I used "Acne Free" (generic ProActive). Now my face is all red and swollen!

[Mono~rail]

This is so embarrassing! I bought the Acne Free from Wal-Mart Friday, and I used it for the first time that night. I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. I used it again Saturday morning. The directions said to use it twice daily. Again, I felt nothing out of the ordinary.

Mid-morning yesterday, I took a box of stuff to donate to a thrift shop. I was only out in the sun for a few minutes (getting the twins into their stroller and walking into the store). When we came out, one of my friends was out in the parking lot and she stopped me so we could talk. My face started itching really bad! I told her I had to go. For the rest of the day, my face was itching, and I had the urge to claw it!

My face felt fine last night so I used the Acne Free again. This morning when I woke up my face is all red and swollen. There are these huge bags under my eyes.

I don't know if I'm allergic to it or if the brief sun exposure I had has caused this. I've never used anything like this before so I have no experience. Has anyone else experienced something like this with ProActive or Acne Free?

 

[Serena]

I don't think the sun would have done that, but I could be wrong of course. It sounds like either you used too much too soon, or that you might be allergic to it. I wouldn't use it again until your face is completely healed. And then start slowly. Use it once, see how your face reacts in the next 2 days, then try it again, wait a couple days again. If your face reacts to it, I wouldn't use it again.

 

[mtrak17]

Yes!! I have used Proactiv for years and love it. It works better than anything I ever got from the dermatologist. I saw "Acne-Free" at the grocery store and thought it would be great to save money. I used it for two days. By the second day, my face was actually swollen, was red and itchy, and my skin looked like I had a minor rash (tiny rash-like bumps) Just reading your post made me feel the itching again...Ugh!!

Once I stopped using it, it took a couple days for my skin to look "normal" again.

 

[figment52]

It sounds like an allergic reaction to one of the ingrediants. I would retrun it.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

If the itching/swelling doesn't go down by tomorrow, call a dermatologist. And don't use any more of the soap!!

 

[Mono~rail]

I feel like such an idiot!

I don't even care if I get my money back or not! I just want my face to go back to normal! The weird part is that my chin (the only part of my face that has acne) is cleared up. I tried this junk because I have cystic acne on my chin. I get these huge zits that look like boils.

I wasn't trying to save money by buying the Acne Free. I was being impatient because I just didn't want to wait for ProActive to come in the mail.

 

[Dream]

Don't feel bad about using the generic...my daughter had the same reaction to Pro-Active! It was horrible!!!

It is an allergic reation and most probably will not be any different using the Pro Active. We tried the "stop it for a few days and re-try it" idea....baaaaad idea!! The reaction that time was even worse.

My advice would be to see a dermatologist or an aesthetician (skin specialist found in many spa type beauty salons). They can both skin test you to verify the allergy....quick an dfairly inexpensive... and will avoid a replay of this nasty event for you.

Pro Active is a good product for some, but the active ingredient is VERY strong and fully capable of causing serious reactions like the one you had, and is the reason many dermatologists believe it should not be an over the counter type treatment.

Good luck. The redness takes a couple of days to go away. Until then and for quite some time after your skin will be VERY sensitive, so use only the most gentle of soaps on it.

 

[meloneyb21]

My best friend's face ended up the same way after using Pro-Active. It almost looked raw. I wouldn't use it again if I were you.

 

[LindaR]

Why don't you take a dose of Benadryl. It's used frequently for allergic reactions.

 

[Mono~rail]

Why don't you take a dose of Benadryl. It's used frequently for allergic reactions.

I took some last night. I don't want to take it during the day because it makes me sleepy, and I have alot I need to get done today.

My face is feeling a bit better. It still feels tight and swollen. The swelling underneath my right eye is so big that I can see it in the bottom field of my vision.

 

[famofsix]

Poor thing!sounds like an allergy. I can't use anything citrus. Mary Kay gives me that reaction but it happened right away so I only used a little bit (it was at one of those parties too) Stop using it and try cleaning with JJ purpose soap if you can handle it.

 

[Danny Walker]

YES!!!!!!!!!! the exact thing happened to me!!! I would discontinue use immediately!!! my face was all itchy, there were little red bumps all over it, and I looked like I had a really bad sunburn, not to mention that it hurt way bad!!!!!!!

 

[coinkc]

My daughter had a similar reaction to the "Acne Free". She put it on at night and the next morning woke up with her face red and painful. The worse part was that her eyes were swollen almost completely shut. It took 3 or 4 days before her face was back to normal and she hasn't used the product since.

 

[JillyBean1899]

Guys, this thread is over 7 years old, if you're expecting responses, you probably won't get them.

 

[Imzadi]

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