Finally getting my self-esteem back!!
First of all, everyone understands how one's facial appearance is directly tied to one's self-esteem. For me, my self-esteem is directly tied to Cellbone's Prep Skin Refresher!!!! I won't ever stop using this product.<br /><br />A little about me/my skin: I am a 42-yr old Asian-Pacific Islander and have medium-tone skin, which essentially translates into severe post-acne hyperpigmentation anytime I break out. I never broke out as a teenager so it was so strange to me that I started breaking out badly the last 2 years. (I attribute most of it to job-stress so I really figured there was nothing I could do about my poor complexion). I recently saw a photo of myself from 2009 where I had no makeup on, and I pratically cried. I had forgotten that I had GREAT skin up until recently. I had gotten into this vicious cycle as of late: wearing concealer & makeup to hide the dark hyperpigmentation, which I'm certain resulted in more breakouts = more hyperpigmentation. It was just awful!! I was at my wit's end. I couldn't get my skin under control even with prescription drugs.<br /><br />In January, I began both salycylic & glycolic acid treatments, and those helped the hyperpigmentation somewhat. I continued to breakout a bit and was willing to suffer through the breakouts in hopes that things were merely getting worse before they would get better. In March, I took a nearly 3-week long trip to hot, dusty Tanzania (climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, went on safari, & then chilled out on Zanzibar). Well, I was without the comforts of home for the majority of that trip so I used pre-moistened face wipes & hot water (when it was available) to cleanse my face & always followed up with the Prep Skin Refresher. Translation: I was hot,sweaty, & dusty/dirty the majority of the time. My breakouts stopped "dead in their tracks," and my hyperpigmentation appeared to improve. Upon my return from my trip, I continued with the Prep Skin Refresher post-face wash and have only had 2 glycolic treatments since I returned.<br /><br />I can't believe how my complexion is improving!! I'm actually not scared to look in the mirror now, and I'm no longer morbidly depressed about how I look without makeup. I know it's definitely this Cellbone product that has attributed to my vast improvement. (While the glycolic acid treatment does help, I'm only doing that every other week). I'm using the Prep Skin Refresher daily, usually in the a.m. & in the p.m. I haven't changed any other face, body, or hair products--so I know it wasn't an allergy. Again, I was using this product religiously when I was camping on Mount Kilimanjaro (hey, I didn't shower for 6 nights, but I still didn't break out!!!!)<br /><br />I also have before & "so far" pictures, so I have an objective gauge as to my improvement. I would like my skin to get a bit better before I'm brave enough to post the pictures for you all, but stay tuned. I'll update this review when I get up enough nerve to add the pictures. I don't know what's in this stuff, but I SWEAR it's worth trying if you have acne/hyperpigmentation. I've been using this since the beginning of March, and I still have half the bottle left.<br /><br />I hope others who are "suffering in silence" will give this a shot. I think it's a small price to pay to help your self-esteem! Also, Cellbone threw in 2 other free samples that I haven't tried yet (I didn't want to "waste" the product on my poor skin, but I'll try them this weekend). Cellbone: you have a customer for life. Please please please don't get rid of this Prep!!!
Rating: 5 stars