Peter Thomas Roth • Acne Spot and Area Treatment • Treatments

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Raineey on 4/10/2013 2:33:00 PM more reviews by Raineey

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Tan, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I've had cystic acne for about a year and was really at my wit's end trying to figure out a way to get these bumps to go away. I bought this as part as the PTR acne kit. I'm glad that I have the smaller size because I don't think I would buy it again.
It does bring down the cyst's (or any zit's) size to flat overnight. The issue that I have with it is that it dries out my skin like crazy, making it even harder to cover the dryness than the bump. I realize that it's supposed to dry out the blemish, but it turns my skin into a brown/gray scab and makes it flaky. I have always been extremely careful to apply a very small amount to only the head of the cyst and I leave it on for maybe a half hour max before bed.
If I have a huge cyst, then I will use it just to get the size down but otherwise, it will stay in my medicine cabinet because I'd almost rather have a bump then a grey, flaky scab. The smell doesn't bother me, it's a little bit stinky but nothing that is unbearable.

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PaleChamorra on 11/28/2012 3:56:00 PM more reviews by PaleChamorra

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

Peter Thomas Roth has my recommendation for anybody frustrated facing oily and/or acneic skin. i have combination oily skin, but recently an EXTREMELY oily t-zone and i have lots of pimples in my shin and forehead. i started using the PTR acne line recently and every day i see a gradual improvement. i use this with the beta-hydroxy wash and the acne buffing exfoliating wash. after the third day, i began to peel. my skin still feels tight, but very smooth- which i don't mind!

this spot treatment goes on great under makeup or at night under a cream, but dry skin users need to use a little more caution. dot it in certain spots, not over a general area.

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lethlie on 11/4/2012 12:06:00 AM more reviews by lethlie

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Summary: I like it enough to call it my favorite out of all spot treatments I've tried. But I don't love it enough to call it a godsend.

Currently on my 2nd bottle of the PTR Acne Spot and Area Treatment. It's one of my favorite spot treatments and did wonders for my skin a few months back. It did have a hand in helping me the clearest skin I've had since high school.

Only reason that I took one lipstick ("lippie"?) off is due to the fact that I don't love it as much as I did (since it's no as effective as it used to be). My skin's been on a clearer path up until 2-3 months ago when my jawline and neck broke out into terrible cystic acne (which has never happened before). I've had a few cystic spots here and there, but not an all-out attack such as this. I didn't read the other reviews before I wrote mine so I don't write this with some bias (I bought this on a recommendation from a Sephora SA in place of the DDF 5% Benzoyl Peroxide Gel). Okay, now to just get down to it: a pro-con list of this product on my skin CURRENTLY (as opposed to how I loved it before).

Cons:
1. Did not completely clear blemishes over night, especially the larger annoyances. A deal-breaker for a lot of people and main reason why I can't love it.
2. The smell. It's 5% colloidal sulfur and you can damn well smell it.
3. Comes in an opaque, white, plastic pump dispenser. You can't see how much product you have left. And residual product in the pump will dry up and make later applications a little more difficult.

And now onto the reason why I will repurchase this again (pros):
1. It does help with REDUCING the size/swelling of acne. It can even clear up the smaller/smallest of spots on my face the night before.
2. It doesn't try out my skin like other acne spot treatments (and acne-targeted products).
3. The ingredients may have some part in helping 1 and 2. They, most of them at least, are winners to me:
For acne/exfoliation: sulfur, salicylic acid, and glycolic acid
To help calm/soothe: Aloe vera
To help fade dark spots: glycolic acid, Licorice root, and grape seed
Other great ingredients: various other extracts like orange and willow, and vitamins E + B5
4. Did I mention that it was the most effective out of all spot treatments I've tried without completely drying out my skin? Yeah. That's a big one for me.

I hope this helps at least one person out there.

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*TOP REVIEWER* lunalove on 4/13/2012 7:25:00 PM more reviews by lunalove

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Even though I said I would repurchase Im not sure about that - I want to see if the sulfur mask from PTR works just as well because if it does then there is no need to purchase both. I have heard that other reviewers use the sulfur mask as a spot treatment. Ill update if/when I experiment with comparing the two.
I use this spot treatment currently with the rest of PTR's acne line and I must say it has all been working very well together for my acne. But precisely because I have been using them together, I am not sure if it is this spot treatment alone that has helped with my bad spots or if it is everything together. As it says, I dab it on my worst inflamed spots every night (and I have about 5+ on any given day) and they have gotten much smaller and less inflamed in 4 days. That's pretty impressive, but again I am not sure if it is this spot treatment or the AHA/BHA gel because I use both.

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*TOP REVIEWER* 4eyes on 12/18/2011 10:45:00 AM more reviews by 4eyes

Age: 44-55   Skin: Sensitive, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

Great product! I have used just about every acne tx, both OTC and Rx, for about 20 years. I have had oily, acne prone skin since I was about 13 and I am now 40(+). low-dose BP, salicylic, retin-a and oral antibiotics are usually most effective. However, any tx loses effectiveness over time, and I find rotating products every 6 months or so helps. I am also always on the lookout for new products. I tried this and (not at the same time) Dermadoctor Aint Misbehavin serum for something new/more effective. This BLOWS away Dermadoctor. This has a thick, pasty consistency and is not very easy to spread. The smell is of course, sulfuric. Color: light yellow, but when applied no color. I find this slightly mattifying, NOT irritating at all (unlike Dermadoctor, which burns like fire and actually has a strong, alcohol/medicine smell I find more offensive than this stinky sulfur) and very effective. It calms my sensitive skin. I actually spread it over my entire face (very thin layer), let dry, then apply makeup. I don't use at night as I use Retin-A then. Result: less oil during the day, a calming and smoothing effect, fewer zits. Using all over may be too much for people w/drier skin, but I have super-oily, super sensitive skin. This works for me. Drawbacks: VERY expensive, and a bit thick. It dries so fast it's hard to spread far before it's dry. This may not be a problem if you are only using it in spots. Yes, it will cause some peeling at first, but that's how you know it's working. After some initial peeling off of cruddy layers of skin in a few days, I don't notice any excessive flaking. If you do, just reduce # of times applied. Wish it was cheaper. Due to results, I will be trying more PTR products.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

didibabez on 12/15/2011 11:51:00 PM more reviews by didibabez

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

The first time I used this stuff.....I didn't realize the bad smell was coming from it. I thought to myself "damn, something smells....sniff sniff..."...then realized, the horrible fart smell was coming from this. I used it here and there but haven't noticed a significant improvement to my skin, It's ok so far.

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domika on 3/30/2011 8:39:00 AM more reviews by domika

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

This stuff is my skin's lifesaver when I get large breakouts around that time of the month. I've tried to find the solution for ages and have finally found a product that has a high enough content of sulfur in it to combat my hormonal acne. Salicyclic acid does NOTHING for my acne. BP works alright but sulfur is by far the best. You just have to find the right anti-acne ingredient that works for you. My only complaint is that when I put it on at night, it makes my pillow smell after a while so beware. Even so, this product obviously won't smell amazing with 5% sulfur, but I'll live with the results I get!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

elisha1717 on 3/16/2011 5:34:00 PM more reviews by elisha1717

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Tan   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

When I get zits it is usually on my forehead and I have tried almost every spot treatment there is! From expenisive to inexpensive i've tried it all ! I use this before going to bed and when i wake up pimples have either dried up or reduced dramatically it is amazing !!! The smell is pretty bad but i dont care cause it does the job. it can be a little drying so I would not recommend to use every night or as a preventative only use directly on the acne spots! i will never purchase another spot treatment again! LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!

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*TOP REVIEWER* thesavagefamily on 3/7/2011 8:26:00 PM more reviews by thesavagefamily

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

This is so expensive for an acne treatment, but it works. I have been using the PTR Anti Aging Cleanser, DDF glycolic toner, PTR acne spot treatment and PTR Glycolic lotion and had no breakouts. If I do feel a spot coming on, it goes away before it comes to a head. I have hormonal acne and got tired of paying $45 for my treatment cream, so I purchased this. It has last a while, as I just use less than one pump and spot treat only, so I will purchase it again. It has sulfur in it, so I don't know if that is why it works better. I am open if anyone has another alternative, but until then I will repurchase. Since I have been using these products I have not had a breakout (even during that time of the month). I am so happy with PTR!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

Ekccwannabe on 2/14/2011 6:10:00 PM more reviews by Ekccwannabe

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

Though it's expensive, I would definitely buy it again. Why? Because this stuff works wonders! I get a pimple every week or so and because of my skin type (combination oily and tan) I bruise easily when a pimple comes out and the blemish is very visible. After using this product, in within a day my pimple's size has gone down dramatically and the appearance of blemish is a lot less. Because I have only started using this yesterday, I put this stuff on about 2-3 times a day (the directions even said so). And the result was more than excellent! I recommend someone with acne prone skin to try this product. Maybe ask for a sample and try using it on a pimple and you will see the improvements in 2-3 days like others have said here. It's expensive yes, but it is well worth it!

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Fiona423 on 11/23/2010 2:04:00 PM more reviews by Fiona423

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This product did nothing for acne on my jawline.

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*TOP REVIEWER* redheadjane on 10/18/2010 7:39:00 AM more reviews by redheadjane

Age: 36-43   Skin: Other, Fair, Warm   Hair: Red, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

This is my HG Acne spot treatment from now on. I have hormonal acne on my chin and around my mouth area. After I got off BC this year, my skin went totally schizo again. In desperation I shelled out the money for this because I know after dealing with Acne for 20 plus years, nothing works better on me than sulfur products.

It. Dries out pimples very quickly, within days. Even works on those giant cysts, the ones that tend to stay around forever. I's not nearly as drying as 10% BP and does a better job. Can work overnight for some people.

Face it people, SULFUR Stinks. If you complain about the smell of this, then I suppose having bad zits is better than smelling a little sulfur for 30 minutes. The smell fades after awhile. Similar to the Mario Badescu Drying lotion but I think this one is more effective and you can wear this one under makeup.

I am using this along with the PTR 10% Glycolic Hydrating gel and those two products alone are clearing my face better and faster thyan any prescription retinoid I have used (though I still love Tazorac).

I really think that this product is one of the best overnight spot treatments have used. Sulfur, despite it's nasty smell, is one the best ways to dry up excess sebum and pimples. It's also a calming agent for redness and I recommend this for those who don't respond to SA's or BP's. Personally, SA's make my skin worse. I guess I have a sensitivity to them. This has a bit of SA in it, but it's half way down the ingredient list, so I'm not concerned.

I just love this stuff.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

ArtsyChic on 7/10/2010 2:13:00 PM more reviews by ArtsyChic

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm   Hair: Black, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I purchased this as part of a kit. This really works with breakouts! I can use it in the morning and in the evening. Some people have issues with the smell. It actually isn't a bother too me. This really controls the breakouts and helps lessen and remove them in a quicker amount of time than another other acne spot treatment I've used in the past. it will get rid of it in a few days. But after application you can start to see a difference.

Works good with my make up. I use a mineral foundation and I've used a cream foundation with this product as well. Doesn't cause the foundation to cake. You don't even notice it's on when applying.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

jchism85 on 3/30/2010 10:45:00 PM more reviews by jchism85

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I really hoped that this would work for me but it totally didnt! It actually made it worse... it irritated the skin beyond belief and it made my skin peel off! And to be honest there was no reduction the size of the pimple... the only thing I got was a peeling zit that was ten times more red than when I started :(

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*TOP REVIEWER* cjmar on 3/26/2010 1:14:00 AM more reviews by cjmar

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I generally like to wait at least 4 weeks after trying a new skincare product before reviewing it, but I'm so darn excited over this, I couldn't wait. I'm approaching 25 years old, and I still have pimples. Blackheads, whiteheads, cysts, I have the whole trifecta. I generally break out along my jawline or on my chin. I purchased the acne care set from Sephora, and this is definitely the star player in the package. I applied a tiny dab of product to two large red pimples on my chin, and the next morning, they were reduced to flat spots. So far, it dries up my pimples overnight, and leaves either a dark spot or a scab. It also works well for daytime use and you can use it under makeup. A Sephora SA explained to me that sulfur targets the puss in a pimple, and dissolves it. The only downside to this product is because it contains sulfur, it smells absolutely putrid. TBH, I've avoided applying this product to a pimple under my nostril because the product smells so horrible. There's no way around this odor, but it dries up pimples so quickly, I've learned to just deal with it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* sblee on 12/27/2009 9:37:00 AM more reviews by sblee

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

Unfortunately, this does nothing positive for my skin. I have tried it several times and instead of calming/reducing a breakout it always irritates and reddens the area. My skin loves sulfur masks and products like avar gel so it's not that- but it must be one of the other ingredients. The pump bottle is great but the price is highway robbery.

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phizzybee on 11/27/2009 7:00:00 PM more reviews by phizzybee

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Green    

i purchase most ptr products on special. this is a more moisturising blemish treatment. so it's good when your skin is dry already. the sulphur smells like bad dog's breathe but it works well. dont know how much i have left. would be better in a soft plastic tube. alternatively try mario badescu special healing powder and/or ptr suplhur cooling mask for spot and area treatments.

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Marcie110 on 11/18/2009 11:16:00 PM more reviews by Marcie110

Age: 36-43   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brown, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I am very allergic to Benzyl Peroxide and I needed something stronger than just BHA/AHA exfoliating ingredients. I tried this with its sulfur acne ingredient and it worked great! I break out a lot on my chin so I applied a thin layer on my acne prone areas in the am and pm before my oil-free moisturizer and it really helped prevent more breakouts and cleared the ones I had in only a couple days. The negatives: it smells awful, it is very expensive ($45) and the packaging is not good - the pump broke off and stopped pumping product when there was still a half a bottle of product left inside along the sides (it is very thick). I've been using cheaper Neutrogena and Clean & Clear gels with not even near as good results as the Peter Thomas Roth...so I'm willing to go buy it again unless I can find another product that uses sulfur for less money.

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*TOP REVIEWER* sugarlumples on 9/17/2009 10:26:00 PM more reviews by sugarlumples

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I got this in a kit from PTR. My skin responds well to sulfur products and this is no exception. It will take down a pimple in about three days. There is a dramatic reduction even after one day. The smell is not pleasant, but that is to be expected with any sulfur product. I'm not sure how well it would work for severe or moderate acne, but for those occasion pimples it works great as a spot treatment for me.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

ohemeffgee on 8/24/2009 11:49:00 PM more reviews by ohemeffgee

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight   Eyes: Brown    

I never thought the day would come that I didn't mind shelling out 32 bucks for a tiny bottle of spot treatment, but it has. This is the only spot treatment I've ever tried that both didn't irritate me and shrank my zits effectively. I've never, ever had any product treat my blemishes so quickly, including the much-raved-about DDR sulfur mask (10% sulfur), various BP spot treatments (2.5, 5, 10%), salicylic acid (0.5, 2%), 100% tea tree oil and the other usual spot treatments. No matter how much I slather on (bad habit), it has never dried my skin out, and it usually ends zits in 2-3 days, tops. The smell is, I admit, strong and unpleasant (it IS a sulfur product), but I'm more than willing to put up with it for the results. I also like to layer this with TTO (which can be harsh) to produce even better effects.

Edit October 7, 2009: I docked this two lippies because I have found something (ACV/bentonite clay) that works much better as a spot treatment and is about twenty dollars cheaper.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No