Tanda Zap Review

Today, let's talk about acne. It's something a lot of girls (and guys) struggle with at some point in their lives, myself included. I decided to switch things up today because guess what? I broke out. And I broke out bad – the worst I have in the last two years. In retaliation, I immediately went and bought the Tanda Zap, recommended to me by a friend who also struggles with the occasional breakout.

But first, I'll tell you a little bit about my skin so that you know the conditions this machine was exposed to.

I struggle with sensitive, combination skin, prone to dehydration and acne. And when I say I'm prone to acne, I mean I'm really prone to acne. If you look at all my photos, I'm sure you can find a spot on nearly all of them! Unfortunately, I was not blessed with perfect skin (let alone good), and I work really hard to find products that work to address my fickle skin.

I find I tend to get oily in my t-zone, but I'll also be flaky all over (you can tell when my foundation is clinging to all those flaky spots). After a bit of research, I've found this to be a symptom of dehydrated skin – skin which doesn't have enough moisture on the inside of the dermis, and thus over produces oil trying to compensate. This is a disaster if you're acne prone. The dead skin (flakes) clings to the excess oil (that your skin is overproducing in an effort to get rid of said flakes) and clogs the pores, resulting in blackheads, whiteheads, and full blown zits.

While I normally only get a few pimples during that time of the month thanks to birth control and Retin A, I experienced the worst breakout I've ever had in the last two years this past month. All those feelings of embarrassment over my skin condition came flooding back, and I immediately went into a panic, attacking those red splotches with every single spot treatment I owned. Needless to say, I only ended up with extremely irritated and flaky skin (that was still shiny!).

After a few days of seeing no end in sight, I went out and bought the Tanda Zap, a handheld device that uses blue light to fight acne bacteria. The blue LED light kills the P. acnes bacteria to fight and prevent breakouts. Since it's only light, the treatment can be used on any skin type (including sensitive), without drying it out (meaning my skin won't be producing more oil to compensate). The device also warms up and vibrates to help allow the clogged sebum to drain out of your pores.

The Tanda Zap is small enough to fit in your pocket and runs on 3 AAA batteries. You're supposed to place the device lightly on the affected skin for two minutes (it will stop automatically) It should be noted that the light bulbs will only work for 1000 uses, and then you will need to replace your zit zapper.

I had about 10 small clusters of pimples that I used the Tanda Zap on. Some of these were full blown pimples and some were just emerging. I used the device twice a day on each area for three days and was able to see the results the next day. My full blown pimples had flattened, but were still inflamed, especially after washing my face. The pimples that hadn't emerged were beginning to come out, but were not as inflamed as they would be normally and looked smaller compared to the earlier pimples. They never came to a head - just rose a bit, and went away after two days of zapping. 

Along with the Tanda Zap, I used my usual salicylic acid toner and moisturizers, as well as Retin A 0.04 and clay mask as a spot treatment. I use the toner first, and then zap away. After I'm done with the Tanda Zap, I apply my moisturizers, and before I go to bed, a clay mask on the spots themselves.

 I think the Tanda Zap helped reduce the time it took to heal by about two days, as well as limiting the amount of pimples that became fully inflamed. However, I have had similar experiences with the same results using clay/sulfur masks, benzoyl peroxide, or the Mario Badescu drying lotion. For me, the main difference was that I didn't experience any excess dryness from the Tanda Zap, compared to using a mask, benzoyl peroxide, or the drying lotion.

I paid $49.00 at the Bay for it, but I don't think the price is worth it. The Tanda Zap doesn't work any faster for me than other spot treatments, and considering I will eventually need to replace it, may only be worthwhile if I only had one or two pimples every now and then. However, if I have a severe breakout consisting of 10-20 pimples and I zap at them two to three times a day as recommended, the device will only last for about 30-50 days. Most of the spot treatments I've tried cost less than $49.00 and last between one month to a year, even when I've had severe breakouts. For me, the Tanda Zap isn't worth the price per use, since I don't know when the next severe breakout will be.

Luckily, the breakout is healing nicely due to the Tanda Zap combined with a spot treatment. I have a few smaller pimples still coming up, but nothing my regular spot treatment won't fix in a jiff. The unfortunate part is that I'm now left with a face full of hyperpigmentation/dark spots that I'll need to treat.

Recommended for: - Sensitive Skin
- Dry skin
- Those who rarely breakout

Not recommended for: - Those who have larger, more severe breakouts
- Cystic acne (I've had better luck with sulfur)

Ever tried it before? Love it? Hate it? Leave a comment with your experiences, or if you just want to cry about acne with me.

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