Does the Zeno Zapper work?

Beauty in Seattle on 1 Jun 2006 at 12:00am

People Magazine's beauty editor featured a summer skin care tip for getting rid of adult acne using a device called the Zeno Zapper.

According to Zeno's website, the battery operated device generates heat that stymies pimples from growing into full on acne. They state:

Zeno applies a precisely controlled heat dose directly to the pimple through a metal pad. One treatment lasts 2½ minutes. Two to three treatments spread over 24 hours clear up most pimples quickly.

The Zeno is spendy at $185 at Beauty.com and there are very few believable Zeno reviews to be found.

A comment on the essentialdayspa.com forum said:

"I have one and I also have a dermawand. It is not just a gimmick. But. The dermawand is cheaper, and works for additional things besides healing blemishes (I got it After I got my zeno). I rarely use my zeno anymore, but at the time, it was the most effective thing I had tried because I wasn't dealing with the irritation from drying products, just the blemish."

Another raved:

"I got a Zeno for Christmas and I love it! I feel like the blemish "melts" away after I use it. The only thing I don't like about it is the red mark that it leaves on my face for a couple hours after I use it. That isn't a problem, though, if I use it at night."

A comment from thebeautybrains.com:

"I had a lot of pimples and it did work on about half of them (and within a few days) so I was delighted as my pimples stay around from weeks to months at a time otherwise."

Comments (16)

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sparkydoll
3 years ago

I thought the first ZENO commercial was pretty stupid... Has anyone else tried a hot spoon in hot water? You have to be careful, but try it to see if the effects are good enough. It's free, after all;) I just tried it, I'm waiting to see the results in the morning!

KatQ (unregistered guest)
4 years ago

I bought the zeno last week after reading lots of blogs and reviews like this one. I decided to try it anyways because I noticed consistently that many of the less favorable internet comments about this product were very similarly worded. I have to say the zeno really DOES WORK like it says! I used it on a new patch of pimples and they were really truly gone the next day. I've tried other acne stuff, but never had this type of success rate before.

robbelliii
4 years ago

Agree with most of the negative comments above not worth it. Hard to tell if it is helping. I still get bad ones, don't even think about the Mini. Goes through 2 AAA very quickly (a few days?). I was willing to take a gamble, but not worth it.

Mackenzie
4 years ago

I'll tell you what works perfectly for me everytime. The itworkspaste zit pencil. Seriously I've tried proactive and the whole nine yards. This $15.00 pencil zaps the zit and covers it naturally so both boys and girls can use it. I don't go anywhere without it.

laura a
5 years ago

i used my zeno for about three months, i begged my mother to buy the expensive thing only to be really disappointed when it did not work! i ended up selling it on ebay. Really not worth the money...

female 32 (unregistered guest)
5 years ago

I used my Zeno for 1 yr, I guess I thought if I just keep using it, that it would start to work,,,, I felt like a fool because it never made a difference if I used it or not. If ANYthing, it prolonged the zit from finally coming to a head and getting the pus out of the pore in the first place. I do not recommend.

SW (unregistered guest)
5 years ago

I use my zeno very reglularly and I should just throw it in the trash!

Mary Rivera (unregistered guest)
5 years ago

I bought one for my son and he was liked it so much I bought another for my daughter. It works well on mild to medium acne. It isn't magic, but make the zit smaller and go away much faster. Not drying to the whole face like topical creams are.

Lisa2699
5 years ago

I got my sister a Zeno for Christmas the year before last. We both love it. I can say that it works best when you have one of those horrible underneath hurty type of pimples, but if you get a big one that pops out, it will zap that as well. Zeno is really not meant for people with bad acne, in my opinion. My sister has very sensitive skin, so she breaks out from everything and can't use creams, so this works for her. For me, I think the "time of the month" pimples and before a big meeting are easily handles with the Zeno.

RebeccaAnna
5 years ago

I tried it, and took it back...it didn't work at all. How about drinking lots of water instead? for me, water worked about as well as Zeno and is a lot cheaper.

taylor (unregistered guest)
5 years ago

i just got a ZENO and it worked very well. my acne wasnt very bad but noticable alot. i used it the first night and my morning it was a houndred times better. the only thing i dont lik is the red mark it leaves after u use it. it will go away in about an hour though

stacylynn
5 years ago

I would recommend ZENO to anyone who has mild to moderate acne. It works great on those inopportune times that zits can and will pop up (day before a big presentation) Before I purchased my Zeno I went to their website and it was a wealth of knowledge. I definitely knew what I was getting and my Zeno exceeded my expectations.

Teh big Z (unregistered guest)
5 years ago

i smell a rat

Jessie (unregistered guest)
6 years ago

Didn't work at all!! Don't waste your money!

Laura Q (unregistered guest)
7 years ago

Not for me. It did "treat" the acne, but get rid of it? Nah, came back and sprung up in the usual places. I wish I had spent the $$ on retin-A. Anyone want a partially used zit zapper?