Fortunately I have never been prone to acne of any kind until recently (I'm blaming my favorite thing-pre-menopausal hormones!), so I will confess that I have never used an acne treatment before. I've been having some breakouts on my neck of all places so when I had the opportunity to try a new acne treatment called CTRL Female Clear Skin System (there's also a CTRL Male Clear Skin System ), I leapt at the opportunity.

Turns out I made a great decision. CTRL rocks!

What attracted me to CTRL Acne Treatment is that there are no artifical fragrances, no pthalates, no BPA (Bisphenol A), and especially no parabens. Parabens are the most widely used preservatives in skin care products. They aren't good for a number of reasons, but primarily because they are classified as Environmental Estrogens.

CTRL Acne Treatment uses an alternative preservative Optiphen/Caprylyl Glycol, and I also noticed citric acid, also used as a natural preservative, is among the ingredients too. And in case you're wondering, preservatives are necessary to inhibit the growth and survival of microbes.

Back to the product…There are three parts to the CTRL Acne Treatment System, the facial cleanser, active treatment, and spot treatment (a tiny tube that you can carry around in a purse or backpack). I used the CTRL facial cleanser twice daily followed by the CTRL Female Active Treatment, both of which use salicylic acid as the active ingredient combined with Prebiotic complexes using natural botanical extracts to kill acne bacteria on the skin and Ceramides to reduce redness and blemishes.

I will admit I was really surprised at the results. Within a few days the red, sometimes painful cysts had diminished significantly in color and in painfulness. After a week, they were all but gone. Based on my personal experience CTRL Female Clear Skin System is a winner in my book.