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Omnilux Clear-U: Acne Treatment Without Side Effects

Acne still continues to ruin childhoods, damage teenage self-esteem, and hurt plenty of adult images. Medical treatments continue to have trouble dealing with it, and some of the more common ones (such as Accutane) have side effects that can be serious. Natural treatments would be great, and diet seems to play a role, but about the only things that appear to have a positive effect are zinc, tea tree oil, and possible glycolic acid. What is one to do?

The Omnilux Clear-U offers an interesting at-home solution, though one that is effective over time. FDA approved, their site still mentions that the device is only available to physicians, though it is now approved for sale to consumers. Intended for targeted treatment of “Mild to Moderate Acne Vulgaris”, they helpfully link to the clinical study offering a fairly concise look at benefits. While we don’t have any stunning before-and-after photos to show, Omnilux does. We should also point out that they recommend a 12-week course of treatment, and state that best results may be seen a few weeks afterward. Our test subject only used the Clear-U for a couple of treatments before noticing a positive difference.

Happily, the device seems to work, for most people. Apparently, the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes plays a role, producing nasty chemicals that happen to be sensitive to light at specific wavelengths. The Omnilux Clear-U produces those forms of red and blue light, killing the bacteria, with no heat, UVA or UVB light, and no skin damage. The bacteria are resilient though, so you actually need to hold the light in place for 20 minutes at a time- and the device isn’t that large. The major downside: folks suffering from widespread breakouts will not find the Clear-U particularly easy to use, as it would take far too long to cover broad areas. Also, we did have trouble remembering to alternate from red to blue light- it can be hard to keep track of which to use, though you can simply leave the switch positioned one way or the other.

The only side effect is some redness of the skin at first, which is great. And we liked the easy portability. Some skincare packs are included as well, for both preparation and aftercare. At more than $150, we hope that the price falls a bit, but it’s certainly inexpensive compared to some alternatives. And while it’s always hard to put a price on appearance, make sure that you consider your time as well, and can muster the dedication for regular treatments to ensure the best results.

Recent

Bernzomatic Fights Anything With Fire

It may look like a small drill, but be careful- the Bernzomatic Quickfire Hand Torch offers a lot of heat in a pretty small package. You’ve probably seen propane torches before, near a grill, or perhaps soldering- we get by just fine with matches at the grill and usually solder...
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The Complete National Geographic- Now With 100% Less Paper

If you are anything like the staff here, you have fond memories of boxes and boxes filled full of National Geographic magazines. Sure, you may have started off mostly looking at the pictures, perhaps more closely on those Valentine’s Days when you may have been alone and young. And who...
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WikiReader with virtual touch keyboardIs That a Wiki in Your Pocket?

Ever wish you could hold all the knowledge of the world in your back pocket? Well, how about just 3 million topics? The WikiReader is a small, portable device that carries the knowledge of Wikipedia, offline and at your fingertips. Both the brilliance and the downfall of this device is its...
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Smart and Silly- Start the Spring Semester Right!

With the glut and revelry of the 2009 holiday season firmly in the history books, most of us are looking to settle into 2010 and get back to “normal” life. For some that means work and for others that means school. Now, while we can’t convince your boss or professors...
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Reduce If You Can't Reuse or Recycle

That’s the idea- reduce when you are unable to repair or recycle something. Here in San Francisco, you can add “compost” to the list- but that’s a kind of recycling or reuse, really. Ultimately, you’ll have trash though, and then you need a place to put it. And if you’re...
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A Better Back with PostureTek's Biofeedback Apparel System

We know the drill- you sit in a chair all day, handling such backbreaking work as pressing keys and moving mice. Despite or because of this, your back hurts. You can’t get comfortable in a chair. You mother yells at you to quit slouching whenever you come home for the...
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2009 Holiday Gift Guide

Yesterday, we checked our lists- all of our reviews in the last 12 months or so- and came up with some of our favorite items from earlier in the year. But we confess that a few choice gifts have been held back recently, partially because we were simply having too...
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2009: Highs and Lows

We have some brand new items to tell you about, so hold off on finalizing your gift lists for another day if you can. This article, though, is our round-up of things we loved this year… as well as things that we were disappointed in. For those unaware, TrulyObscure is...
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Gift Giving Made Easy With Spire and Icekube

As the holidays approach far more quickly than most of us are ready to deal with it’s time to start thinking about those people on your gift-giving list that are difficult to buy for. We all have a few, that person who likes everything, or nothing, and won’t just tell...
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Fun In The Sun with Swimovate and Suntrica

For most of us the days of beaches, pools and sun tans have been put aside for mistletoe, wrapping paper, turkey and snow angels. Just because the daily attire of choice leans more toward jackets or fleece instead of your favorite board shorts or teeny bikini doesn’t mean that someone...
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