Watching Rachael Ray

Today, it’s time for another human lab segment - this time tackling Acne Treatments, which Rachael was surprised to discover how many adults it affects.

Nicole was crushed when her 10 year old asked her why she had zits all over her face. Nicole tries Acne Care Frutels. Chocolates! That are loaded and supposed to clear the skin.

Lachanda wants to scream when she has an outbreak - she feels that’s what people focus on, she’s tried everything, even rubbing grapefruit on her skin. Lachandra tries the Zeno-mini Acne Clearing Device that claims to zap away the zips with low-level heat.

Carrie doesn’t let anyone see her without makeup and has spent thousands of dollars on peels and micro-derm and diets. Carrie tries the Clear Wave Light Therapy Skin Care System which claims to attack the bacteria with light.

Dr. Cheryl Karcher is on hand to chat about it too, and says it’s hormonal. They change when we get older, as well as stress. Hormones simulate oil, which clogs pores, and bacteria eats the oil and tada, pimple. The two things to do are unclog the pores and kill bacteria. Many products contain things to do both - salicylic acid unclogs the pores, and benzoyl peroxide kills bacteria.

After four weeks, Nicole says things got worse before it got better. She took a break, then started taking the Frutels again, and things have cleared up and she’s hopeful and expecting the best. Lachanda had issues - she could only hold it to her skin for half the amount of time. She’s stopped using on her face, but used it on her neck instead. It just didn’t work well, and it seems to make the pimples larger. Carrie’s skin got notacbly worse, but it might not be the products fault as she stopped the treatments she had done before. Her husband makes fun of her the entire time - but she is learning spanish by listening to lessons on her ipod during the treatments. She’s not seen real results yet, but it said it takes 6 weeks.

So we’re back in the studio at the 8 week mark. Nicole says that as crazy as it sounds - her skin cleared up, and she loved eating chocolate every day of the week. She ate 3-4 a day. the Doc says it’s chocolate with vitamins, and you can’t argue with the fact that she got better but it is possible that her stress decreased too, it might have been even a placebo effect. The biggest thing to do for your skin is to be healthy - it’ll show in your skin.

Lachanda said that she might have been too sensitive for the product, it was painful. She quit using the product. Doc says that it’s the latest trend - taking doctors remedies from the office into the home. There are other technologies that are the same thing, but you only need it for 2 seconds rather then 2 minutes. The science behind it is good science, and it is useful to kill the bacteria.

Carrie says it looked like she was going to a tanning booth, and she says that honestly it didn’t work. After 8 weeks, she didn’t see an improvement, and maybe it would have worked if she kept up with the micro-derm and derma peels at the same time it would have been better, but she was worried about it being too much. Doc says that it likely didn’t work because she stopped her entire regimen, and didn’t unclog the pores. It wouldn’t harm the skin in any way, and so Rach says maybe go back to the normal regimen and try the light then - go back to Spanish classes.

The bottom line is, get the products that unclog the pores and kills the bacteria - that will help keep you clear, along with being generally healthy.

After a quick stop in the prep kitchen, where Rachael shows you two alternatives to using pasta in your favorite lasagna, it’s time to learn how to turn old gold into cash! ONe way is to go to a Gold Party. It’s an opportunity to sell your dusty gold jewelry. You put it int the package, and they appraise it and send you a check. And if your friends do it too, you get a bonus. It’s for silver, gold, platinum, premium watches, etc.

A viewer says she had a Gold party by Red Swan.com - she started with her own, and got $1000 back. Once that happened, she decided to sell her “old boyfriend” jewelry and got double what she did the first time. She told people, and she got thank you checks, and it’s a surprise every time as she doesn’t know who send it in, she just gets referrals. Rach had three audience members turn some stuff in to be appraised. Sandra is offered $250 bucks, and Sandy takes it, no problem. Kimberly brought in a ring with a safire, and she gets $300 bucks, and Kimberly takes it as well. Now… Laurie brought in an engagement ring from a past relationship - and Red Swan offers her $3000 for it. Lori says she’ take it (duh!) and all three ladies leave cash in hand.

And if you get the check, and you decide you want your jewelry back, send the check back within 10 days, and you get it back, no questions asked.

Next up, Rachael had challenged people to grow their own gardens and show them off, and Apollonia took that challenge and supersized it! She’s known as the Zucchini Lady for growing a 6-foot tall Succhini! She says she didn’t do anything special, just grew it right there in Brooklyn, New York. “I never thought my succhini would become world famous!” Poor Rach - she’s giggling so bad she can’t really talk for a bit. It didn’t even fit in the trunk of the car - but they made it! They can’t eat it anymore, because it’s getting hard (there goes Rachael again! As well as half the audience!) so they’re going to use the seeds for next year. Rachael made her a personalize Zucchini recipe book from the show.

Share your garden photos in the garden gallery.

Which all leads into dinner - Zucchini-sagna.