Dr. Dennis Gross: Temporary Superhero

The unfortunately named Dr. Dennis Gross saved me, if only briefly. I had been blessed with good skin for most of my life, and probably never had more than four pimples at any one time. Until recently. I have been having what are considered “hormonal breakouts” and they suck. Some are regular zits, some are clusters of bumps, and all of them are hated. I started out using a sulfur spot treatment, which had worked for my occasional zits in the past. A sulfur spot treatment, in this case Kate Somerville’s EradiKate, involves going to bed with stinky pink dots on your face. It was kind of working, but left me flakey and subject to ridicule.

I needed a serious intervention, or a new face. I had enough points for a 500pt perk from Sephora, which I redeemed for the Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Clarity Kit. It included 10 days worth of his Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel (which has a two step, handy-wipe style application), as well as small bottles of his All-In-One Cleansing Foam and Trifix Acne Clearing Lotion.

I decided I would use the cleanser and the peel in the morning, and the cleanser and the lotion at night. After my first treatment, my skin felt smoother, aside from all the bumps. After four days, there were noticeably fewer bumps. The regimen didn't leave me red or flaky, though as the zits cleared up, they sort of... fell off. Which was actually very exciting. After seven days, the bumps and red marks were greatly diminished, and after ten days, I had my old skin back, save for one red mark where I picked. (I know, I KNOW.) Unfamiliar with the insidious nature of acne, I thought I was cured and went back to my old routine. After about a week, the zits were back. All of them.

Since Dr. Gross saved me once for free, I decided to buy his stuff and try again. The Skincare Clarity Kit is not available for purchase, but since I still have some of the cleanser and clearing lotion left, I just bought a box of the Alpha Beta Daily Peel packets for $28. There is an acne kit available, but it only has one packet of the peel, and the peel is best part. It works fast and I’m impatient, especially regarding acne.

I decided that this time, I’d have a maintenance plan in place for when I finish. I considered Dr. Gross’s stuff, but it seemed expensive, so I turned to Dr. Murad, one shelf over. I decided on the Live Clear Acne Complex Starter Kit, so I could try several of the products. I still have three days left of Gross before I switch over to my Murad maintenance plan, so I’ll let you know how that works out in a week or so. In the meantime, I’m (hopefully) three days away from having clear skin again, and I can hardly wait.