Zeno Acne Clearing Device: Me wanty!

Having spots as a teenager can be a bloody awful experience. You feel perfectly awkward as it is, thanks, without a face full of lumps and bumps and zits and funny oozy things whose name you're not sure of. And your school probably enforces a wildly strict no make-up policy, so there's no hope of concealing the blighters under a layer of Max Factor Panstick.

But then you hit your twenties, with all the high expectations that come with them. Very likely, you'll become a world-class actress or head up the globe's greatest supergroup, and sure then you'll have to divide your time between a penthouse in Manhattan and a disgustingly enormous gaff in L.A. (complete with infinity pool and private cinema, natch.) And all the while, you'll have fabulously healthy, glowing, blemish-free skin! Because that's supposed to be the trade off - suffer in your teens, enjoy gorgeous skin in your twenties and thirties.

If the Blather lately is anything to go by, this hasn't been the experience for loads of us, with hormones going wild and spots becoming, often literally, a pain in the face once again. I'm right there with you, with a chin full of painful mounds and a bathroom littered with all manner of clay masks and tea tree oil products, desperately trying to fight the urge to go on a squeezing rampage. So I was pretty excited when I came across this little Zeno gizmo (above left)! It's a wee handheld, rechargeable, portable device that's dermatologist recommended and clinically proven to zap zits - and does it quickly. Zeno emits precisely targeted low-level heat to do away with the bacteria that fester in spots, and typically takes between 12-24 hours to magic spots away.

At €154.50 from HQhair, this yoke's not cheap, but by God if it did what it said on the tin I'd have no regrets about splashing the cash! (Sorry Eddie.) There's also a newer battery-powered Zeno Mini (above right) widely available from independent pharmacies nationwide for €99, which is just as powerful but even more handbag friendly. For stockist information, go to www.myzeno.ie or call (045) 480 695.