Since I became pregnant with twins well-over five years ago, my skin took a turn for the worse. During the pregnancy I continually broke out with acne and pimples on my face and my body. After the pregnancy, I have still been prone to breaking out on my face a few times a month. Being a woman who is *cough* 38 years old, my self-confidence really takes a hit when I have one or two obvious pimples on my face. I actually use Proactiv regularly, but cannot even tell if it is doing me any good anymore because I still break out. I think I was just afraid to find out that my skin would be even worse if I stopped. Well, I finally had a reason to see what would happen . . .
I was offered the chance to test out the Claro Acne Clearing Device, a chemical-free way to treat acne. This little gadget actually uses Intense Pulsed Light, something that has been used for anti-aging treatments and hair removal, to treat blemishes. I was quite anxious to try out this device and had to wait 3 long weeks for my first pimple to form since receiving the Claro. I had even stopped using Proactiv completely during those 3 weeks.
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Product Specs:
- Claro is approximately 5-5/8" x 2-1/2" in size
- Included in the box are the Claro, a power cord, eye goggles, and a user's guide
- Available in pink, blue, and black
- Approximate retail price $194.99
My Experience:
After reading the instructions, I was nervous about trying the Claro. There were many notes about what types of acne on which the device would be effective, plus warnings about skin irritations for people with light sensitivity and about looking at the bright light during use. After I tested the unit on the inside of my arm just below my wrist, I felt more at ease. I did not experience any redness and, although that spot on my skin felt warm, I did not feel any burning.
The pimple I needed to treat was located just below my jawline, so I asked my husband to help me with the treatments. It was difficult for me to see the spot in the mirror with my head tipped back so far. This device is very user-friendly, as it only has one button. You simply press the button to turn it on, causing the light around it to turn green. Then put the Claro window firmly over your pimple and listen for 2 consecutive beeps. Close your eyes and press the button a third time to prompt the 10 Intense Pulsed Light flashes, which only took 6 seconds to occur in total. After the flashes stop, lift the Claro off your skin, prompting the light around the button to change from red to green. Wait 5 seconds and repeat the process again. Once you have gone through the process twice, you have finished one complete Claro treatment.
It is not recommended to treat the same pimple more than 4 times during a 7 day period. Each treatment should be about 8 hours apart, but my schedule did not allow that. I ended up doing two complete treatments 12 hours apart. Here are my results . . .
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Other Things You Should Know About the Claro:
- Make sure you charge your Claro right away. It needs to charge for 8 hours prior to the first use according to page 20 of the user's guide. (Page 23 states that it needs to charge for 2 hours prior to the first use, but I did 8 just to be on the safe side.)
- The Claro turns itself off after one minute of being idle, but you can also turn it off manually by holding the button down.
- There is a battery indicator at the bottom of the Claro. You most likely would not want to leave the Claro sitting out charging all the time if you have children who might pick it up to play with it.
Overall, I am happy with the results the Claro offered. It did seem to make my pimple smaller after two treatments and definitely accelerated the rate at which it started to dry out and go away. The Claro Acne Clearing Device would be a good investment for anyone who breaks out a few times a month or more and spends a lot of their time face-to-face with other people. This gadget would make a great Mother's Day gift because it is something a mom might not purchase for herself.
To learn more about the Claro Acne Clearing Device, visit BestBuy.com.
I received the reviewed product from Best Buy for free to facilitate this review.
