Zeno Acne Treatment

Update: Shortly after this review went live, Mack Lipkin M.D., an NYU professor and the Director of the Division of Primary Care in the Department of Medicine at NYU, was kind enough to write me. I am honored that someone with his credentials actually reads my reviews, and I am grateful that he took the time to offer his commentary. His quotes are in
red and italicized.

This is going to be a review that I hope doesn’t cross the dreaded TMI* threshold, but I hope that if it does you all will forgive me. I also figure that if it makes a difference for even a single Gadgeteer reader, then I will have done my good deed for the day.

Anyway!

Whatever you want to call them: spots, pimples, blemishes, acne or just plain old zits – facial outbreaks suck. Getting an acne breakout can be a traumatic occasion, whether the person is 16 or 46. They never come at a convenient time, they can wreak havoc on a person’s self esteem, they are ugly and they hurt.

For some reason, I never really had an acne problem when I was a teenager; but now my 39 year old face seems to be making up for lost time. Don’t get me wrong, as a teen I would get the occasional “whitehead” or “blackheads” – but I never got the kinds of zits that hurt, the kind that could leave scars if they were disturbed. Unfortunately much of my post-pregnancy adult life has been plagued by the occasional occurrence of these really painful cyst-like bumps that will sit below my skin’s surface. According to Dr. Lipkin, “all the family of zits sit below the skin’s surface – the key to these is that they are below the skin {epidermis} itself, hence they don’t come to a head.”

I am sure that it is partly hormonal, and I sure do hate it. Dr. Lipkin thinks this “might correlate with [my] menstrual cycle, which alters the quality of the oil in [my] skin. Equally likely is that [I] have acquired a resident pathogen (bacterium) that is more invasive than normal skin flora—in which case, eradicating it and replacing it with normal skin bacteria is a better approach.”

When these bumps start forming, there is an ache before the “bump from hell appears. I had originally called the bump a “pimple”, but Dr. Lipkin says this is “not a pimple since it is not in the skin or an associated gland that crosses the skin“.
After a day or so, I’ll get this red welt that doesn’t ever become a whitehead or anything so simple. Instead, the bump will become an ugly red mini-mountain that may stay in place for over a week, and no matter how hard I try to resist – it’s useless. I will eventually end up in the bathroom…looking in the mirror and doing what every dermatologist and aesthetician will tell you to never do. Dr. Lipkin states that “this is when action is most helpful since it is possible to use various methods to
abort the infection and avoid the dry squeeze phase which as you say can lead to damage, or worse as it likely will seed the bloodstream and could thereby infect damaged heart valves in susceptible people.“

Well, it’s like this evil genie is sitting on my shoulder telling me that if I can just squeeze the spot hard enough – my wish will come true and the bump will go away!

But it never works that way.

Instead the result is a scabby mess that sits on my face for a week or more, and then a dark mark will appear where I damaged the skin by squeezing. Those marks can last for over a month – mocking me for my impatience every time I look in the mirror. Since I seem to get one of these bumps every other month, I may have a dark spot on my face that is finally going away right about the time a new eruption is ready to occur.

Having this type of acne when you are a teen-ager can be damaging for your psyche and self-image. Having this type of acne when you are a grown woman can be just as bad, but in a different way. I don’t know how many times I have thought “I am too old for this sh*t!” But evidently, I am not.

Years ago I saw a dermatologist for the problem. Since these bumps only appear sporadically and there are usually no more than one or two at a time, I was never a candidate for any kind of serious drug therapy. Dr. Lipkin says “targeted brief therapy might be needed—topicals won’t reach most of these.”  Instead, I was prescribed a topical antibiotic ointment that was applied from the bottle by pressing a built in pad over the affected area – and sometimes it did seem to help. But after reading multiple articles about how overuse of antibiotics is building up all sorts of modern viruses’ resistance, I stopped using the ointment and have since suffered through the vicious cycle in silence. It looks like I might have been a bit hasty, however, as Dr. Lipkin explains, “a. this is bacterial not viral—there are not effective anti-virals x against herpes b. such brief therapy done right will not contribute as much to bacterial resistance development as being a mobile reservoir spreading your virulent bugs throughout Texas.”

Well, I should say I have suffered in relative silence. Julie has also been going through the same vicious acne cycle in her adult years, so suffering painful breakouts has become yet another thing that we have in common and we tend to compare notes…

“I have a third eye on my forehead,” I’ll say.

“Well, I have a mountain on my chin,” she’ll reply.

And then we’ll both sigh in disgust at the unfairness of it all.

Have we passed the TMI threshold yet? Bear with me just a little bit longer…

When I first heard about the Zeno Acne Treatment, a heat based zit zapper, I told Julie I wanted to try one. She laughed when I told her I was willing to write a review about using it, because like me she thinks that getting acne past a certain age is rather embarrassing. She asked if I was going to put pictures of myself with a zit in the review, and I replied, “uh, no! I’m a little to vain for that!”

But I was willing to write about a subject that some might find distasteful or “too personal” for two reasons. If it works, then we would both know for sure. If it didn’t work, then I could tell people not to waste their money.

Zeno agreed to send a review unit, but it had to be returned after a month. I said “thanks but no thanks.”

Returning something that was going to actually be used for personal grooming sounded nasty to me. I wasn’t necessarily declining out of some altruistic caring for the reviewer that might come after me…it was the thought that I might be using someone else’s review unit after they had used it for a month. Since the Zeno comes with a month long return period anyway, I knew that if and when I was ready to lay down the clams, I could basically try out a brand new unit for free.

So two months ago I got another deep and painful zit on my chin, and that’s when I finally broke down and ordered the Zeno. They are available all over the net and are the same price from every authorized source; I ordered mine from the DermaDoctor site because they also sell this 65 SPF total sun block that I like to use and was running low on. Dr. Lipkin says that “the scientific data suggest that any SPF over 30 does not confer added protection only cost and gloppiness.” So next time I can save my $23!

My Zeno arrived too late to help with what is now my latest dark mark, but it was here when I got yet another painful zit on my forehead, near my hairline. Dr. Lipkin said that, “this favors the virulent bug idea as the hair is the major reservoir for cystogenic bacteria.”

This is when I should mention that according to page three of the user guide included with the device, the Zeno does not do a thing for blackheads, whiteheads or other “near the surface” blemishes. Dr. Lipkin adds, “I imagine it would work for some bugs in skin infections.” It isn’t recommended for severely inflamed red pustules with “several deep nodular lesions (solid mass of skin like a knot, can be raised or felt under the skin.)” Nor is it recommended for people that have “many nodular cystic lesions with scarring.” Zeno is recommended for people like me, that occasionally get an inflamed red bump or the occasional pustule (“visible accumulation of pus in skin”). If you aren’t sure if the Zeno will work for you, you should ask your doctor or dermatologist. Evidently quite a few dermatologists even sell them from their offices, which I guess counts as an endorsement of sorts. Dr. Lipkin agrees, saying this is “definitely an endorsement, definitely not evidence of value!”

Assuming that you are a candidate…

Included in the Zeno’s box is the zapper itself, a wall charging cable, a user guide and a quick start guide. The Zeno is composed mainly of clear plastic covering silver plastic. There are areas of trim that feel like they are made of a lighter metal – possibly
aluminum. The unit measures approximately 4.5″ long x 1.5″ wide x 0.5″ thick and it weighs 3.1 ounces. The device is compact, solidly built, and it will fit in any dopp kit or makeup bag.

The front of the Zeno has five indicator lights; the smaller four indicate life left in the replaceable treatment tip and the larger single button indicates battery life. The removable and replaceable treatment tip lasts for a total of 90 two-and-a-half minute treatments. Since each pimple may take two to three treatments, the life of the tip will vary according to how many pimples the user gets in a given time period. I also ordered a replacement tip (for $35) when I placed my original order, because I like to be prepared. ;0)

Before the first use, the Zeno must be charged for at least 6 hours. While charging, the battery life indicator light will blink blue, and once fully charged it will glow solid blue. The Zeno’s nickel metal hydride battery should be kept fully charged in between uses. Low batteries are indicated when the battery life indicator flashes blue after the unit is powered on. If there is
not enough juice to compete a treatment, the Zeno will shut down before the treatment has begun.

Under the Zeno’s cover is the removable treatment tip, as well as the power button and the treatment activation button. Pressing the Power button (on the left) causes the lights to come on, a three toned alert to sound, and the treatment activation button to glow orange. After about a minute the device will have warmed up and the treatment activation button will blink green as a two toned alert sounds. Pressing the treatment activation again will make the button glow solid green; now the Zeno is ready for use.

The smooth plastic tip of the Zeno, which should be cleaned with either warm soapy water or alcohol (but never submerged in water) between uses, will be slightly warm to the touch and it should be directly placed on the inflamed spot – placed, not mashed! There is no need to grind the tip into your skin, it won’t make the device work any better or faster, in fact it will probably hinder the healing and cause a light burn.

The Zeno is held against the red bump for a total of two-and-a-half minutes, and when the treatment cycle is complete, tones will sound and the treatment activation button will again glow orange. Up to three treatments may be done in a single session on different pimples, but you should never double up treatments on a single blemish. Why? Because it is a waste of money (tips are $35, remember?) and it may result in burns or other injury. The most treatments any single pimple should get are three spread over a 24 hour period. There is no need to overdo it, the treatment will either work…or it won’t.

How does the Zeno work? According to their website, “With Tyrell’s ClearPoint™ acne heat treatment technology, P. acnes is destroyed by a process called heat shock response. Heat shock response is a reaction bacteria have to heat whereby they transcript a number of their genes and activate heat-shock proteins. These heat-shock proteins participate in the bacteria’s death by causing the bacteria to self-destruct.” Dr. Lipkin adds, “and/or become more vulnerable to host, immune attack.”

The website continues, “P. acnes self-destructs in the acne lesion preventing infection and allowing the skin to return to a healthy state. Fortunately, the level of heat required is not sufficient to cause damage to the skin.”

You can watch a demo on how the Zeno works here.

My experience with the Zeno has been pretty good so far. As I mentioned, I had a angry red bump manifest after receiving the Zeno. The minute I realized I was getting a painful zit, I did the first treatment. I could feel heat from the applicator tip, but it did not feel like it was overly hot or like I was being burned. Instead it was a concentrated warmth more than anything. Dr. Lipkin asks, “Why not accomplish the same thing with a warm washcloth?” Which is actually something that I have experimented with in the past – hoping that the heat would cause the bump to either go away or come to a head so that I could obsess even more over whether or not to disturb it. In my experience, even the hottest washcloth placed on a bump never really did anything noticeable – other than make my face wet. The heat felt from the Zeno seems much more focused and intense.

Immediately after removing the Zeno I noticed that the bump felt a bit numb, and it didn’t really hurt any more. Dr. Lipkin explains this by saying, “this is because the smallest nerve fibers that carry pain sensation, γ fibers, are easily anesthetized with heat, which leads to a simple treatment for local pain and/or itch—heat the water in your sink until you can put in a finger but have to take it out immediately, soak a washcloth, and place over the lesion as long as you can tolerate it—usually no time. Presto, pain goes.”

That sensation lasted for a couple of hours, and I purposely waited about eight hours before doing a second treatment. At this time the bump was noticeably smaller, although it was still red. Dr. Lipkin says, “it may be that the mechanism also simply includes increased blood flow to the lesion, with heightened immune attack.”

Not long after the second treatment, I went to bed. When I woke up the next morning, the bump was now just a red spot. The next day it was gone – with no indication that it had ever been there. GONE!!!!!!!!

Sarah, my 16 year old daughter, also occasionally gets the same type of painful red bumps; she has been able to successfully treat two of them since I got the Zeno. You know how teens are, she just takes it for granted that it works – zits here today, gone in a couple days. I asked her if she felt like the Zeno had really helped and she replied “I don’t know.” <insert eye roll here>

Before anyone gets the idea that the Zeno might replace the regular care and cleansing of their face, let me put that daydream to rest right now. You’ll still have to maintain your regular facial cleaning routine – whatever it may be. Zeno does not prevent whiteheads or blackheads, and it will not treat them when you get them. Dr. Lipkin says this is so because “they are oily plugs not infectious bodies.” Zeno is solely for those deep, painful red acne bumps that rarely if ever come to a “head”.

It is for the type of zit that when you have broken all the rules and squeezed, nothing comes out but a bit of clear pus.

I hope you didn’t just eat lunch. ;0)

Look, I realize that I have only been able to test it on one zit, but the Zeno’s fast result on what would have undoubtedly become a month’s long blemish sold me. The bump is gone and there is no discoloration left in its place. I had no ugly scab, and there is no sign that a zit was ever there. However, I still have the blemish on my chin from the pimple I tortured before receiving the Zeno! I have joked with Steve that ever since I got the Zeno I must have psyched out my skin because it is actually behaving itself – for now! When it tries to act up again, and I know that it will, I’ll be ready.

Read the Zeno FAQ here.

Once again, I would like to thank Dr. Mack Lipkin for his comments. I truly appreciate that he took the time to add his expert opinion to my ramblings. :0)

*TMI = Too Much Information!!