Proactiv--does it work?

[minkydog]

Not for me,silly for my DD13. I never had acne, fortunately, but bless her heart, DD does. Her forehead & upper back are filled with small bumps. she doesn't have blackheads or deep,cystic acne. She says it doens't bother her, but it has to! It looks pretty awful.

I have taken her to the dermatologist and she is using Benzaclin and Differin daily. She wears a minimum of makeup, mostly eyeshadow and lip gloss. No foundation. She doesn't have a cleansing routine, other than soap & water. I think she may be scrubbing too much, because her face often looks red and dry, with millions of rough inflamed bumps on her forehead. .

So I thought, maybe something like Proactiv would help? She loves to use stuff like that. Her skin appears to be sensitive, so i'm leary of using a lot of OTC products. Most of them don't seem to help much. i hate to spend a lot if it's mostly just water. Waddya think

 

[mking624]

My 16 year old brother has really bad acne. My parents bought Proactiv and they've been diligent about using it...my mom told me last week that it has worked wonders on him. They live 6 hours away from me and I won't see them unntil next month so I can't tell you the results of what it actually looks like. But my brother used to be really embarrassed about his face and she said that he's been feeling a ton better about himself...it's made that much of a difference.

 

[bambii]

I used it and fell in love with it.. the best product ever, I need to order more.. and im 35...

 

[WldWcnWmn]

I am 36, I never really had bad acne as a teen but ever since my children, wow have I gotten even with childhood acne! I bought a 5 piece kit for $65.00 And I have to say as much as I want to return it and get my $$$ back, it's working! You get a 60 day money back return, so I would get it and try it. We have a company selling it in our local mall at one of those kiosk thingies. So, even though I got talked into the two extra products you normally don't see on TV, I didn't pay shipping or have to wait. I would get the basic 3 piece system and try it. It is really working for me.

 

[TheDisneyTraveler06]

Some of my DD's friends have tried it. I'ver heard only good stories.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Works pretty good. Just FYI, it will bleach your towels and linens so be careful.

 

[minkydog]

Thanks for the replies. I see this stuff on TV, but I didn't know anyone who had used it. I knew I could count on my DIS friends

 

[Skatermom23]

Works pretty good. Just FYI, it will bleach your towels and linens so be careful.

Just make sure your skin is dry before you touch the linens and you will be fine. I have burgendy color towels and sheets and I have never had a bleaching problem!

 

[Skatermom23]

I have been using this for 12 years or more. I swear by it. My two teens are now using it as well. The stuff works.

 

[Blondy876]

I've been using it for about 4 weeks (I'm 31 ). I need to order more but wasn't sure if I wanted to until my dh looked at me the other night after I washed my makeup off and said "Wow, you skin looks so pretty." He's right too, it's smooth and soft and blemish free. I'll be ordering more.

 

[MouseJunkie]

It didn't work at all for me. I broke out even more and it really dried my skin out. I've been using Neutrogena Advanced Solutions and so far it seems to work really well. Although, things tend to work for me for a while and then I start breaking out again. Nothing seems to work consistently for me over a long period of time.

 

[dejavu]

DD 19 uses it and it has worked for her. We bought the travel size first before we invested in the larger size just to make sure. Her skin looks great.

 

[agnes!]

I've been using it for about 4 weeks (I'm 31 ). I need to order more but wasn't sure if I wanted to until my dh looked at me the other night after I washed my makeup off and said "Wow, you skin looks so pretty." He's right too, it's smooth and soft and blemish free. I'll be ordering more.

Awwwww, he sounds like a keeper .

agnes!

 

[goodeats]

I've never tried Proactiv, but I would recommend Pupose by Johnson and Johnson. It sounds like your daughter has sensitive skin, and the cleanser by them is great. Also it sounds like she needs a moisturizer, and the one they have with SPF is great. I also use a toner by Clinique (number 1) after washing every night.

I've heard that Proactiv can be harsh.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Just make sure your skin is dry before you touch the linens and you will be fine. I have burgendy color towels and sheets and I have never had a bleaching problem!

Hmm, interesting. I used it one evening about 7 p.m. Went to bed at 9 and woke up the next morning to a ruined pillowcase.

 

[rer1972]

I used it when I was in highschool (don't ask when that was ), and It worked really well. I'd agree with the other posters and try it.

 

[eddad]

We have a friend in the U.K. who swears by it for her teen daughter,so much so that we purchase it here and send it to her.

 

[puffkin]

I have seen the commercials on TV and often wondered about it and if it really worked and what it cost.

I SWEAR I just saw it in WalMart last weekend and it was about $20. I remember commenting to my husband about that is the stuff Jessica Simpson advertises. I don't know exactly what was in the kit and if it was the same as the stuff from TV, but they had a big display set up. Just wanted to throw that out there in case someone is interested.

 

[WldWcnWmn]

OOOHHHHH I just LOVE your avatar.... David ah! David

"Blue Jean...I just met a girl named Blue Jean..."

 

[SueM in MN]

Hmm, interesting. I used it one evening about 7 p.m. Went to bed at 9 and woke up the next morning to a ruined pillowcase.

My DD had the same problem with it when she used it. She ruined quite few towels, at least one pillowcase and some shirts, even though her skin was dry and it was (in some cases) several hours since she had washed her face.

I see you got a lot of good recommendations about it, but I have a very bad outcome to report. My oldest DD had a few broken out areas, nothing really bad and wanted to try Proactiv because of the great results they show in their commercials. She had pretty good (not wonderful, just pretty good) results using it for more than 6 months - to a year. Then her face started getting red and blotchy and she called the help line. They told her to be more rigourous about cleaning and to make sure she used all the products every time she washed her face so that her skin would get 'balanced'. So, she did and her skin got much worse over the next few days so she stopped using it and has never used it again. By that time, her skin was raw in places and very dry (even bleeding in some spots). She is now very sensitive to Benzoyl Peroxide and her skin (which was a little sensitive before is very sensitive now.
She said she would not recommend Proactiv to her worst enemy.

Here are some reviews of Proactiv:
Acne. org with almost 2000 reviews. I just skimmed thru the first few pages, but there were people who reported the same things my DD had happen (as well as some people who liked it very much). The overall rating was 2.9 out of 5.