Review: DRx and IDS

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and it's entirely twovainpots' personal opinion!

It's been approximately two months since our visit to IDS Skin Clinic and we feel that we are ready for a completely honest review and comparison. Our first post after the visit to IDS can be found here. A little history: we both have oily skin, but we breakout at different parts of our faces.

We are not promoting or discouraging the use of any products. We just want to share our honest reviews and experience that we have had with both the skincare products as they are said to be equivalent. 

None of the clinics have sponsored us. We were the ones who made the appt each time and we paid for all products ourselves.

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PEA:

I am comparing my skin condition based on the use of CF and Max-C from DRx VS PORE and C+ from IDS. They are said to be equivalent to each other, and they are supposed to work similarly, thus the comparison.

Upon getting my hands on the products, I religiously used Pore, C-Plus and the scrub twice daily. At that point of time, my period was nearing and it's not unusual for me to spot a few zits. I did not attribute any downside to the products. Truthfully, I love the scrub when I used it and i do still use it now. 

Two Weeks After

Max-C / C-Plus

My skin felt like it was getting oilier faster. I used DRx for three months before switching over so I could tell the difference that Max-C (DRx) and C-Plus (IDS) made. Max-C made my skin softer, and at the same time, kept oil at bay for longer period of time. With C+, i was oily after 4 hours but Max-C allows me to not blot at all for a good 10 hours. I did not want to entirely give up on the IDS products so quickly (plus I paid for it alr!) so I switched my routine to:

IDS Pore and C-Plus at night

IDS Pore and Max-C in the day. 

This made a significant improvement in oil control once again.

CF / PORE 

Pore (IDS) is the 'equivalent' of CF (DRx) [quoting Dr Tan] and both products target the softening of blackheads.

I hate washing my face and feeling the rough bumpy surface that blackhead makes so I personally go through the process of removing my blackheads manually (Pls don't do this if you don't know how and never done it before; to avoid harming your skin) 

With CF, I only had to go through the laborious process of blackheads removal once in a week. 

With Pore, I had to do it 2-3x in a week. 

I could feel the formation and appearance of blackheads. I assume that's because my face was getting oilier faster, which leads to blackheads appearing more often. 

I was also getting more breakouts when my period was nowhere near. (I'm sorry I don't have pics so you will have to take my word) 

During the time of the month, my breakout would be around the sides of my forehead but this time, the breakout was appearing every week and it was I would have a couple on my chin. And then my forehead and then my cheeks. 

The zits were more painful and felt like those acne/cystic kinds and tougher to heal. 

I have since made the switch back to DRx (CF and Max-C) after two months of trying out IDS products as I feel that my skin was not adapting to it. After an entire week of switching back to DrX, I can see visibly see that my skin is calming down and the breakouts and scarring are disappearing. For now, I will stick so DrX as it is allowing me to see visible results.

Many said that DRx products are stronger in terms of chemical-wise and it might not be beneficial in the long term. I am making the switch back because I HATE ZITS (who don't?) and it stresses me out to see my skin in a worse state after spending money on it. I personally did it after two months of observing my skin changes. Everyone's skin type is different and if something is working for you, you can always choose to stick with it.

I have tried two different brands that are said to be equivalent to one another and this is how I feel after using both for an extended period of time. (DrX=3mths ; IDS=2mths)

I don't have any pictures of my skin up close but here's one that I took today.

LEFT: 9am

RIGHT: 6pm

I DID NOT blot the whole day at all. It is amazing what max-c does for my skin.

My face routine currently: Avene Cleanser // Albion Skin Con (as toner) // CF // Max-C 

I use Thursday Plantation Tea Tree Oil on any pimples or to-be pimples to prevent further infection and kill bacterias! 

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FLO:

I am comparing my skin condition based on the use of CF and BF from DRx VS PORE and CLEAR from IDS. They are said to be equivalent to each other, and they are supposed to work similarly, thus the comparison.

*Warning! Gross pictures ahead!!!*

I started using DRx in Dec 2013 and was an immediate convert after seeing results within one week. I had super duper clogged pores near the end of last year and it was driving me insane and depressed. So I went to DRx to get some products. The consultant helped me pick some products as my skin was only clogged and there wasn't any cystic acne or pimples. She gave me the Comedone Formula (CF) + Blemish Formula (BF) combination and said that would help me reduce the amount of clogged pores on my forehead.

After a week of use, my clogged pores were more or less ready to be cleared and the dirt came out easily when I wash my face, or I just need to put very little effort to squeeze it out. Can you see how gross my forehead was. Seriously.

By the end of the month my forehead was more or less clear, just left with some redness and scars. I didn't experience any extreme dryness with the DRx products and my skin was still normal-oily. 

Throughout January, my forehead was still relatively clear and bumps were kept at a minimal. They were easily cleared away with some exfoliation (I use St.Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub), and squeezing with minimal strength. My skin is super duper soft, I lovedddd touching my face after I wash it!!!

The start of February, I noticed some clogged pores at the left corner of my forehead. It was bothering me like crazy!!! I switched from Bifesta make-up remover to the Biore Aqua Jelly make-up remover and I think it contributed to my clogged pores as that was the only change I made in my routine. I left it alone and really tried very hard not to try to squeeze them out. 

I really couldn't take the bumps anymore at this point of time and I squeezed them!!!! (BIG MISTAKE), it resulted in like a super huge cluster of angry, red and painful pimples. I wanted to die. Around that time, IDS Clinic opened and since my DRx products were almost crossing the halfway mark, Pea and I decided to check them out.

On the 3rd of March, we went down to IDS for consultation. And I was given PORE, CLEAR, and SPOT. Those three are used to tackle acne and blemish prone skin. I was super excited to start on my new regime and had high hopes that my skin will clear up even faster than when I started my regime with DRx.

The first time I put the IDS products on, I could tell a total difference in texture and smell from DRx products. They are not as smelly and they have a thicker consistency and was easier to control. Often I pumped way too much DRx products as it was super liquidy! I also switched back to Bifesta since I contributed my clogged pores to the Biore Aqua Jelly remover.

This is my routine as prescribed:

This was my skin 4 days after the consultation. I had make up on but you can see my huge pimples were still there. It was depressing, I couldn't even bear to take pics without make up! It took me about a week and a half to clear the area away. A few days later, my smaller bumps were also pretty much gone and I was fairly pleased with my IDS regime. 

After switching to IDS, Pea and I didn't notice any huge, or significant differences as compared to when we first started using DRx products. We contributed it to the fact that our skin was even worse before DRx, thus the difference was bigger then. Also, I read on forums that DRx products stopped working on people after 2-3 years and we both felt that IDS products are milder, so we believed that it will be better in the long run to maintain our skin.

Then my cheek acted up, I don't know if it was already inflamed beforehand (I only take note of the changes on my forehead as the rest of my face are usually clear of pimples/bumps), but these two pimples popped out of nowhere. Until now I'm still battling with the leftover scars >:(  

During this time, I also realised that PORE will create a kind of white foam when I spread it on my face. I never really noticed it earlier on but it has a very funny white lather that came out as I apply the product onto my face. I thought I didn't wash my face clean enough and went to wash my face again, making sure that it wasn't foamy or soapy. But PORE was still producing white lather when I tap it onto my face.

I religiously continued with my IDS routine as prescribed and I went back for another consultation on 31st March. My skin was extremely dry on the surface, I had troubles putting on foundation. Yet my oil production was at its maximum!! I can easily fill up two sheets of oil blotter throughout the afternoon. It was kinda scary. Dr Tan asked me to stop using CLEAR and prescribed me C+ and an Oil-Free Moisturiser. I didn't purchase them as I felt like my blemishes weren't cleared enough yet and I wanted to give the IDS products as long a time frame as I used my DRx products.

This was the dry patch between my brows then and note the red patch on my left (picture's right) forehead, that was the dry patch + scars left after clearing up the cluster of big pimples:

This was a week after, I started mixing DRx products back into my regime. I use IDS PORE in the morning and night, rotating DRx CF once every 2-3 nights. It was not so much on the amount of bumps/pimples but the overall texture of my skin. It was very rough and dull.

During this time, my nose area went crazy, my chin broke out as well. I blame that on the exam stress + hormonal changes cause it was the week before my period. But usually, even if it's PMS, I will still breakout on my forehead and very very rarely on the rest of my face.

I was super duper happy with my forehead around this time, I used a mixture of IDS PORE in the morning and DRx CF at night daily. I still have my dry patch but it looked almost perfect with a thin layer of coverage (Using the Biore Aqua BB here):

After that, I decided to switch fully back to DRx CF morning and night, as I felt that it really stabilizes my skin more!

This is my skin right now. No make up, no filter, fresh out of the shower! Texture is still not the perfect texture I want, scars are still pretty pigmented, but I'm thankful that there are currently very little to no bumps. I felt a little upcoming pimple and I covered it using a layer of tea tree oil and SPOT from IDS. Haha. Also, my nose and chin are no longer crazy although I'm left with scars as well :(

So overall, comparing IDS PORE and DRx CF, I really see a difference DRx products make on my skin. I think when my skin stabilizes for real, I might give IDS another try to maintain it. However, for now, I think DRx works better with keeping my bumps and pimples away.

Also, pictures can only show so much. The texture of my skin is completely different when I use DRx and IDS. With IDS, my skin is rougher and I feel blackheads surfacing on my nose, they are more difficult to be removed while I exfoliate. With DRx, my skin is smoother on the touch, I also don't have blackheads protruding out around my nose and they can be easily washed away when I wash my face!! Like I can literally feel the dry blackheads coming out of my skin as I wash my face.

My current routine is: Cleanser > either IDS Scrub/St.Ives Apricot Scrub > Simple Toner > DRx CF > Tea Tree Oil + IDS SPOT on pimples

This is only based on my own experience. I have no bad experiences with IDS Clinic, I had a great time during the consultation and everyone was extremely friendly and kind :) However, the products might be too mild for me and I prefer the results DRx products are giving me.

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So... We've come to the end of this superrrr long post! Anyone of you tried both DRx and IDS products? Which one work better for your skin? Do share your thoughts with us! :)

xx,

Flo & Pea