Anyone tried Proactiv acne treatment?

In My Humble Opinion
21

I tried the expensive ProActiv products also. They did not help me at all. At 47, I should, IMO, be done worrying about zits, but NOOOOO. A few times recently, I have had blemishes worse than when I was a teenager!

I have spent lots of money on lots of different products and some work better than others. Right now, I have been using philosophy™ products. They are pricey also, but after two weeks, I think my skin looks pretty good. I am also taking Olay Even Tone vitamins, so that could be contributing too.

I think I could singlehandedly solve any oil crisis by skimming the oil off my face. The philosophy™ line does seem to be helping a bit in that respect.

Unfortunately, ya just gotta try stuff for yourself before you know if it’ll work for you. But I’d certainly start cheap before I started out expensive (unless, of course, money is no object!).

22

Okay, my own acne horror story (complete with resolution): at 16, I was the envy of my friends, because while there sking was dotted with zits, my own was clear as a bell. Then, one night, at the unlikely age of 21, the aliens landed. I went to bed with clear skin, and got up with skin that totally must have belonged to someone else. My first line of defense was just to cover it with lots and lots of makeup. I’m guessing you can guess what that did for my condition! Also, I had bangs, with that oily hair hanging around my face every day, the situation just got worse and worse. Finally, I decided to try this regimen: keep my hair pulled back; no makeup; wash with Neutrogena soap three times a day; follow with extra-strength Clearasil. (This was over 20 years ago; there were not a lot of options at the time). Well, the Clearasil dried me out so bad the skin literally flaked off my face. But it cleared up the zits. I kept using Neutrogena soap until my skin stopped being oily, at about age 35. I still get the occasional zit (IMHO, it’s cosmically unfair that you can get zits and have gray hair :mad: ), but that break-out was indeed cured with that regimen.

23

Norinew, I was a “late bloomer” as well–I did have a zit or two in high school (which horrified me then, but when I look back at HS pics of myself, I wonder what in the hell I was complaining about), but not until my last couple of years in college did I get AlienFace! And it was BAD. Stayed bad until I did the Accutane (at age 29 or 30, can’t remember now). I now have pocked and pitted cheeks, but compared to how my skin looked 20 years ago, I can’t complain! Still, every once in awhile I consider a chemical peel . . .

24

I think about that, too. You can’t see my acne scars too clearly, except in very certain lighting situations, but between them and my wrinkles, I find myself wondering if those OTC chemical peels you can buy for about thirty bucks are any good.

25

I think the most important thing with any acne routine is to pick something basic and stick with it long enough for it to work. Consistency is really important and if you hop from product to product, you’ll never use any one thing long enough to see a difference. Most products will make your skin look worse for a week or so and then start to clear up your skin. That’s why Proactiv is so effective for many people, it’s a reasonable routine you use consistently.

I use Paula’s routine, mentioned above by singersargent. It’s a lot like the Proactiv regimin without being locked in.

First, a mild cleanser (like Cetaphil). If you’re used to harsh anti-acne scrubs, this cleaner will feel too mild at first. Stick with it, your skin will get used to it. You’re not supposed to have that tight as drum feeling after you wash. I wash with a soft scrubby thing (Buf-Puf) so I get a little exfoliating too. And make sure you wash your face at night too; it’s really easy to fall into bed with make-up and grease on your face.

Then apply an anti-bacterial like benzoyl peroxide or saylic acid. Benzoyl peroxide is stronger and you can get it in differnet strengths. OXy10 is 10% and is very strong. You can also get 2.5% and 5% solutions. Try to find one that doesn’t make your face flake. If you’re clearing up your skin, you may want to start with the 10% and when it clears up, try switching to a milder solution.

At night, use an exfoliant solution of alpha or beta hydrolic acids. They’re mild exfoliants that increase cell turn over and, most importantly, get rid of blackheads. I use Paula’s BHA 2% solution and it’s great; I don’t have any blackheads anymore.

Proactiv has basically the same stuff, just neatly packaged and delivered to your door for a fee. You can do fairly well getting the stuff together on your own and it’ll be cheaper too, just be consistent and give the products a chance to work…

26

That’s how the whole thing started with me! I mentioned to SkipMagic (whether or not we were married at that time, I can’t remember) and my mother that I’d gone to a couple of drugstores looking for that Vita-K stuff. My guess was that nothing over the counter could result in any sort of irrepairable (sp?) damage, and most likely wouldn’t make my skin flawless, either, BUT if it could give me some improvement, hurray!

I was unable to find it, and neither of them felt comfortable with me doing an “at home” chemical peel, so that’s when the Official, Professional Chemical Peel discussions started (keep in mind that my mother was so distraught over a couple of chicken pox scars on my face that she tried to get me one at age 13, but couldn’t find a doc who thought it was necessary–or smart–to do it, given my tender age). My mom even offered to pony up some of the dough.

I still hesitate, though, because any remotely medical procedure just gives me the heebie-jeebies.

OK, done hijacking the hell out of this thread . . .

27

I’ve tried Proactive. It didn’t help, but it didn’t hurt. It’s funny, but I find that if I use a mild, rinsable cleanser, alcohol-free toner, and a serious moisturizer, my skin looks and feels great. I have large pores and normal to oily skin, and I’d always thought that I needed to get rid of every trace of oil. Not so, sometimes when my skin is flaking and feels itchy, I “wash” with olive oil. I’ll splash my face with warm water, apply about a teaspoon of olive oil (grocery store) to my face and then rinse. My skin looks incredible when I do that.

I do have a crazy suggestion that you all might want to try. A couple of times a week, clip your hair back from your face, wash your makeup off and dry your face. Apply about a teaspoonful of Miracle whip to your face and neck in a thin layer and allow to dry. When dry, rub the dried top layer of your face. You’ll be rubbing off the dry Miracle Whip along with dead skin cells. Apply some moisturizer and go to bed. I think that the vinegar, sugar, and eggs in the Miracle Whip are fruit acids that do a great job of exfoliating the skin. Try this for about two weeks; I think you’ll be amazed at the condition of your skin. I learned about this at www.icompact.com. Hope this helps.

28

Miracle Whip is wonderful on dry, cracked heels and sorely neglected elbows, as well.

MW helped lift or fade a small hormonal patch on my face that only I see but feel like it is like Gorbachev’s port wine stain. I haven’t done it in awhile and need to do so again.

29

Just want to add to the recommendations about Cetaphil…I love the stuff. It’s the only facewash that doesn’t make me break out. I also use their moisturizer now-they make it with SPF 15. Also the only moisturizer that doesn’t make me break out.

Will add another enthusiastic recommendation for the Miracle Whip mask. I read about it on these boards and it’s amazing. Although, I notice that when I’m on Retin-A it doesn’t exfoliate as much as return a bit of glow to my skin.

30

I have adult acne, too, and was using Retin-A until a few months ago. Then I started using Aveeno Skin Brightening Cleanser, Toner and Moisturizer and my acne’s nearly gone. You can get Aveeno products for $6 at the drug store, I think, though the moisturizer’s slightly more expensive.

Regardless of what you use, be sure not to scrub your skin more than 2-3 times a day. If you do it more, you risk over-drying your skin, which will make your oil glands produce more oil faster to make up for what you’re losing, and you may aggravate your acne further.

31

I have had good results from the Biomedic line of expensive products. I also find that using a “chamois” (kind of a thin sponge shaped like a washcloth) rather than a regular washcloth is very helpful. The roughness of the washcloth seems to irritate my skin, compounding any problems. A chamois is only 3-4$, so it could be worth a try.

32

I’m not sure about Miracle Whip. I heard that it could cause major breakouts, so I haven’t tried it. Oxy-10 seems to be working okay for me, though.

33

I’m going to preface this post by saying I do work with Proactiv Solution daily in my work. I do know a lot about the products they offer.

In clinical trials, IIRC, about 80% of people with mild to moderate acne experienced a successful result with Proactiv if it was used correctly. Usage is really the key here. It’s a preventative product, so expect to use it as much as 6-8 weeks, twice a day, to see results. They do give you a 2 month supply, so you should have enough. Sometimes it does work faster.

One of the nice things about Guthy-Renker is that they do offer a 60-day money back guarantee - all you really risk is the shipping. You can send back even the empty bottles. Yes, we really do honor that and if you have any problems getting the refund when you send it back, just call the customer service number. Keep in mind it is a subscription service (though you do get a discount for getting the autoship) so, if you’re not feeling very good about the results at the 6-8 week point, call and postpone your next shipment or cancel it.

For people who have the redness or itching issue, that’s probably an allergy to Benzoyl Peroxide, and we do offer a kit without that now (it’s called the Gentle Formula) which you can switch to after the first kit. They also offer an extra strength formula too, which you can switch to after the first kit if you’re seeing only partial results.

Keep in mind, though, it’s preventative, not a cure. If you can’t swallow about $20 a month indefinitely, it’s not for you. Sometimes you can go down to using it once a day once you’re in control, though, and you can slow down your shipments too.

They also offer a lot of other products too - you get a catalog with your first order. IMHO the products are pretty good, and I’ve tried most of them. If you have questions, feel free to ask or e-mail me and I’d be happy to try to help you out. I’d recommend the mask that comes with it free - I like it, and I don’t use the 3 step system (no real acne - just a pimple once in awhile - and I like using the mask on the big swollen pimples overnight).