Proactiv (Page 2)

The problem with proactiv is that it is really harsh...That's kind of why it works. You will get an immediate benefit from using it b/c it dries up your acne, basically. But long term, it's not good for your skin. I would bet if you checked the ph of it, you'd be disappointed.

I personally wouldn't use it on a child (well, I wouldn't use it at all, but a child's skin will be even more delicate).

Just my two cents!

It depends on the person's body...All our bodies are different from each other. Sometimes chemo works on one person and sometimes it doesn't. I use to use proactiv and it didn't do anything to my skin. I ended up giving it away to an ex friend of mine and it worked on her. My skin is really stubborn and I break out so easily. Instead I am using clean&clear products and I been seeing a difference with that.
If you want to try the proactiv then give it a shot. If it doesn't work maybe give it to somebody who needs it and switch to something else. If you go the skin doctor they'll precribe medications to you. Good luck! :d

It depends on the person. I found result right away mostly with redness and swelling...To be completly acne free it takes time and you have to stick with it. I find if you even miss one day you end up breaking out. But if you keep at it everyday it works wonders

I used proactiv for a year. For the first couple of months, it cleared up all my acne. Then all of sudden, it seemed like I was breaking out more and more. Now, it seems like my acne is worse than before I went on proactiv. The same thing happened for a couple of my friends.

I've only used proactiv for about a week..And it made the acne on my forehead (which is the only place I usually get it) and most of that is gone.. But I have little pimples on my cheeks.. Only a few.. And they aren't even whiteheads.. But i've heard that proactiv has made people break out in new places. It's possible that i'm scrubbing my face too hard on my cheeks with the cleanser though.. Because I have sensitive cheeks and i've also heard that if you scrub your face too hard with a cleanser it can make really tiny scraps in your skin and let bacteria in and lead to a pimple. So I guess i'm going to be more gentle on my cheeks and see if they go away, which i'm sure they will. I mean, if proactiv works on my forehead, why wouldn't they work on my cheeks??

Well somebody just let me know if you've had the same problem with me..And tell me about it please!

And i'd also like to know special techniques.. Such as if you use a cotton ball, cotton pad, hands, when you use it, how much you use, etc.

And (last thing) did anybody else fall for the $20 commercial scam? I did. And they ended up giving me proactive for $20.. But in 2oz and 1oz tubes!!

I hate proactiv.

I got a chemical burn from it and now my cheeks are almost always red and it made my acne way worse.I used it for about 1 1/2 weeks and that was 3 years ago. My face is still screwed up. I have also developed acne on my back and chest after using it.

My friend had a similar reaction.

But, for both of us it worked for about a week or so, then it started to burn. Now my face breaks out pretty badly and his face( he used it for over a month I think) is really really bad.

so im gettin quite mad lately....ive had acne since i was in 7th grade and i just graduated from high school about 2 weeks ago. ive tried a lot of different things..at first it was just basic neutragina soups and facial washes then i went to something called natures cure..and now ive been doing proactiv for like 3 years. none of those worked except every once and a while id have somewhat clear skin but still noticable.

i wash my face every morning and every night...i may miss one wash every like 2 weeks but that shouldnt be enough to make my acne bad for another 5 weeks after the missed wash. so ive come to the conclusion that my face is either immune to proactiv or it doesnt work. it also dries up my face like crazy...whenever i need to leave the house i have to put moisturizer on to hide the flakes. my face is also red all the time...people always ask me if ive been in the sun lately...i have pretty pale skin so i look ridiculous with a red face and white skin.

so im tryin to get across the point that i dont think the acne will ever go away...does anyone have a story similar to mine where they were about to give up and tried something that actually works? i really dont want to have to go to the pharmacy and buy everything off the shelves to find something that works. i would sure appreciate any help becuase i want to know what it feels like to talk to someone without huge zits on my face to distract and gross them out.

First of all, I'd like to point out that proactiv isn't some 'miracle' solution that was specially researched and designed. It is just a fancy repackaging of some very simple things that you can get over the counter. If you all look on your proactiv bottles, you'll see that the primary ingredient is....benzoyl peroxide 2.5%. They also state all over their website that this is "prescription grade" medication that you can get over their ordering system/kiosk. That's an oxymoron in and of itself for two reasons. First of all, 'prescription grade' indicates that there is a level of danger or possibility of abuse in a certain drug, that's why you need a prescription to get it. How does their product utilize a supposed 'prescription grade' ingredient without requiring a prescription for it? Yes, there are some medications that require a prescription that utilize benzoyl peroxide, but that's a whole other topic in and of itself. Second of all, you can get benzoyl peroxide, the only active ingredient in proactiv, in concentrations from 1-10%....over the counter. Ladies and gentlemen, what you're buying when you buy proactiv is a facial moisturizer, benzoyl peroxide 2.5%, and a toner. All of which, you can get for UNDER $20 at your local Rx chain over the counter. What you're paying for through proactiv is fancy advertisement, fancy bottles, and a whole lot of caca. If you don't believe me, simply go to wikipedia and search 'benzoyl peroxide'. Still don't believe what you're reading? Go to your local Rx chain and ask the pharmacist and they'll tell you the exact same thing. You're essentially being ripped off. If companies could sell you back your caca, they would.
Another problem that people report is that they find that proactiv doesn't work after a certain period of time. This is because they don't utilize enough of the solution for it to be effective. You can't develop a resistance to benzoyl peroxide, but the efficacy of it is related to how much absorption takes place, and that is again related to how much solution that you use. Go to your local Rx chain, get a tube of benzoyl peroxide gel and trash that proactiv. If you need even further proof, go to www.acne.org and look at the forums. They sell huge 8oz. tubes of benzoyl peroxide for about $8.50. Those corporate no namers behind proactiv are laughing all the way to the bank.

Has anyone else tried to stop using benzoyl peroxide before? I'm almost 28 and I was recently told that I DON'T have oily skin anymore, and the only reason it still breaks out is that I'm overdrying it by using Proactiv...I've been using the extra strength version or some other form of BP (like Persagel) since high school over 10 yrs ago, and it's finally taking a toll on my face! so I tried to stop using it, and my face has broken out HORRIBLY with big painful acne and a bunch of annoying little zits all over too! I was told that my skin would react like this first before it would get better...but my question is...WHEN WILL IT GET BETTER?! It's been almost a month now and it just seems to get worse every day! HELP has anyone else gone through this???

My skin is oily and I have inhereted my skin type and acne condition genetically. I have been breaking out since the age of 18 years, mostly at the time when I am near my period .Eventually when I started working, the stresses of life sunk in and my acne condition grew from bad to worse. Earlier I had type 3 Acne and later on in my mid twenties it became type 2 Acne.
I lost my self confidence due to my severe acne condition. I have a good personality but the scarring and zits on my face sort of disguises the person I am and want to project to the world. I worked as a reporter and had to put up layers of foundation to cover my skin condition, when sometimes I looked at myself I felt unpretty and undesirable for most men. I would find excuses not to go to a social gathering, miss birthday parties, marriage functions as each time I got to meet someone they always commented on how and what I should use on my skin and that what had gone wrong with me. I am sick of being told by strangers in a bus or train to do something about my acne. Maybe people are being helpful but all I thought at that point of time was that I was being noticed because of my ugly face. Acne gives me grief and mood swings because it completely destroyed my confidence for me.
I started with topical and retinol based creams, Adaferin gel 0.1 percent and multi vitamins which helped for a while but never really cleared me completely. From over the counter salicylic acid based products to Neutrogena and clearisil, you name it and I have tried it. On doctors consultation tried chemical peels on my skin too which made it better for a while but again I broke out during my monthly period. Once I got so frustrated and my acne got worse that on consultation with another doctor I tried Accutane which made my skin worse,almost like my entire face was peeling off and swollen red and gave me mood swings. Almost made me miserable and unhappy. It is post that treatment which was ineffective and life threating too as such pills are not given to patiants with type 2 acne and especially women who are in the childbearing ages, I decided to completely say no to any oral medication for Acne and finally last year tried PROACTIV. To my surprise my Type 2 acne is now Type 1 scars almost gone and skin cleared up, I still get breakouts near my period but my acne is in control. I have better skin thanks to Proactiv and we in India get it cheap too its better than eating any pills going through millions of peels and still feeling unpretty. Proactiv is the way to go.. just when I thought nothing might work for me it did. I highly reccomend it to everyone who wants a clear skin

I just started using proactive solution last week , the first day the result was amasing my skin become soft and clear ;but after a week of using it my face become red and then some pimples started to break out again all over my face should i stope using it ?