Nexcare and Cettua

Cettua Trouble Clear Patch; Nexcare 3M Acne Dressing

So a lot of people have already raved about the Nexcare acne patch dressings before. They looked interesting, so I got them in September of last year to try them out, and I've stocked up since then. Mostly because this shit works. @.@

Essentially, you stick the patch over your blemishes, leave them on for a couple of hours, and it sucks the crap out. I know that the Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask supposedly does this, too, but in all honesty, I've never, ever seen the results with QH that I do with Nexcare. Like, literally, there is a chunk of gunk stuck inside the patch—it doesn't get all over your skin at all!—and your pimple is FLAT. This last part is ultimately what makes me a believer. I've also noticed that when I use the patch, I don't break out in that same area again for quite awhile.

So yes. I may actually worship at the alter of Nexcare for the existence of these (sadly) Asia-only patches.

However, at $4-5 a box, these can get pretty pricey, unless you're one of those lucky people who never really need them, anyway. Furthermore, they're almost always out of stock on Sasa (proof of their awesome), so even though you CAN get them, it's a difficult endeavor.

Enter the Cettua Trouble Clear Patch. At $3.20 for 48 patches, these are a much cheaper alternative. Intead of being round, these are oval, and they're much thinner. Unlike Nexcare, which has a rubbery texture and is pretty matte, the Cettuas are just a little bit shiny but stick well to the skin. They're great if you want to keep wearing them during the day, since they're less noticeable.

However, the thinness is also what makes the Cettuas much less effective for me... They don't have the power that the Nexcare patches do; at the most, these just made my skin look irritated without actually being able to get rid of anything. I could just be allergic to something in it (the tea tree oil, maybe?), but that doesn't change the fact that I very rarely got visible results, even after wearing them for several hours.

So in the end, I'd say that Cettua is like one of those lady revolvers, and Nexcare is the big gun. Unless you've got baby blemishes that don't even really need to be covered up, Nexcare is the one that'll get the job done.