pimple for like 3 minutes. Who the hell has time to sit there & do that? Even as badly as I wanted to get rid of my pimples, I could not sit there & do that for each one. I think this product was a complete scam for people who were desperate and just wanted to believe this was the "next best thing" that would work. At least when I spent the $150 on my Clarisonic it actually worked & was worth the money! This on the other hand, was not. continued >>

I hoped this product would really help my adult acne. It did seem to speed up the process of eruption and healing on some of my deeper cyst-like acne bumps, but overall...it's time consuming to stand there with the head in contact with the acne spot for the 2.5 minutes for so little in the way of results. I got this before it really became available in drug stores. I was glad when the replacement heads became more readily available, but I rarely use it because it's only good for certain types of pimples.

This gadget is ultimately nothing more than a glorified heating compress. This did nothing but make my painful pimples feel better but did not help them go away at all.

This product is SO not worth the money, if you take the time to do the research. Apparently, the active aspect of the product is the heat. It says that the heated plate warms up the zit, which softens the skin to open up pores, allowing the skin to breathe and self-eliminate any impurities. Think about it... a hot washcloth does the same thing. WITHOUT the possible scarring and burns that some MUAers mentioned below. I tried out my theory, and guess what... a hot washcloth, used RIGHT when you detect the zit, does the exact same thing as this $250 tool. Save your money!!!

I returned this and I think this was the last product/item I bought for my acne before going to the derm and getting REAL help!! I got mine at cvs

DOES NOT WORK.
I can't believe I wasted so much money on this!
save yoiurself the money and frustration and buy a good spot treatment cream.

This product is best for deep, painful cystic pimples that never come to a head which I don't get very many of. My pimples are mostly around my chin area when it's that time of the month and they are generally pretty small and end up coming to a head. I have gotten a few cystic pimples lately and zeno has done absolutely nothing to speed up the healing process although it did work wonders on those deep ones at first. Now it doesn't work at all! Since this very expensive device only cleared maybe 4 pimples I don't think it's worth it.

I have the Zino Mini and I bought it on Ebay for a lot less than market price. The Mini may be discontinued, Im not sure.

This works for me. I get the occasional stress pimple(s). I also dont follow the manufactures recomendations of waiting 4-5 hours between treatments. I dont see the point. I do wait at least 30min to an hour to give the heat time to work. (I am not a medical professional, I do not recomend people stray from the directions printed on the box) I have found this to work best for my skin and my acne situation.

If I catch the pimple in an early enough stage this little device can turn back time. I'll zap it a few times, 2x min 3-4 prefered, and in a few hours/half a day it will be but a memory. If I dont catch it that early and it has time to develop the ZMini will help shorten its life dramaticaly. It does this by bringing the blemishes to a head letting my skin expell all the gunk.

It is not a fool proof device. It does not work 100% 100% of the time. There have been some monster stress related zits that even God himself could not help that my ZMini had almost no effect on. I still like the portability and ease of use. It is not the cheapest acne product out there but it works for me.

I had the Zeno MINI, and assuming that since both have the same mechanism of fighting pimples, I might as well review on this product. I found that this works less than 50% of the time on any pimple break outs. Not impressed for the hype it was given. I'm glad I got it for free since I had bonus points saved up on my Optimum Card (Shoppers Drug Mart), or else I'd probably be more upset.

Pros:
- clears away some pimples, (the non hormonal ones - if you can even tell the difference :S)
- portability - (only for Zeno Mini, since it uses AAA batteries)

Cons:
- the other pimples it does not clear seem to scar from the heat. I actually tested it out, that if I used the Zeno, it darkens the pimple, and my skin underneath it. I only get scarred if I actually pop it, but the ones I tested out on weren't popped at all, yet left the same mark that took even longer to go away.
- lasts only a couple treatments before needing to replace the batteries :(

Overall, my skin did not improve from using this product. Never buying it again, even if the original Zeno is on clearout from $150 to $30

Oh, Zeno. How I wanted you to be everything you claimed to be. But I have never felt like you actually got rid of any zit I had.

What Zeno did do, for what it's worth, is bring down the swelling for a while after each use. When you have a red, inflamed bump on your face and it hurts, you appreciate this. After use, the spot is (temporarily) flatter and hurts less. But the results never seemed to last, and I never felt like the "lifecycle" of the zit was reduced, either. I also sometimes get small circular burn marks on my face where I used it, but I think this is probably because my skin is extra sensitive from other medications.

Ah well. I still use it for the gratification of trying, and also because it reduces the pain/swelling where it is used, albeit temporarily. But can't in good faith tell anyone to get one.

Read the review before mine. Is is 100% accurate. If you dont wanna read all that, then ill just make this short. This is a PIMPLE treatment. NOT an acne treatment. Dosnt work on white heads, blackheads, or red zits. You use it when one of the more medium sizes are JUST STARTING TO come in under the skin. Everyone knows putting heat on a zit makes it go down put this puts CONSISTANT, TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED, HEAT directly to the spot is much more effective. You will notice right after, the zit is flat. By the next day it comes back, but half or less of the size it was before the treatment. Your zit is gone within a few days depending on the "characteristics" of the zit and at WHAT point you did the treatment. The earlier the better.

I havnt read the reviews but i bought the mini and hot spot and toke them both back. The classic one was on sale for 60$ so i bought it. Works better.

I dont know how this could get bad reviews. I mean it works. It really and honestly works if you know when and how to use it. Is it worth the full price? Depends on how much zits bother you.

This is a product for people with the odd five-ten zits. Not fifty.

Hope this helps someone!

Since 2006 I've owned the original Zeno (there are several other models, and they're all being phased out in favour of their disposable model according to the Zeno web site).

CANDIDATES FOR ZENO
It won't work on your blackheads or whiteheads. Zeno is not useful for people with clustered acne all over the face. This is best for people with one or two of the "volcano" zits: painful ones that sit deep underneath the skin and emerge slowly.

HEAT THERAPY
Killing bacteria with heat is a physiological response; for example: a fever (>38.5 C) is one strategy for a human's immune system to rid a systemic infection. A zit is an infected area with the cardinal signs of inflammation: warm, red, swollen, and often tender. Applying heat at the optimal and consistent temperature to your zit is like placing a localized fever to kill the bacteria. Reduce the swelling and you can reduce the pain and skin scarring that can result when inflammation damages tissues.

MORE EFFECTIVE THAN HOT SPOON COMPRESS
I find that the kitchen spoon (18/10 steel) loses heat too quickly, so it is ineffective in destroying the acne pyogenes bacteria. For heat to kill this bacteria, you must apply heat to the area for 2 minutes at 49.5 C. I used a $100 Mastercraft digital thermometer gun to measure the temperature of the spoon before applying it to my skin. Seconds after removing my spoon from hot water, the temperature decreased from 68 C to 38 C and then 27 C. I repeated this test 10 times; results were consistent. The spoon doesn't even stay body temperature for more than 20 seconds let alone stay hot enough to heat away a zit.

INTIAL SHOCK OF USE
Because human body temperature is normally 35-37 C, a 49.5 C Zeno on your face, is going to feel very hot, but it should not hurt. After 30 seconds you'll adapt. The Zeno is most effective if used AM and PM for 2-3 days in a row when you first detect that zit emerging.

RESULTS
Zeno original eliminates my zit most uses. If it does not rid the zit completely, it cuts the inflammation and size of zit by 50% or more. It makes the zit firmer or accelerates it through it's life cycle after the first two days; that's good because the pain is gone in a day and the zit is gone in 2-3 days. Normally it would have taken my skin a month to cycle the zit through without the Zeno. Zeno has prevented my skin from scarring by treating the inflammation.

EXPENSE
The Zeno is expensive - looks like a cell phone and costs like a cell phone! It's price has decreased over time. In Canada, the unit was originally sold for about $250 only by dermatologists for a few years, then became more widely available (along with replacement tips) at drugstores for <$200. The tips used to be 90 count (90 uses), but when they went drugstore, they reduced the count to 60. The Zeno keeps track of each usage, so it will stop working once you've reached the maximum count for the tip.

BATTERY LIFE
After two years, my battery lost its "memory" of being charged. I have to leave the Zeno plugged in if I know I'm going to need it on a particular day. Apparently the Zeno Mini (released after original Zeno) has an even worse battery life and prompted the company to remove it from the market.

REALITY CHECK
I agree with previous reviewers: the Zeno and other beauty products will never replace a great dermatologist. When the Zeno doesn't work on a particularly stubborn zit, or the zits come back weekly, I know I have to book a consultation with my dermatologist.

WOULD I BUY THIS AGAIN
Sure, if they still made the Zeno original, but they do not. I could not acquire original Zeno replacement tips anymore, so the Zeno original went to the recycling depot. I tried the disposable models that do not need to be recharged (I tried three pink coloured ones), but often after 3-5 uses, they would no longer work and I would have to take them to Shoppers Drugmart for a refund.

NEXT BEST THING (CHEAPER, TOO)
Go buy yourself several palm-sized sodium acetate reusable instant heating pads. They're usually $3-4 each. There's a metal disc inside, which, when bent, it starts a thermal reaction. The sodium acetate gel crystallizes (you can observe the process) and it will get hot enough to work as a less precise Zeno for your zit. I bought 8 pads on eBay -- you can have fun and choose different cartoon characters and gel colours. Mine are penguins. They stay hot for hours, then turn cold and rock hard and you must reset them by boiling in water for about 10 minutes. After I use up all 8, I take them to the kitchen and reboil them. That's the only tedious part. continued >>