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Welcome to Skincarma.

These are the musings of Carmine Montalto, NYC-based writer, skincare junkie and brand guru. The former copywriter at Kiehl’s, Carmine has more than 25 years of experience in beauty. Through the Skincarma Blog, he puts all of his product wisdom to work demystifying the ever-evolving world of skin care. 

You can change your skin’s destiny.™

BRANDS I'M INTO: CELLERX ACTIVE CLINICAL SKINCARE TO PROMOTE HEALTHY SKIN - BEST PORE TREATMENT, BEST TREATMENT FOR PERIORAL DERMATITIS AND BLEMISHES

BRANDS I'M INTO: CELLERX ACTIVE CLINICAL SKINCARE TO PROMOTE HEALTHY SKIN - BEST PORE TREATMENT, BEST TREATMENT FOR PERIORAL DERMATITIS AND BLEMISHES

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I first featured this innovative, uncommon skin health treatment from CelleRx on my IG page a few weeks ago on #skincarmasaturday — when I share a glimpse of my new skincare discoveries of the prior week.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I go crazy over cool clinical skincare that I like to refer to as “skinnovations” — truly innovative, pro-skin health products that could quite possible be alien technology.

Yes, alien technology!

And the new CelleRx Clinical Reset is so innovative I wasn’t sure what it even was at first! Which always lands a product in my alien technology folder along with the peptide-powered One Skin OS-01 Topical Supplement and Skin Aqua’s Super Moisture Milk — perhaps the best facial sunscreen I’ve ever come across on the entire planet. It’s simply not of this earth.

And if I’ve never seen it anywhere on Earth, I have to question whether it’s even from here, right? The CelleRx Clinical Reset is that unusual.

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PRODUCT REVIEW: SKIN AQUA SUPER MOISTURE MILK SPF 50 – ONE OF THE BEST SUNSCREENS FOR OILY SKIN

Pore maintenance is everything.

I talk a lot about daily “pore maintenance” — the method, the effort I put in each day to keep my pores clear to maintain optimal skin health. I firmly believe that one of the keys to healthy skin is effective and thorough pore maintenance. Clogged, congested pores are like a backed up sink; they block the flow, lead to acne breakouts, and cause skin to become sluggish as healthy functions are compromised and even break down.

There’s an excellent article on clogged pores on the Healthline website intriguingly titled, 5 Ways to Unclog Pores and 2 Methods to Avoid.

What causes clogged pores?

Clogged pores are the result of dead skin cells getting trapped in your skin instead of being shed into the environment.

Pores are tiny openings in the skin that release oil and sweat. When pores are clogged, it can result in blackheadswhiteheads, and acne

You can tell if your pores are clogged if you notice whiteheads, blackheads, or an overall dullness to your skin’s complexion.

Environmental factors also contribute to clogged pores. These factors include:

  • toxins in the air

  • oil from your hands transferred when you’re touching your face

  • sweat

Read on to discover 10 common methods to unclog pores. And be sure to always talk to your dermatologist before trying out a new skincare routine.


The Best Niacinamide Serums and Treatments

Pore maintenance is only one part of a healthy skincare regimen. Of course, any proper routine begins with effective cleansing and toning. But neither of those steps can be relied upon to deep clean your pores and prevent them from becoming congested in the first place.

What can (and does!) get deep into pores is Niacinamide, or Vitamin B3. If you aren’t using a dedicated Niacinamide serum each day, you’re simply not practicing heathy pore maintenance — and doing all you can to keep your skin healthy. For me that has meant relying on a well-formulated Niacinamide serum, usually the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster.

(Psst…I literally go through a bottle of it a month, sometimes more.)

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NIACINAMIDE IS THE GAME CHANGER YOU NEED TO DEFEND AGAINST SKIN DAMAGE AND MAINTAIN OPTIMAL SKIN HEALTH


What Is Niacinamide and What Does Niacinamide Do for the Skin?

I found a comprehensive article on Niacinamide written by the skin experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team titled simply, How Niacinamide Helps Skin.

An excerpt from the piece on the effects of Niacinamide on pores…

Also known as vitamin B3 and nicotinamide, niacinamide is a water-soluble vitamin that works with the natural substances in your skin to help visibly minimize enlarged pores, tighten lax pores, improve uneven skin tone, soften fine lines and wrinkles, diminish dullness, and strengthen a weakened surface.

How does niacinamide help pores? Great question, although the answer here isn’t certain. Simply put, research hasn’t come to a full understanding about how this B vitamin works its pore-reducing magic, but it does! It seems that niacinamide has a normalizing ability on the pore lining, and that this influence plays a role in keeping debris from getting backed up, which leads to clogs and rough, bumpy skin. As the clog forms and worsens, the pores stretch to compensate, and what you’ll see is enlarged pores. By helping things get back to normal, niacinamide use helps pores return to their normal size. Sun damage can cause pores to become stretched, too, leading to what some describe as “orange peel skin”. Higher concentrations of niacinamide can help visibly tighten pores by shoring up skin’s supportive elements.


Along with tried-and-true Salicylic Acid, Niacinamide is one of the best ingredients for clearing out, or decongesting, clogged pores. But Salicylic Acid and Niacinamide aren’t the only actives that possess that important benefit for the skin.

And this is where alien technology comes into the picture…

CelleRx | Clinical Reset

While twice daily application of a Niacinamide serum like the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster is essential to my daily pore maintenance routine, it’s not all I employ to maintain my skin health at optimal levels.

Exfoliating hydroxy acids like Salicylic Acid, Glycolic Acid and Gluconolactone can also play an important role. Simply, BHA’s, AHA’s and PHA’s like these are highly effective treatments for all manner of pro-skin health actions — including smoothing the skin surface, stimulating cell turnover and, yes, unclogging pores.

A few weeks ago, I discovered the CelleRx Clinical Reset — described by the breakthrough brand as an antimicrobial and calming daily facial mist “that removes barriers to cell turnover through gentle cleansing and biofilm disruption without stripping skin.”

Biofilm disruption? That sounds a lot like alien technology to me!

As I said in my original IG post on #skincarmasaturday, at first I wasn’t sure what the unusual Clinical Reset mist was or even how it fit into my routine. That is, until I researched the formula’s properties and actually started using it.

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So what exactly is the CelleRx Clinical Reset facial mist and what’s the alien technology that seems to be behind its efficacy?

Well, Clinical Reset is powered by pure Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl), a substance that’s naturally produced by the body to fight toxins and inflammation caused by bacteria. If that’s news to you, rest assured, I’d never heard of it either. So I googled it. HOCl is a fascinating acid with multiple benefits for skin when applied topically.

I’ve begun to think of Hypochlorous Acid as a CTRL+ALT+DEL reboot for my skin. Like Niacinamide, it has multiple pro-skin health benefits, including eliminating the so-called “bad bacteria” in the surface microbiome, fighting inflammation, and purifying pores. All of that not only promotes healthy, balanced skin, but it also helps to treat and prevent acne.

Is the CelleRx Clinical Reset with Hypochlorous Acid the next advance in acne treatments? Perhaps. And like one of the best acne treatments, Salicylic Acid, it can benefit everyone — even those who don’t suffer from chronic or regular acne breakouts.


What Is Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl) and Can Hypochlorous Acid Help with Acne?

Only very recently has there been any real innovation in the treatment of acne and skincare products for acne prone skin. Much of the innovation is coming in the form of products that help maintain and restore balance in the skin barrier and the skin’s microbiome. One of the more intriguing actives for restoring and maintaining skin barrier health is Hypochlorous Acid, or HOCl.

I found an insightful article on the Cleveland Clinic website titled, What Is Hypochlorous Acid and Why Should You Use It? Here is an excerpt from the piece:

What is hypochlorous acid?

Let’s start with a basic fact: HOCl exists in your body. It’s created by white blood cells as a defense system against infection, bacteria and general ickiness.

HOCl attacks invading pathogens, breaking down the cell walls before destroying unhealthy invaders. The antimicrobial acid is lethally effective in carrying out its protective mission. (Think of it as your own internal Batman.)

“It’s your body’s natural response to bacteria, and it is very effective at its job,” says Dr. Khetarpal.

So how does it end up being mass-produced for cleaning supplies and skin care products? Well, chemists long ago cracked the code to make HOCl by using electrolysis to break down a simple saltwater solution. More recently, however, manufacturing advancements allowed HOCl to be made in larger quantities with longer shelf life – a key to more widespread use.

How hypochlorous acid benefits your skin

Skin is incredibly tough and durable – a necessity given its role as an outer barrier protecting your inner workings. That front-line role, however, leaves your skin vulnerable to cuts, scrapes and all the bad stuff it’s working to keep out.

Dr. Khetarpal says that HOCl offers your besieged skin a little backup by working to:

  • Fight bacteria that causes clogged pores and acne.

  • Speed up wound healing and repair damage.

  • Combat inflammation and conditions such as eczema or psoriasis.

The best part, though? HOCl is nontoxic and handles this hard work while being incredibly mild on your skin. That gentleness is a byproduct of it being naturally produced by your body’s immune system.

“It’s great for sensitive skin,” notes Dr. Khetarpal. “It’s not going to give you the dryness, burning or irritation of other products [such as alcohol].”


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FOR A LIMITED TIME

ENJOY 10% OFF CELLERX CLINICAL RESET

CLICK HERE AND ENTER CODE SKINCARMA10 AT CHECK-OUT


WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF

AMPING UP MY PORE MAINTENANCE WITH THE CELLERX CLINICAL RESET!

ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE


“When sprayed onto the skin, this acid deep cleans every pore by removing harmful bacteria, microorganisms and pollutants – without causing dryness.”


As part of my daily pore maintenance routine, Clinical Reset is helping to remove the bacteria and pollutants that can clog my pores by preventing them from becoming congested in the first place.

How do I use it?

Morning and evening, I mist on the CelleRx Clinical Reset right after cleansing and toning, allowing the hydrating toner to dry down first. I then follow application of Clinical Reset with a Niacinamide serum. The Hypochlorous Acid and Niacinamide combine to form a highly effective pore maintenance treatment.


FOR A LIMITED TIME

ENJOY 10% OFF CELLERX CLINICAL RESET

CLICK HERE AND ENTER CODE SKINCARMA10 AT CHECK-OUT


The Best Acne Treatments

Then, I follow that with a Vitamin C serum in the AM, a Retinol treatment in the PM, and either a sunscreen, face cream or facial oil.

Since I began to incorporate the CelleRx Clinical Reset into my twice daily routine, I’ve noticed my skin has become more clear, calm and less reactive. If you’re suspecting an imbalance in your skin’s microbiome that manifests in irritation, sensitivity or acne flare-ups, consider giving Clinical Reset a try.

SHOP THE BLOG: For a limited time, save 10% on CelleRx with code SKINCARMA10. Purchase the CelleRx Clinical Reset for $48.60 (reg. $54) here.


That’s it, guys! I hope you’ll consider amping up your pore maintenance by adding in a Niacinamide serum and even exploring the CelleRx Clinical Reset. It’s made a real difference in the health of my skin.

See you next week!

💟 Carmine @skincarma


SHOP THE BLOG:


FOR A LIMITED TIME

ENJOY 10% OFF CELLERX CLINICAL RESET

CLICK HERE AND ENTER CODE SKINCARMA10 AT CHECK-OUT


The Best Vitamin C Serums and Face Creams

The Best Brightening Serums


FOR A LIMITED TIME

ENJOY 10% OFF CELLERX CLINICAL RESET

CLICK HERE AND ENTER CODE SKINCARMA10 AT CHECK-OUT


WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF

AMPING UP MY PORE MAINTENANCE WITH THE CELLERX CLINICAL RESET!

ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE


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The Ingredient List of the CelleRx Clinical Reset:

Pure Hypochlorous Acid (HOCI)


PRODUCT REVIEW: MURAD RETINOL YOUTH RENEWAL SERUM - BEST RETINOL SERUM, BEST RETINOL CREAM FOR OILY SKIN

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