Proactiv skin care...what are your experiences?

[mum4jenn]

Does it really work? My Dd (12)needs some skin help and I thought about this. Please give me your reviews if you or someone in your family has used it and whether or not it works or what you use that is better.

 

[MerMom60_94]

My daughter just started the ProActiv program on Wednesday at the recommendation of her pediatrician. Already her skin is looking healthier and she says she can feel a difference. It's only been a few days. We were able to get a 30 day starter kit at our local mall. I have high hopes this will be a good skin care regimen for her. I am interested to read any responses on this thread from people who have longer term experience.

 

[Silent1CB]

DH tried ProActive. Mixed results. Didn't want to keep paying the price, so switched to the Walmart version. Can't remember the name. Same mixed results.

He had a tick bite this summer and went on Doxycycline pills to prevent Lyme disease and found it really helped his skin too, so the doctor kept him on it since its also used for acne. His skin is looking good.

 

[ORMom2Four]

DD17 started in middle school with the cheaper Wal-Mart version, and then we tried the starter kit of Proactiv. It worked better for her, but we found she mostly just used the cleanser. From then on, we only bought the cleanser. It's around $18. She washes her face once a day with it, and she has beautiful clear skin!

In November, she ran out of it, and within a week, she had a pimple--the first I have seen on her in YEARS!

 

[disneyismyname]

I've used both ProActive and the Wal-Mart brand--AcneFree. Both almost the same, with the exfoliating face wash, the toner, and the moisturizer.
They both have worked for me, but my acne is due to P.C.O.S. and is hard to get rid of that now I take meds to control it.
One thing I loved about ProActive is the mask that comes with the starter kit. Its great.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Does it really work? My Dd (12)needs some skin help and I thought about this. Please give me your reviews if you or someone in your family has used it and whether or not it works or what you use that is better.

My sister LOVED it....for about 3 mos, then everything basically went back to her old "normal" It was so upsetting......

She had already been the doctor route, meds, shots, peels, on and on....heartbreaking truly....she has had acne since early teens and we find its mostly hormonally driven....shes been a vegan and a great weight for years now...., nothing matters, it just is what it is.....as she has matured (she is now 35+) she still has breakouts but they have gotten better over the years...who knows...I wish you the very best of luck....like I said she was VERY successful initially, not sure why that happened but after researching, it is somewhat common...

 

[m&m's mom]

I asked my Dermatologist about my 13 yo DD's very light acne and she specifically wrote down for me to go to Target/ Wal Mart and buy an acne product with Salicylic acid and another one with Benzoyl peroxide.
The Dermo told me that is what she has her DD use and she said it was the same 2 products in the ProActiv system but a ton cheaper and more convenient to buy. It has worked very well for DD and it was less than $7.00 and it has lasted forever.
Another Dr said was the Benzoyl peroxide stained so she has DD using it in the shower only.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

My sister LOVED it....for about 3 mos, then everything basically went back to her old "normal" It was so upsetting......

She had already been the doctor route, meds, shots, peels, on and on....heartbreaking truly....she has had acne since early teens and we find its mostly hormonally driven....shes been a vegan and a great weight for years now...., nothing matters, it just is what it is.....as she has matured (she is now 35+) she still has breakouts but they have gotten better over the years...who knows...I wish you the very best of luck....like I said she was VERY successful initially, not sure why that happened but after researching, it is somewhat common...

i have the same problem. my skin was so clear until i was around 12 and then thru high school i broke out really bad. i still have acne and i'm 25. it's better now than it was, the worst comes the week before my period, but i still have it even during the rest of the month. i've tried EVERYTHING and it only ever dries out my skin and makes it peel. i just live with it, there's nothing i can really do anymore.

 

[Seewhatimesdone]

It never worked for me either. I have the exact same problem as the last poster! Wish there was something I could do

 

[chisnpeke]

It didn't really work too well for me. The lotion stuff they give you made my skin red and blotchy. I found that I am allergic to benzyl peroxide (sp?) by using that. Even if I use a spot treatment with that ingredient I get an itchy spot. It's not so bad that I don't use it though.

I have had acne since I was 12. I'm 21 now and mostly get it before and around my period.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

I HIGHLY suggest going to the dermatologist.

They'll be able to perscribe medicine that they think will specifically help.

 

[911amanda]

My daughter and I used it for a long time. My breakouts were still happening. I tried many different combinations. Now we are using a Retin-A Generic
Its awesome. All of my acne cleared up, and hers is much better. The mask they make is good.

 

[EdiePA]

My only warning -- it will ruin all of your towels. The benzoyl peroxide will bleach anywhere it hits a colored towel. The sulphur in it will stain any white/light colored towel. That being said, my son's girlfriend has used it and it works well.

Edie

 

[Art 1]

Does it really work? My Dd (12)needs some skin help and I thought about this. Please give me your reviews if you or someone in your family has used it and whether or not it works or what you use that is better.

It's all about genetics.

 

[dakcp2001]

My only warning -- it will ruin all of your towels. The benzoyl peroxide will bleach anywhere it hits a colored towel. The sulphur in it will stain any white/light colored towel. That being said, my son's girlfriend has used it and it works well.

Edie

I second this! My df used it with a lot of success, his skin looks great! But it stained towels, tshirts and pillowcases.

 

[Teacher03]

Proactive didn't work for my DD but Neutrogena Skin ID works wonders for her. You take a short survey to find what combination will work for you (questions such as "is your skin oily, where?" "how much stress do you have? " "Where do you live, what is the climate?") They will come up with a combo regimen based on the results. You have to order it online, it's a little more expensive, but it's definitely been worth it. I'm not sure of the address, but if you google it you can find it.

 

[formill]

Daughter was allergic to anything with benzol peroxide and we kept trying the stuff with salicylic acid instead- still had crappy awful skin(back/chest shoulders too)- she was in grade 8. We went to the doctors and in the end what worked- a special birth control pill called Diane and tetracyclene pills......AMAZING the difference. No drying peeling skin or anything. No side effects at all for her. Accutane was perhaps the next step for her but the pharmacist strongly advised using that as last resort only due to side effects of severe drying but more importantly the "mental "side effects- thoughts of suicide, depression etc.

 

[::Snow_White::]

I tried proactive and it didn't do anything for me. I've tried many brands and I still haven't found one that is great. I've been using a Murad acne kit for about 2 weeks right now, it says it takes around 4 weeks for it to start working and my mom has said that it's making my skin look a lot better and less red. It's probably worked the best so far, and I'm hoping it'll start working more around 4 weeks.

 

[SueM in MN]

It didn't really work too well for me. The lotion stuff they give you made my skin red and blotchy. I found that I am allergic to benzyl peroxide (sp?) by using that. Even if I use a spot treatment with that ingredient I get an itchy spot. It's not so bad that I don't use it though.

I have had acne since I was 12. I'm 21 now and mostly get it before and around my period.

My oldest DD had mild acne, mostly around her period when she started using ProActive. It worked well for about 3 months and if you had asked her then, she would have said it worked well, although it made her skin a bit dry.

After the first 3-5 months on it, her acne went from mild, occassional breakouts to almost constant breakouts. She was about 17 or 18 when she strarted using it, so it's not like she was just entering puberty and got worse because she got older. She called the ProActive help line and did exactly the process and products they told her to do. We asked if there were any milder ProActive products she could use since these seemed to be a big problem for her - we were told there wasn't.
Doing what they said to do, her skin got worse - very dry, itchy and red splotches WITH more acne than she had to start with.
Talking to her doctor, we figured out she had developed a severe allergic reaction to Benzoyl peroxide. Now, she can't even use a small amount of it without getting a bad reaction. Her doctor said she had seen the same thing in other patients.

She is still not back to as nice of skin as she had before using ProActive - and she's now 27! So her advice is to not start with it. Or, if you choose to use it, stop it right away if you notice ANY excess dryness or redness.
Because she was on an automatic refill program, we had to call to discontinue them sending it. We got a lot of grief from the phone person, even after explaining DD's doctor said she was allergic to the product. The 'phone advisor' tried to suggest different processes for using it and when we kept saying ww just wanted to cancel the program, she offerred a different product line for us to get on an auto purchase for that she said was for 'delicate skin' (funny that was not suggested before when we asked if they had any more gentle products).
We finally got the autopurchase discontinued, but it was a hassle. If you still decide to use ProActive, I would suggest not doing auto purchase.
DD told me to tell her story to anyone asking about using it and try to talk them out of it.

My only warning -- it will ruin all of your towels. The benzoyl peroxide will bleach anywhere it hits a colored towel. The sulphur in it will stain any white/light colored towel. That being said, my son's girlfriend has used it and it works well.

Edie

Yes, another one of the 'side effects'. We had things ruined too, no matter how well DD tried to rinse her skin.

 

[Tina]

I used Proactive for years. While it didn't give me 100% clear skin, it was better than NOT using it. However, I couldn't use it exactly as directed because it was just too strong for my skin. I would get itchy, red welts on my cheeks or my skin would peel. About 3 or 4 months ago I switched to Clinique's Acne Solutions. Wow!!! What a difference. My skin is 100% clear, with the exception of a few tiny breakouts just before my period. But with Clinique, those breakouts clear up very quickly. I love Clinique!!