Skin Care Review: Creme de la Mer

I have had rosacea for 10 years and have been on the search for something (anything!) to help my condition. I have a two-fold problem, because my skin is also extremely acne-prone. I had read rave after rave of the entire line of Creme de la Mer products in many magazines, so I decided to give it a try.

I anxiously purchased The Cleansing Lotion, The Tonic, The Face Serum and The Creme. I followed the instructions to the letter, as demonstrated by the salesperson. She promised that the redness in my cheeks would fade overnight and that it would "heal" my rosacea. Further, it would not ever cause breakouts.

I woke up to probably the worst breakout I've ever experienced in my life. And my cheeks were hot and red. I phoned the salesperson at the department store, and she said that she was surprised by the reaction, as I was the only person who had ever had this kind of problem, and suggested that I try just using the cleansing lotion and creme that night. I did what she asked, making sure to warm the cream in my hands and to press it on -- not rub it onto my skin -- as demonstrated. When I awoke the next morning, I could hardly believe my eyes. Big, red, cystic acne patches along my jaw and my cheeks were even redder than the morning before.

I hauled everything back to the store and demanded the refund that she promised I could have, if the products didn't work for me. She assured me that no one else had ever had such a problem and that the entire La Mer line is known for healing bad skin problems. I learned never to spend a fortune on my skin care products and not to trust the opinion of someone who is behind the counter to sell as much as product as possible.