Alright I have some acne fighting company flashing commercials featuring Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera saying how this product, Proactiv cured their acne. Meh. Anyone tried this stuff? It’s pricey.
I think it works really, really well for some people.
It’s on the expensive end of the scale, so I think I would exhaust other options before shelling out the bucks.
Specifically, you might want to try the Vichy Normaderm line, or the Biotherm Acnopur line. I’ve had clients have good success with both, both are similar 3 step programs, and both are less expensive than Proactiv.
I have just started the Proactiv in the last two weeks. (My mom bought it for me and I’m sharing it with my daughter, so no worries about the cost.) My skin has been doing well for the last couple of months because I was taking tetracycline, so I can’t say I’m seeing a lot of difference, though I seem to be maintaining.
Anyway, I had made up my mind that a 2% benzoyl peroxide solution was the way for me to go next, and that’s what Proactiv has. I also have some other benzoyl peroxide washes around the house which I’ll be using and I still use a generic salicylic acid wash in the mornings which I quite like.
The commercials were always so impressive…I must admit I’m expecting a miracle!
Ok, I had the worst acne ever in high school. Terrible, terrible. Nothing worked…except ProActiv actually did work a little.
It’s expensive but I would say it’s worth it if your acne is serious.
My acne is not serious. Most products make it worse, actually. For whatever reason my skin heals extremely very quickly, so although I certainly develop enough acne for it to be serious in another life, it is not in this one. That said, it would be nice if I didn’t have to worry about it at all. 
My ex roommate used it in her 20’s and her skin cleared up remarkably, but she still has a few problems. Ardred’s sister used it and she had excellent results at 34 after fighting acne for over 20 years.
Interesting. They mentioned a 60 day risk-free (whatever that means) trial on TV if I called them. Perhaps I will give it a shot.
I’d recommend checking out acne.org before you buy anything expensive. The site has some valuable information and the guy who runs it is very knowledgeable. Also be sure to check out the message boards – there are myriad people sharing their experiences with myriad different treatments, including Proactiv.
Have you tried the traditional Differin/Retin-A route yet? I have minor adult acne + very very sensitive skin and both work fine on me. Retin-A did a number on my skin when I was in college and I stuck to Differin but these days it doesn’t slough off my whole face the way it used to. I’ve come to the conclusion that the Montreal winds exacerbated the effect back then. Now I’m 25, in a warmer climate. I have a bothersome outbreak about once a year at which point I have to go on a Tetracyclene round and then it’s back to good old Retin-A or Differin.
Adult acne sufferer. ProActiv did nothing for me. I Differin did nothing for me. Clindagel helped somewhat.
Finally took a round of Accutane, which did work. It’s not for everyone, though.
I haven’t tried ProActiv, b/c I didn’t want to send off for it.
What a bother if I had to return it.
I found this article by cosmetics watchdog Paula Begoun to be of help.
A 5-10% solution of Benzoil Peroxide (Johnson & Johnson Clean & Clear is the cheapest brand I’ve found; Neutrogena also has several BP creams) helped deflate occasional breakouts.
Antibiotics dried up my super-oily skin & made me acne-free, but I don’t want to take antibiotics long term.
A good friend of mine tried it after years of battling acne. It didn’t do anything, and just made her skin red and irritated.
I suggested just soap and water and she tried that in desperation and it has actually worked.
I’ve had zitty skin all my life and have dropped I don’t know how much on zit-fighting face washes over the years. My 13 year old son got smacked hard in the face with puberty, to the point he looked like a pizza and I was trying to figure out how to budget some money to get him to a dermatologist.
Then I read someone’s recommendation that we should try Cetaphil, or some other mild cleanser, instead of bombarding the skin with chemicals, which might make zits worse. So, I hied me to the store and picked up some Cetaphil.
Two days later I had an oozycrustyscaly patch on my chin. My son had similar patches on his cheeks and forehead, although not as bad, and we were both still spotty. Back to the store I went, and what to my wondering eyes did appear but something new from Pond’s: Cucumber Cold Cream.
“Oooh,” I thought. “Cucumber. I bet cucumber would feel really good on this oozycrustyscaly patch on my chin. Worth a try, anyway.” So I bought it.
Friends, allow me now to sing the praises of Pond’s Cucumber Cold Cream from the mountains and rooftops. For not only did the oozycrustyscalypatch depart from my chin, but it took the zits with it. For the first time in 15 years, I had nary a spot. My son, after initially sneering at my little tub of cold cream as being too “girly” for him to use, broke down and gave it a try after he saw how my face cleared up. And lo, this boy of the Pizza Face did slather on the magical ointment, and the pizza did depart from his face, and it did reveal in all its glory a pretty darn good-looking kid.
Pond’s Cucumber Cold Cream. I live in mortal fear that they may stop manufacturing it. I’ve probably spent hundreds of dollars on zit treatments over the years, and it turns out the only thing that works for me is a five dollar tub of cold cream. So, to get back to the OP (aha, you thought I’d forgotten, didn’t you?) I’ve come to the conclusion that price is no guarantee of effectiveness. I should have remembered KISS (as in Keep It Simple, Stupid, not the band KISS, although I bet they had to use lots of cold cream, too) and saved myself a bunch of money.
I tried Proactiv (got it off of ebay because I didn’t want to commit to regular shipments through the regular channels), and it worked OK, but there were no miracles. I did not end up looking like Vanessa Williams. 
What finally worked for me, as for PunditLisa, was Accutane, but like she said, it ain’t for everybody!
Nowadays I use Cetaphil for my face and body, and I love it (sorry to hear about your oozycrust™, Marlitharn)! I mix it with baking soda and make it into a nice exfoliant. Plus it doesn’t smell all perfumey, so I don’t have to worry that my husband-o-the-perfumey-stuff-aversion will run from me after I take a shower (unless I’m trying a new shampoo that turns out to be really fragrant)!
Good luck!
Oh, one other thing–
Hey Marlitharn, did you find the Cucumber Cold Cream (CCC) at all greasy or slimy feeling? When I had acne, I couldn’t stand the feel of anything oily on my face at all!
But I’m so tempted by your testimonial!
(Even though I don’t have acne anymore, winter is a-comin’, and I love trying new products to combat the dryness I get on my cheeks during the cold months . . . )
I tried proactive about 2 years ago. It actually made my skin much, much worse than it already was. Before proactive, I just had moderate to severe acne. After 2 weeks, it was red, painful, itchy, irritating and made me break out worse. I called their customer service line and was told to keep using and my skin should clear up in another week or two. I did and it just got progressively worse. In desperation I finally caved and went to a dermatologist. He prescribed differin and told me that the best facial cleanser on earth was good old fashioned soap (non-scented or dyed) and water. I use Dove moisturizing soap for sensitive skin, a SPF 15 moisturizer from Neutragena, and differin. I very rarely break out anymore and my skin is in the best shape it’s ever been. I’m sure it affects different people differently, but it’s the worst crap I’ve ever used in my life. They were really good about refunding my money in the end, but I had to go through another sales speil before they finally agreed to it. And that sums up my proactive experience.
I’m tempted by Marlitharn’s testimonial as well. But how does cold cream work? Do you just put it on like lotion? Do you wipe it off? Wash it off with water? Do you do it morning and night? I get dry skin in the winter too, and cold cream sounds like it would be nice and moisturizing…
I highly recommend Cetaphil cleanser as well. It’s very mild and somewhat moisturizing as well. It seems somewhat of an anomaly that people with oily skin need to have a moisturzing soap, but it really does make your skin soft.
Oh, and I also highly recommend Eucerin with alpha hydroxy as a nightly moisturizer.
auntie em, I don’t really notice any greasy feeling when I use it, or at least not near as much as their regular cold cream (which I’ve used, and which doesn’t work as well for me as the cucumber stuff). It feels really light on my skin, and the cucumber gives it a nice cool tingly feeling. I just smear it on and rinse it off with warm water, twice a day; sometimes, when I feel the need to exfoliate, I’ll scrub with a wet washcloth and then rinse. Aftewards I use a little Clean and Clear moisturizer; I don’t need to use much because the Ponds doesn’t dry out my skin like everything else in the world does.
I have very sensitive skin.
Conditioners can leave a blemish if my hair touches my skin. YAY!
Greasy fingers from children can leave a blemish. YAY!
Using fabric softener on my sheets (mainly my pillow case) will leave a blemish! YAY!
Once a month my hormones hate me. BOOOOO.
Not a horrid pizza face blemish, but one large Mt. St. Helene’s Zit that takes a month to get over.
After I had kids, my skin decided to hate the Dove Sensitive Skin soap that I found after years of trial and failure of hundreds of dollars other products.
It took alot of $ and frustration to find Aveeno Foaming Facial Wash for daily washings and Phisoderm Clear Confidence 4 Way Facial Wash.
The first is the best stuff I’ve found. I cannot recommend any higher. It does not dry out my skin and keeps in clear. If they ever discontinue this stuff, I am going to open a can of whoop-ass on Aveeno
The second is for those irritating flair ups. I only dot it on the blemish and let it sit for two minutes and wash off. Using it on my entire face dries out my entire face.
I also avoid any face products with mineral oil in the ingredients. It clogs pores.