Stridex Maximum Daily Care Acne Soft Pads

As a teenager, I have always had to deal with acne problems but did not want to get involved with prescription medications for a problem that could be taken care of with over the counter products. Once of the products that I had the chance to try was Stridex's Maximum Daily Care Pads. The package looks like a red plastic jar with a twist-off cap that holds 55 pads that come in Maximum strength (2% Salicylic Acid) or Sensitive (0.5% Salicylic Acid, and comes in a green jar).

After opening up the package, the first thing I noticed was the fact that the inside of the jar and the pads themselves, which were soaked in the compound that treats acne, smelled awful. The smell that I noticed from the jar and the pads reminded of cleaning products, and the application to the face was a bit unpleasant since this smell lingers around the face until the medication dries.

Despite the smell, the soft pads were a big plus, since each pad had tiny little padded bubbles that felt very soft and pleasant to the face, especially since the compound it was soaked in was moist and cool. The relief to the face was noticeable instantaneously. Also, as I kept using up more and more pads, I noticed that they were getting brown, indicating that the pads were picking up dirt and grease form my face. Seeing the pads get dirty, although that might be repulsive to some, was encouraging since it offered some proof that the product was actually working. After a few days of using the pads, I noticed that they were getting less and less brown, which was an indication that my face was becoming clearer and cleaner as I was using the pads.

Although my face was getting cleaner, I would not say that Stridex's product was very effective in treating the actual acne. Some of the acne that was present disappeared, but some other appeared in new places; these kinds of results indicated to me that the product did not really prevent any acne and could barely handle the acne that was already there. I would recommend this product to those who really need the entire pad to apply to the whole face, rather than just spot acne issues. Those who experience spot acne should try creams instead, rather than large pads that are actually made to cover the whole face and large areas of the skin. Also, I would suggest those with sensitive skin or easily-irritable skin to try out the green Sensitive pads with a smaller amount of salicylic acid since the Maximum pads may cause more harm than good.