Review: Avène Cicalfate Skin Restorative Cream

Hey guys! I know I haven't posted in a while. I'm still awaiting the good camera (getting it tomorrow from my dad!) but I'm relaxing after my audio project so I figure I would do a little review.

A quick backstory to this product: About a week and a half ago, I woke up with a large bump on my left cheek. Completely my fault, since I grabbed my mom's anti-aging moisturizer and thought it would be fun to try it. My skin doesn't break out unless I change my products and every couple of months I like using myself as an unpaid guinea pig. While I don't have troublesome skin, when I do get a blemish, that bitch of a pink mark will stay there for months on end.

When I got back to school, I remembered that I had a tube of this Avene Cicalfate Skin Restorative Cream in my skincare hoard. I had read some good reviews online and decided to slather it on and hope for the best.

Basically, this cream is amazing for damaged (bolded for a good reason) skin. The next day, the bump was almost gone and by the second and third day, it was just a small pink patch. I've been slathering it on that area for more than week now and it has prevented any post-breakout damage. The skin in that area is completely smooth, albeit a little pink. However, I'm not going to pick on that considering that it literally started off as a cystic bump.

So last Saturday, I decided to use this cream as an all over moisturizer. I was pretty happy on Sunday and Monday, I was glowing and my skin was even and poreless. However, on the third and fourth day, I noticed two little bumps appearing on my skin overnight. Nothing too bad, a night or two in DDF Sulfur clay smoothed both of them away. However, I do think the this cream clogs your pores if you use it as a daily moisturizer.

I pulled up some reviews and articles online and the cream was made for damaged areas after burns, irritation or post surgery. So it's great for targeting areas with pigmentation marks, acne or dry skin but do not use use it all over your face. What I've been doing now is just using it on that pink area and any other places that are a bit dry or irritated from the shifting weather.

Overall, this is a fantastic product to keep in your stash. Not necessary for everyone, of course since it's more of an emergency product. I am going to bring it with me during reading week in China because the winds there can cut like a knife. If you are interested, there are more reviews here and I found a full list of benefits on Avene.com.

Indication

• Cuts, scrapes, scratches
• Burns
• Cracked skin
• Stitches
• Hair removal
• Diaper rash
• Post-treatment

Benefits

• Helps speed the skin recovery process
• Provides a healthy skin environment to minimize a potential infection
• Prevents signs of scarring
• Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal
• Fragrance-free, preservative-free, colorant-free
• Avène Thermal spring water to soothe and soften the skin
• Hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic

If you live in Canada, you can pick this up from Shoppers for around $23. You don't need a lot so it'll last you for ages! :)