Review: Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10 acne medication

Update:
I refer to my Clean & Clear "Advantage Acne Spot Treatment" in this post, but I actually mean the Advantage Mark Treatment.  That's the one I own- sorry about the mix-up!

I bought this Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10 acne spot treatment last week, shortly after reading several rave reviews about it.  I was using Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment Mark Treatment but wanted to try something different- that has 2% salicylic acid, as opposed to this one which contains benzoyl peroxide.  I was wary about the benzoyl peroxide since I've found cleansers containing it don't work for me, but figured a spot treatment would be worth a shot.

Anyway, I'll just begin to tell you my thoughts on it now.  :)

What it is: (From cleanandclear.com)

CLEAN & CLEAR® PERSA-GEL® 10 Acne Medication is a unique formula that goes to work immediately, releasing the medicine deep into the pores where pimples start.

Basically, it's an on-the-spot pimple treatment.  I typically get one or two bad pimples, so I use it on those specific areas.

Price:  About $6.00, although I think mine was a little over $5 from Target.  You also get a full 1oz of product which won't be used up quickly.

Formula: This product, unlike the Advantage Spot Treatment, is a cream.  It blends into my skin pretty easily and I don't need any more than the picture above to cover the areas on my face (I currently have two small pimples in between my eyebrows and two on my chin that I use this on).

Ingredients: (From cleanandclear.com- I threw away the box already, whoops!)

Active: Benzoyl Peroxide (10.0%) Inactive: Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Laureth-4, Sodium Hydroxide, Water

So I don't mean to compare this product to the Advantage Spot Treatment one in this review, but this has 10% benzoyl peroxide as opposed to only 2% salicylic acid.  Don't use this on an entire cheek, people!

I've found this really dries out the skin around my pimples (my skin is sensitive and can lean on the dry side, but it's not typically dry, just for reference), so moisturizing is a must.  The directions say to apply this 1-3 times a day as needed.

How I like it:  Although you can use this up to 3 times a day, I usually just apply it at night after my moisturizer.  The next morning I have to reapply moisturizer or else my skin peels around where the pimples are.  That's the only reason I don't use this more often- I'm afraid of my skin peeling too much during the day.  Even if it's only in a little spot, that's not something I want!

As far as performance, it's working well to reduce my pimples.  I did have two bumpy pimples on my chin this weekend, and now they're just little dots, which is at least easier to cover with concealer.  It hasn't gotten rid of my pimples or anything.
I've read that for other people this just zaps zits- I wouldn't say it does that, but it sure helps eliminate them faster.

I think for me personally I'll rotate this product and my Advantage Spot Treatment with 2% salicylic acid- that one doesn't dry out my skin so much and is better to use more often.

Overall, I think this one would work great if you have monster pimples that need to be erased pronto.

Pros:
- Inexpensive, 1oz size
- A little goes a long way
- Reduces the appearance of large zits (This seems like it would be GREAT if you get a pimple the night before an important event and you need something with maximum strength)

Cons:
- Dries out skin
- Doesn't completely erase the appearance of pimples
- Has a high level of benzoyl peroxide so must be used minimally and in safe areas

Have you tried this?  Did it work better for you than it did for me?