Ah, my neverending quest for clear skin…like I’ve said before, I will try anything once. And while reading the Sephora blog this morning, I noticed a list of "Blemish Banishers," straight from the brand marketing manager for Sephora’s skincare department. Right at the top of the list of recommended products is the ThermaClear, a heat-based acne treatment gadget not unlike the Zeno that I’ve been seeing all over the place (magazines, blogs, etc.) So what’s the story with these things?

Here’s the gist: You turn them on. They heat up. You apply the hot surface to a pimple that is getting ready to sprout but is still under the surface (these heat treatments aren’t recommended for blackheads, whiteheads or zits that have already come to unfortunate fruition) and, at least in theory, the heat kills the bacteria and the pimple self-destructs. Sounds good, right? But do they actually work?

There are definitely some drawbacks to heat therapy for acne. First of all, these devices don’t come cheap - both cost the better part of $200. Also, make sure that you’ve correctly assessed the severity of your acne before you take the plunge; since you can only use it on a few pimples at a time in order to avoid damaging your skin (the magic number seems to be three blemishes at once), it’s not worth the money if you tend to break out more than that, or if your acne manifests itself as anything other than relatively small, red bumps. If they do work, however, they sound like they could be a godsend for people with occasional breakouts. I’m not sure which device is better, but it’s worth noting that the ThermaClear only requires 2 seconds of treatment per pimple, while the Zeno calls for two and a half minutes, plus a couple of follow-ups throughout the day.

Yet I was still left with one more question about these heat therapy gadgets: Are they more effective than, say, soaking a washcloth in hot water and applying that to a zit? (Does anyone else do this?!) I’ve been in the habit of doing this for years and it always seems to help, at least somewhat. You would think that having such a concentrated blast of heat might make these more effective, but after reading this post on Beauty and the Blog, I’m not so sure:

"…when you take away all the flashing lights and the chrome casing, what you are left with is nothing more than your standard heat treatment method of fighting acne, which can be done with a simple rag and hot water. …the Zeno zit zapper is nothing more than an age-old treatment method modernized for today’s youth."

Well, okay then. (However, they also mention that the device has been proven to be effective in preventing 90% of all blemishes that it treats - but that you will be using it "a lot," since it may destroy most pimples on contact, but it does nothing to treat the underlying causes of acne and prevent future breakouts.) Unfortunately, I think my skin problems are a little more severe and a little too chronic to make either one of these worth my $150+. But I’m curious to know what you think: Have you ever tried heat therapy for your blemishes? And if so, was it effective?