ProActiv - yay or nay?

[ch33tah]

everyone's skin is different. not everything works for everybody. tha'ts the only false advertisment that those companies have...

i only use the repairing lotion on my spots. i dont rub it all over my face or it will dry out. just dab it on a spot and sleep. the next day, it's almost gone.

*shrug*

anytime i switch skin care, my skin will cycle through a break out while it gets used to the new chemicals in it. it's just the way it is.

 

[vivaciousv1114]

it worked for me! well the cleanser and the lotion do. the toner just dries me out, which is ironic b/c i have oily skin. but what works for one person may not work for someone else.

 

[spam_musubi_]

ugh i hate that crap. my skin went crazy when i used it. there was like flakes on top of pimples. dry skin and pimples everywhere. ickckvddf.

 

[Havenly]

When I tried this recently, probably around April, I was so excited because my skin got really, really clear after about two weeks. It's probably the clearest my skin has been in years. Then...my skin started peeling. It was peeling so bad that a couple people commented on it at work...it was really embarassing.

Needless to say, I stopped using it. I started using just Cetaphil once a day and Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. My skin stopped peeling, but it took probably about a month. I spoke with the company, and they told me to only use it once a day. But my skin was in sorry shape, even once a day would have done more damage I think. To be fair, I have very sensitive skin. But I have never reacted to Beznoyl Peroxide which is why I bought this stuff. I'm glad it's working for some people, but I just say to those thinking of trying it- proceed with caution.

 

[DaizyDeath]

i have really sensitive skin and i tryed proactive it worked at first but then after a while it stoped working i guess my skin got tollerant to it so i stopped using it for like a month then used it again and it worked a little it never really got rid of all my acne and it always left my skin dry and flakey no matter how much i mosturized and exfoliated!

so i just started trying MURAD and OMG after the first day my skin was sooo mosturized not dry at all! and all the redness in my super pale skin was gone and acne is almost non existant and this is only the second day!

im sooo happy and i only bought the mosturizing repair cream im going back to buy the kit once i get more money

 

[MACaddict08]

ProActive. yay or nay?

So I've pretty much tried everything a 16 year old can afford for acne. haha.And I hate having to be in high school and worry about my face looking all crappy. I've never had skin this bad, though. I used to actually get compliments on how great my skin was and get asked what kind of makeup I wear because my skin looks flawless and glowy. It's just gotten worse and worse. Right now I'm using Clearasil Ultra and Noxema Toner...and MACs Microfine Refinisher and Studio Moisture Fix. My skin will be super oily in the morning then super dry after i wash, etc. and apply my makeup. I love my studio fix fluid foundation too, but lately it's made my skin look so cakey. =( So my mom decided to order me proactive. I'm kind of anxious because I've heard many good things, but then I'm scared too. Will it make me dry out even more? How long does it take to see any difference? Should I use all three products everyday? Thanks for all your help you guys.

 

[fairytale22]

I had a ton of those little bumps all over my face with a bunch of whiteheads and blackheads too, like I didn't have cystic acne, but a lot of it. Benzoyl Peroxide(what's in Proactive) got rid of a lot of it but it stopped working after a while. What's been helping a ton lately is this Paula's Choice 2% BHA liquid twice a day and Avene Diacneal at night. It helped surface all my blackheads and whiteheads and 80% of my clogged pores are gone after 1 month. Plus it's getting even better every week. Also, it doesn't sting my face or make it very sensitive to the sun. Just make sure you use a gentle cleanser and moisturizer with it! Hope that helps!

 

[Iridescence]

definitely a yay!!! LOVE IT LOVE LOVE IT!!!!!

 

[NFTP]

i had great results with proactive. after many years of having horrible acne, that was sometimes painful, and made me self consience, i finally tried the proactive system. however, i found that using all three products together tended to dry out my skin. so much so, that my skin would peel. so i would just use the cleanser daily. i would use the toner when my skin was really oily, and when i would get the occassional breakout i would use the repair lotion. its worth a shot, because you never know the results you will get. also, i would like to add that i went to 2 dermatologists before i used proactive, and my acne didnt clear up while using the regimes they recommended to me.

 

[luvme4me]

Pro active didn't help me at all. What has helped now is I try and get facials at least once a month and I have discovered the Dermalogica line which is HEAVEN sent! It has improved my skin so much it is a bit pricy but well worth it

 

[Simply Elegant]

Even though you love the studio fix, I'd recommend something with less irritants. My skin got better just getting off of that.

I started using Clinique's bar soap and toner along with some differin for spot treatment and now I rarely ever get any acne. I'd suggest seeing your doctor because they'll be able to tell you what would work best with the type of acne you have.

Proactive does help but it'll make your skin very sensitive to the sun and possibly cause some red splotches.

 

[asnbrb]

Nay! NaynaynaynayNAAAAAAAAYYY!!!

Proactive burned the hell out of my skin. I had dry, peely patches everywhere on my face. I second what luvme4me said and get Dermalogica. I don't use it anymore (it is pricey), but it WORKED.

Right now, I use Lush's Coalface, which also seems to work wonders. Granted, I don't know if my lack of acne now is due to that or growing out of it (I'm 27) because my face used to be HORRIBLE with the amount of acne that was on it.

Also, it seems to me from what you're saying that your current cleansing choices might be too harsh for your skin. I was told by a dermatologist that when your skin gets dried out, it works in overtime to make up for it. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this right, but if you're super oily in the morning and wash with something too harsh, your skin will overreact and become even bigger of an oilfield.

 

[drea2447]

Proactive sucked for me. What did work was retin-A, which is a prescription cream, so maybe your insurance would cover it, if your dermatologist thinks it may work for you.

Andrea

 

[Glow]

Try Proactiv.
I have the three step system but I didn't have much acne to begin with. It's doing a good job of not getting breakouts.

 

[yumin1988]

I tried proactiv...but once I was off it, I began to break out again...
It also dries out my skin!!
I did say a 'nay'

 

[EmbalmerBabe]

I have been using it on and off for a while, I mainly just use the face wash frequently. The face wash does NOT remove makeup,so you have to use another cleanser first.
I did not notice any great dramatic results using the three step system diligently like they claim.
Sometimes it really dries my skin out and irritates it.
I am looking for something different...I heard the Arbonne acne set is good.,or the Unblemish line made by the same company as Proactiv.

 

[BinkysBaby]

NAY!!! DEFINATELY NAY!!!!!! I have had acne since I was twelve years old and I am twenty five now so I've tried a ton of things. Like the other girls, Proactive dried the crap out of my skin (which is normally super duper oily) and my face never felt clean. After using the face wash, my face still felt dirty. And then the astringent/toner left a filmy layer on my skin. I saw absolutely NO improvement in my skin whatsoever. The moisterizer was pretty balanced but the product didn't do what it said that it would. I have tried almost everything....Retin-A (burned like hell and there were very few results), Differin (good for sensitive skin but no results), and every over the counter acne treatment that you can think of.

I'm still battling my acne but I don't stress over it any longer. What is do now is exfoliate every day (yeah, I know that most ppl say that's too much but it makes my skin feel smoother and cleaner). I alternate between cleansers (right now I'm using Clinique mild) and prior to that Purity One Step Cleanser. I tone with witch hazel. During my morning wash, I use my primer (either MAC oil control lotion or Becca Primer). At night, I use cocoa butter after cleansing with the oil cleansing method (tea tree oil, olive oil, and castro oil---got that from a chick on Spectra....yah). I place a hot towel over my face after putting the oil on. I would not say that I have had dramatic results but I would say that my acne is semi-under control. Good luck!!

 

[BinkysBaby]

Ooohhh....and to top it off, I takes a million attempts to make them stop sending you replacements every two months. I ended up giving at least two sets away because they wouldn't stop sending them and billing me!!

 

[ballerino]

nay, its full of chemicals, itll kill ur skin, DEFINTATELY use sunscreen afterward if u are using it tho

 

[prinzessin784]

I love ProActiv! I've used it for almost 2 years now and it's worked great for me. The only complaint I have is the lotion makes my face feel dry and tight, so I supplement it with another oil free moisturizer to make it feel softer. It's really worked for clearing up my acne though! I used to have a gross, oily t-zone and my chin would break out all the time with really painful, huge pimples, but it cleared them up within a week! Now that my skin is clearer I don't use the ProActiv stuff every day twice a day. I also use LUSH's Fresh Pharmacy soap to balance it out. I hope that helps!