My 28 year old daughter was having terrible problems with breakouts, blackheads and some cystic acne. It was causing her self-esteem issues. She had tried several products, none of them seemed to work. I was familiar with Paula's Choice and after reading the reviews, bought the Extra Strength acne products. Within 1 week, my daughter's face is noticeably improved. I will reserve further comments until we are sure that her acne does not get worse-as sometimes happens. I hope not!

10 x stars!! I want to rate 10 x stars, because my daughters'(16 yrs old) skin start improving in a week. 90% of her face used to be covered with ugly pimples and scars. She'd tried any kind of face wash and lotion from drug store (even proactive.....) , suffered years and years. I found Paula's comment & knowledge on-line, read whole story, ordered right away.My daughter is still having acne on/off, but 98% of her face is soft and smooth. It's been three months since then. Unbelievable!

I started using this system about two months ago after years of acne that started in my teens. I've taken oral medication and used different topical treatments. I was so frustrated and decided to try PC. I'm so glad I did! I've seen a noticeable change in the texture of my skin (so smooth!) and the acne has decreased significantly. I'm still crossing my fingers as I hope that this continues to work well for me.

I bought the trial size of the Regular Strength Clear System. It didn't work. I decided to try the Extra Strength. My dermatologist told me Bezoyl Peroxide was the best treatment for my bacterial acne. The Extra Strength did the trick! My pores reduced to 75% of their previous size, I haven't had a breakout in over 2 weeks. Even during my PMS I didn't have a bad infected pimple. I do have to use a moisturizing cleanser at night. I have moderate cystic acne, need a potent system for severe acne.

I have been battling acne since I was a teenager, including severe bouts of cystic acne.This is the first line of products that has managed my skin's health without having to take BC or antibiotics. I still get breakouts and occasional cystic spots, but my skin looks soothed and so much healthier. I am much more confident about my skin! The only reason I took it down one star is because the toner leaks when traveling. I try to prevent by tightening the cap, but it still leaks. Hate to waste it!

I first tried this two years ago after suffering for decades with huge boils and hormonal/genetic acne all over my face, neck, chest and back. I think it was on sale and I thought, what the heck, might as well try it. Within 3 days the horrible mess was almost cleared right up, and after a week it was all gone! The large cysts just shrank away. I've just bought my 4th kit tonight -- I absolutely cannot be without it! I have NEVER found any acne product that worked as well as this.

I got the sample kit when it was on sale a few weeks back & wish I would have tried it sooner. I had zero luck with the regular strength exfoliant & treatment, but the extra strength is working wonders. I had some cystic hormonal breakout along my jawline & saw about a 50% decrease in size overnight, & it was gone in three days. I have oily skin (which tends to be 'normal' in the winter), & this was not too drying for me. It does burn a bit initially, but I don't mind when it works so well!

I am 28 and have battled persistent moderate acne since I was a teenager. I've tried everything including prescription meds and nothing has worked like this system does! For the first time in years my skin is 90% clear and looks healthy and smooth to boot. My breakouts are much less severe when they do occur and heal quickly. I have extremely sensitive skin and was irritated by many other brands but have had no problems tolerating these products. All I can say is thank you so much!!

I am 31 and after several years of dealing with acne, I was about ready to give up. I thought I would never have the clear complexion I so badly wanted. Then out of the blue, a new friend gave me Paula's Choice CLEAR Extra Strength to try. She had also suffered from acne and discovered Paula's Choice - she now has radiant, clear skin. The next day, I bought the CLEAR Extra Strength System package. It's now been a few months and I am SO pleased with the results. My complexion is now 95% clear!!

Product dried my skin out a little bit, but really cleared my skin!

I liked the trial kit, but I think the equate system that is similar to proactive works just as good.

My face is very oily so I was amazed by the face wash: gentle & left my face soft w/o leaving behind any oil. The toner is a bit odd. It makes my skin look and feel a little oily; a shame because it does it's job WELL. Winters tend to leave my skin dry and flaky which causes more under the surface pimples than usual and since using it, I don't have any flaky skin and noticeably less pimples. LOVE the 5% benzoyl! Silky and gel-like and really effective without drying my skin at all.

Ok we have tried EVERYTHING on the market for my 13 year old and then I ordered the 2 week trail kit. My daughters skin has cleared considerably and there are just a few blemishes remaining and four days to go. We have ordered the regular size kit. She gets large boil type blemishes and this product does the trick. I would strongly recommend that you avoid Proactive, I feel its a total waste of money and promises far too much. I should have read Paula's review. The best part is that the skin that is unaffected by the acne looks beautiful and glowing - the extra strength does not affect it or dry it out. Get the trail kit you have nothing to loose and clear skin to gain!

I've tried a lot of different products and have worked in the cosmetics industry and was amazed at how well this system works. I've always been a fan of Paula's products, but was extra thrilled about the results I saw while using this system. It's hard to find a good BHA product on the market that doesn't have harsh and drying alcohol in it! My skin loves this system and I'm not going back. Less breakouts, smoother skin, more glow! I even use this on my back and have noticed a huge difference. I'm really picky about what I use and this is totally worth it!! Thank you, Paula!

Now in my early 30's I am still dealing with very oily skin and breakouts. I had been using proactive since high school and it was still working ok but I wanted more. I still had skin issues that proactive could not fully address. When I heard about Paula's Choice I thought I would give it a try and I'm glad I did! It works even better than proactive. After I made the switch I noticed a difference after only two days. Pore size has decreased already, redness is reduced and the tiny little bumps on my forehead are almost gone already!

I have ordered this product and had really high expectations. I have a moderate acne so i thought this product will definitely should help (specially after all the good reviews). After first week of using it I noticed a difference, my acne was reduced by 70%. I was so happy and thought that within a month my skin will be clear.. However, with time (after 3weeks) this product stopped working. My skin came back the way it was..and even little bit worse.. Very dry skin on the cheeks and nose (that it is almost peeling) and very shiny oily skin on the forehead!.. not a good look!.. and my skin colour looks very unhealthy!.. like grey colour!.. I follow a very healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle in general!.. so I can not blame it on "bad lifestyle". I am very disappointed, specially as I had to buy a high postage fee to ship it all the way to UAE. I also use one of the Paula's Choice products for the oil control (comes in the brown tube), which is amazing!.. but the acne kit is not doing any good for me.. Really sad that i tried some many different products and spent so much.. and nothing helps.. Well, I will keep trying, hopefully Paula will come up without new soon that will work better on my skin. Customer Care Response: We are sorry to hear the products did not produce favorable results for you. The truth is that skin care is tricky. Each person will potentially respond different to products and ingredients. We do think it would be helpful to know what other products you are using as this could be the reason you are not seeing the maximum benefits. We will give you and in house credit but first would like to analyze your routine. If you can contact customer care via live chat, email, or over the phone we will gladly help with your routine.

I bought the trial kit, because I didn't want to spent too much on products that I might not like. The products certainly do work, but I think you might like it better if used at night instead of the daytime when you need to apply makeup. The toner is sticky feeling and you can't really overcome that, BUT, if you apply the benzoyl peroxide on top of the toner, it actually helps to make it more matte. If you are using makeup on top of that, I would suggest a powder (loose or pressed). I haven't tried a liquid foundation yet, but I think you may have some trouble with a liquid as opposed to the powder. If your skin is oily, you are most likely opting for powder foundation anyway. I have sampled the other toners as well, and they tend to feel sticky, but the drugstore brands are no better. Only the Obagi seems to be better, but it is also ridiculously expensive. At any rate, despite the complaints about the toner feeling sticky, just know that it does improve when you put the benzoyl peroxide on top of that (which are you supposed to do anyway). Now, if the product leaves you red or dry, just put moisturizer over it. In fact, I'm surprised that they don't include a moisturizer with the kit. Personally, I really like the anti-aging clear skin hydrator from the Resist line, and actually wonder why they don't just bundle that moisturizer with this kit. I like it better than the one they make for oily skin. It goes on super matte. Of course, if you are using a sunscreen during the day (which you should always do without fail), then that will act as a moisturizer for you. Customer Care Response: Thank you for your review. It is certainly okay to apply these products just once per day! We will note your feedback with Paula and please contact customer care with any questions or concerns.

I really don’t know what to say about the products.  I had purchased some other Paula products, which were good for oily skin, but since I have some acne, I wanted to try this.  And I was sure my skin could handle the extra strength, since my skin is very oily in the t-zone. When I started to use it, I put the toner, and the treatment all over my face, since I was using the treatment in place of a moisturizer.  Well using it in all those areas is too much.  My skin would sting.  I was sure I read a review that stated the stinging goes away shortly after, so I continued.  But then I couldn’t find the review, and the stinging continued, so I stopped on all areas but my t-zone.  Even with that, my skin is still oily, and peeling at the same time.  So now, I place a little of the toner and treatment on my cheeks since they’re slightly acne prone.  Regardless, my acne hasn’t disappeared.  My acne may be hormone related, but I am going to still use the products since i believe that Paula's products are the only products that are good enough to use. And I'll just hope it reduces and diminishes my acne.  I may want to use the cleanser to balance out oily skin, as opposed to the cleanser w/ the acne package-not sure. Customer Care Response: Thank you for your review. We are sorry to hear of your experience with this kit. While this response is not typical, we do understand that each customer is uniquely different in how they will respond to products or ingredients. This along with everyday environmental factors can sometimes play a part in how someone will ultimately respond to a product or combination of products. There are factors that can keep BHA from improving skin, such as using products not appropriate for your skin type (heavy moisturizers,) or those containing irritating ingredients (bar soaps, fragrances,) or not following a consistent skin care routine. Please contact customer care so that we may help with your routine and offer the best options to try.  

I bought this entire line after trying the regular strength line which made my skin worse. This line helped a little, but did not get my skin clear. If you are like me (possibly too sensitive for Benzoyl Peroxide?), please try the Resist BHA 9! It's done more for my acne than all the prescription medications and regimens I've tried in the past 16 years. Two stars are for the cleanser portion of this system, which is actually fantastic and doesn't overly dry my already dry skin. I'm convinced the cleanser is a part of my success. Customer Care Response: Thank you for your review. We are sorry to hear of your experience with these products. While this response is not typical, we do understand that each customer is uniquely different in how they will respond to products or ingredients. This along with everyday environmental factors can sometimes play a part in how someone will ultimately respond to a product or combination of products. It would be helpful to know what else you were using in your routine to determine the best recommendations and possible reason as to why the products did not respond well for you. Please contact customer care via telephone, live chat, or email so that we may discuss your routine and offer you an in house credit for the product.

I am 33 and the past five-six years of my life have been consumed with skin issues. I went from a makeup free face to not leaving the house without it. My face began to break out with a few pimples but soon turned to what the dermatologist called cystic acne. There were multiple spots on my face ranging from quarter to dime size and some of them seemed to have remained on my face for months! I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror anymore, I just wanted to cry everytime. I was disgusted with myself and how I looked. I came across the reviews for Paula's Choice Clear extra strength and decided to purchase the trial size. I have spent so much money on prescriptions, vitamins, topical treatments and numerous other acne products, I didn't see the harm in trying one more. I received the shipment on a Monday, so that evening I tried it. By Thursday morning, the smaller pimples were gone and the large cystic spots were significantly smaller and the redness was minimal. There were smaller knots on my face and jaw that had been there for at least a year and they were almost non existent. My pores are barely there and minus a few hormonal breakouts, my face is clear, of everything! My face is smooth, clear and the tone is more even! I have gone from packing on the makeup to a light powder everyday and my confidence in my appearance is back. I obviously purchased the full size along with the weekly resurfacing treatment, which I love. It has been three weeks since I started using the system and decided to purchase a couple different samples of moisturizers, I haven't experienced much dryness, but noticed a couple of spots. I absolutely love this system and have recommended this to my friends and family. Thank you for helping me to feel beautiful again!Nicole

I have had skin problems all my life and this is the first treatment that has worked. My skin has never looked so good. I get compliments all the time. I doubt this would have improved the cystic acne I had earlier but I love how it works now. The cleaner is so gentle yet it cleans my face without drying it. The toner and treatment also work nicely. Try it if you have oily or acne prone skin and your skin will be the best it has ever been.

My son has struggled with moderate but stubborn acne and blackheads throughout high school. He's gone to dermatologists and has tried every topical perscription product, but they all have left his skin irritated and dried out, and have not cleared up his acne. Finally, after seeing an infomercial for Proactive, he asked me if I could order it for him. As a loyal reader of Beautypedia as well as user of Paula's products, I knew that the Clear Extra Strength Set would be the better solution. And I was right! His acne cleared up within 2 weeks, much more quickly than I would have expected. And the best part is he has no irritation at all, even though this product is Extra Strength! I only wish I had gotten it for him sooner. Outstanding product!

I use tazorac and clear extra strength and I am pretty happy. You just have to start off slowly, or else u will really peel. Tazorac om it's own was not helping my hormonal acne but with clear it's looking soooo much better.

This was the only acne system that actually worked. Out of all the others I have tried, and I have tried everything under the moon, from natural lines to painful prescriptions. Now that I am 27, 12 years later I finally have clear skin, and can go out in public with no makeup! Ok, just mascara and some great lip gloss!It feels amazing not to spend hours in front of a mirror working with concealers and powders.Thank you so much Paula! Keep making this product, and I recommend this to any man or woman who is struggling with acne.

The Clear Extra Strength line has changed everything for my husband and son. They went from having terrible acne to showing off their handsome faces! We are so pleased with the line that we have recommended this to family and friends, who are now also seeing great results! Thanks Paula!