Proactive - medication? How long does it take to work?

[disneydreamersx4]

I know everyone's skin is different but was wondering if it worked for your son or daughter and how long it took to see dramatic effects. My DD-13 has been using it for almost a month and it hasn't magically made her acne go away yet. Maybe it takes 2 months

 

[erincon23]

This worked very quickly for my DS, but in about 6 weeks,his skin seemed to become resistant and the acne came back as bad as it had been. That's been the experience of many people I know. I wouldn't bother with it.

 

[disneydreamersx4]

Thanks for your quick reply.

Guess it's off to the dermatologist.

 

[wdw4rfam]

I've used it on and off for 15 years. It seems to work for awhile, and then it quits working. Walmart has a similar product that seems to work the same and is cheaper- without the hassle of proactiv's drop- ship program, if you want to try something first. It wasn't the magic cure for me though.

 

[NYCDiane]

When my DD12 started getting acne last year, I was going to use Proactiv but I didn't like the idea of monthly shipments, etc. I went to WalMart and got her the WalMart brand (Equate) Blackhead Clearing SCRUB, Equate Astringent, and either Neutrogena or Acne Free "medicine" that you put on individual pimples to clear them up. It worked wonders. Now, she barely has any breakouts and her skin looks great. Of course, she'll get the occassional pimple or breakout but then she'll clean it extra good with the astringent and use the "medicine" on it and it goes away.

About Proactiv --- did you notice when it first came out a few years ago, it was $40+ ??? Now that there are many "generic" and other brands of Proactiv out there, the price has dropped to $19.99. I would think if it was that much of a "miracle", they couldn't be copied and they wouldn't drop their price.

 

[lovealatte]

I highly recommend going to a dermatologist instead. You'll get the opinion of a professional who knows what they're doing. I tried Proactiv for 6 months and it just made my skin worse.

 

[Skatermom23]

I've used Proactiv for 25 years and am a big fan! It also worked on my two teenages. You have to use it according to the instructions and cannot skip a step. Usually acne always gets worse before it gets better. It will take a good 30-60 days to see real results. As for the price, those $19.99 bottles are the smaller ones. The larger bottles still cost the same price as it was many years ago. I buy the sets from QVC and I get individual bottles from the kiosk in the mall. I know it isn't for everyone, but after years of going to the Dermatologist and trying everything under the sun, Proactiv worked for me.

 

[RangerPooh]

I used it for about 8 months (about 12 years ago) before I asked my parents to stop buying it for me. It did not work with my skin at all! My acne remained the same and didn't go away even the slightest bit. It was thoughtful that my parents bought it for me, but I went back to using OTC products that had about the same effect for much cheaper.

 

[sk!mom]

Another vote for going to the doctor. My DD14 uses a mild cleanser and then a prescription topical- Benzaclin or Differin. We tried a couple of different over the counter systems but the results weren't great and my DD only had mild breakouts. Her skin is now clear with the presriptions and it's actually cheaper. One tube lasts months and we only pay a copay.

 

[njsweetP]

Another vote for going to the doctor. My DD14 uses a mild cleanser and then a prescription topical- Benzaclin or Differin. We tried a couple of different over the counter systems but the results weren't great and my DD only had mild breakouts. Her skin is now clear with the presriptions and it's actually cheaper. One tube lasts months and we only pay a copay.

I agree, go to the Dr. DD15's skin was getting very bad, took her to the Dr. and after many follow ups was able to get her on the right Rx's to clear the acne. It is cheaper in the long run... What I do like is that she still goes for 3 month checkups and if the Rx's aren't working or there's a change in DD's skin, the Dr. can tweak her prescriptions.

 

[ceecee]

Didn't work for us either...went to the dermatologist, which some of it helped. Luckily DD has seemed to outgrow it.

 

[disneydreamersx4]

Another vote for going to the doctor. My DD14 uses a mild cleanser and then a prescription topical- Benzaclin or Differin. We tried a couple of different over the counter systems but the results weren't great and my DD only had mild breakouts. Her skin is now clear with the presriptions and it's actually cheaper. One tube lasts months and we only pay a copay.

Could you please share what mild cleanser you get for DD? Thank you!

 

[LilyWDW]

Do to the Dr. Not everyone's skin is the same and what works for one person may not work for another. It is possible that whatever is causing the issues for your child may not be something that can be fixed with Proavtive. The dermatologist will be able to get a better idea about what might help.

 

[windycitymom]

Here's why Proactive may not work - it only contains 2.5% of Benzoyle Peroxide. There are other over the counter medications with higher levels. I was going to refill an acne prescription for 5% benzoyle peroxide, but a pharmacist told me to save my money and try an OTC brand which contains higher levels of benzoyle peroxide. A pharmacist at CVS told me to buy Clean & Clear Persa-Gel which contains 10% Benzoyle Peroxide (the highest you can get w/o a prescription). Now, there is also a CVS brand with 10% BP as well. The CVS brand costs only $3.99.

 

[bumbershoot]

Like the previous poster just said, it's benzoyl peroxide.

That's what helped my skin as a teen, though not the OTC percentages. My mom had a dermatologist that was willing to prescribe a 20% solution of it. Wowie. Dried the skin right out for about a week after starting it, and then our skin (mom, brother, and me) responded beautifully to it.

But bp doesn't work for everyone, so it makes sense that Proactiv doesn't work for everyone, especially given the relatively tiny amount of bp that's in it.

 

[disneymarie]

Dietary is such a huge factor, things like soda, chips. greasy burgers, all that contribute, dd has the Walmart cleaner and stopped all soda drinking green tea and water...peaches and cream on her face. her back we need scrubs, and witch hazel.

 

[Belle0101]

Here's why Proactive may not work - it only contains 2.5% of Benzoyle Peroxide. There are other over the counter medications with higher levels. I was going to refill an acne prescription for 5% benzoyle peroxide, but a pharmacist told me to save my money and try an OTC brand which contains higher levels of benzoyle peroxide. A pharmacist at CVS told me to buy Clean & Clear Persa-Gel which contains 10% Benzoyle Peroxide (the highest you can get w/o a prescription). Now, there is also a CVS brand with 10% BP as well. The CVS brand costs only $3.99.

I use whatever generic brand I can find that has Benzoyle Peroxide as the active ingredient. Works wonders for my skin!!!

As an example of what may work for some but not for others, Salicylic Acid products have never worked on my skin. But I have friends that swear by it.

 

[asoko]

my brother tried it. I would put him in a category of moderate to severe acne (hereditary - my dad had severe acne and has acne scars). It didn't work for my brother at all. He actually went on an antibiotics that helped tremendously.

 

[MrsPete]

I have no experience with Proactive, but I'll throw out another vote for a trip to the dermatologist.

Just after I turned 40 I developed horrible acne -- as bad as when I was a teen, and it was bad then. I tried all sorts of over-the-counter things, and nothing worked. Some things made it worse. When I was a teen, anything with Benzoil Peroxide worked for me. Not now.

Finally I went to the dermatologist. It wasn't acne, so no surprise that all my efforts (and money) weren't helping. He prescribed two medications (one for the morning, one for the evening) and a line of inexpensive over-the-counter cleansers and moisturizers. IT WORKED and was significantly less expensive than some of the other things I'd tried.

My only regret is that I didn't go a year earlier.

 

[LilyWDW]

I use whatever generic brand I can find that has Benzoyle Peroxide as the active ingredient. Works wonders for my skin!!!

As an example of what may work for some but not for others, Salicylic Acid products have never worked on my skin. But I have friends that swear by it.

Yea, Salicylic Acid works for me, but doesn't work for my boyfriend.

It may take a couple of tries to find what works for a person.