Proactiv Solution for acne?
 

That Proactiv acne solution thing, it seems a little shady. It's all infomercials, testimonials and celebrity endorsements. Does this stuff work? I've heard a lot of people react badly and get reddened skin, worse acne and scarring.

It was my mom's idea, and I used it for a year in undergrad (when I was 19), but it didn't do jack for me. It didn't make things worse (no red skin, scarring, etc), but it didn't help, either. I'm just one data point for you, but you asked. :) I switched to a very basic Neutrogena daily face wash, and my acne cleared up pretty quickly as a result.

Take a washcloth and soak it with water as hot as you can handle and let it set on the problem area for a minute or so. Once that's done, wash with something that has benzoyl peroxide. It'll take a week or two before you notice any results, but if you keep this up at least once a day you should begin to notice a difference after that week or two. Stay away from the shit that seems shady.

my aunt and two of my friends , one male and one female all had very bad reactions to the Proactive, and one other friend had the same result as Abaya- nothing. My sister had really good luck with Neutrogena products. I never had an issue with acne outside a very small time as a teenager, and even then it wasnt bad so I cant say from personal experience, but I'd stay the heck away from that Proactive stuff... i've heard too many horror stories about it.

From what I understand, with Proactiv you're paying a lot more for the active ingredients than you have to. The active ingredients you want are a cleanser that has salicyclic acid 2% and then sort of cleanser with Benzoyl peroxide 2% or 10%. (You can work your way up to 10% if needed)

Proactiv costs what, like $40? You can get a Neutrogena cleanser with salicyclic acid for $7 and and OXY cleanser with benzoyl peroxide for $6. You may need some lotion for drying, most of the name brands are fine and don't cost much. Of course I am not a doctor but this is what works for me.

I once had a horrible dream that Proactiv was a cult and using their products brainwashed you into endorsing their product. I was slapping bottles out of people's hands at the mall, trying to scream some sense into them when I woke up in a cold sweat. The TV was still on, with a Proactiv commercial blaring its celebrity endorsements.

I have never actually met anyone who used their products, and seeing what my subconscious made of it, I don't really trust their commercials much either.

My sister used it, and initially she saw results because my mom made sure she was following the regime. However the solution started bleaching all of our towels and getting them spotty.

My mom had her stop, she switched to a Clinique cleanser and was having the same luck, so for us it was neither better nor worse.


I can't use it - I'm allergic to Benzoyl Peroxide.

Only thing that worked for me was prescription Accutane. But I wouldn't recommend it - it really fucked with my mind and body for a while.

What works with Proactiv is the regime. All of the stuff in their products is sold for much less at your local grocery or discount store.

1) Don't wash your face more than 2x daily.
2) The best exfoliant for your money is a clean washcloth, but don't overexfoliate--you'll just irritate your skin and cause inflammation.
3) Use a gentle cleanser (such as Neutrogena's Fresh Foaming Cleanser) or, if you have oily skin, a cleanser with salicylic acid (like Neutrogena's Acne Face Wash--the orange stuff). Stay away from harsh and abrasive cleansers such as scrubs and those featuring menthol, which is a major irritant to sensitive skin.
4) Tone if necessary--I like Neutrogena's Pore Refining Toner because it has glycolic acid in it (an alpha-hydroxy acid, which serves as a chemical exfoliant), but if you're on a budget, a bottle of witch hazel will work just as well (witch hazel also acts as a chemical exfoliant, because it contains salicylates).
5) Moisturize. Any basic moisturizer will do, but if you have problems with acne, look for products with glycolic acid or salicylic acid (a beta-hydroxy acid and chemical exfoliant). Also make sure that your moisturizer is non-comedogenic (meaning it won't cause acne), and contains sunscreen, or else be prepared to apply sunscreen seperately.
6) Spot treat. As you get cysts, whiteheads, or blackheads, spot-treat them with a benzoyl peroxide cream of at least 5% strength. Anything less is not strong enough to work, and more than 5% can overdry and irritate your skin. Also, keep this away from your clothes--it will bleach them.

These steps and the information contained therein are largely derived from Paula Begoun's book, "Don't Go To the Cosmetics Counter Without Me".

I tried it. Didn't work for me.

What I have been on lately and have had some progress with is a yeast buster. It's a homeopathic medicine called Grapefruit seed oil. It also has oregano oil in it. It's intended to be taken as you do a diet that cleanses you of yeast and yeast build up in your system. I haven't been on the diet, but I have seen some results with the grapefruit seed oil.

Yeah, it's a bit of a threadjack. Sorry

I tried it. The stuff works as long as you use it. Good way for them to keep getting your money every month. Once you stop using it regularly, everything comes back within days. Don't buy it.

It worked decently well for me. Best results came from when I was actually able to use all the included products in conjunction (of course, I'm sure it's supposed to be that way). I use the repairing lotion and the mask it's got as spot treatment now. I agree with a few of the above posts that said you can do equally well with simple, less expensive treatment.

My grandmother got it for me for Christmas one year. I found that it worked for as long as I used it. Once puberty calmed down though, I don't have to worry except for the occasional zit.

Didn't work for me either :shakehead: . Don't waste your money....

I just started it about 4 days ago. I don't have acne, but I of course am overly sensitive to any pimples on my face.

It hasn't necessarily gotten rid of the pimples yet, but my skin looks so much better! My pores are a lot smaller and my skin is just overall, smoother. I like it and I want to stay with it.

I went to the dermatologist and they prescribed some really heavy acne treatment for me that obviously wasn't needed. I have really sensitive skin and my face turned bright red and I could barely move my mouth because it made my skin so tight.

I was afraid proactive would have the same affect on me, but it didn't.

I'm a doctor and my best friend's wife showed me her bottles of Proactiv to ask what I thought.

As far as I could tell it's mostly exfoliant, cleanser and benzoyl peroxide. I suspect you can do just as well with purchasing the items separately at the store.

good to know, Longbough. I have several friends who swear by it, but I've never been interested in trying it myself. From what I've seen of before and after they started using it, it doesn't provide enough of a benefit. I figured it had to be less hassle or something - looks like it's not.

It worked alright for me but the results weren't groundbreaking or anything. Regular store bought products worked just as good. I do know a lot of people who swore by Spectro Gel though, it seemed to give great results as a cleanser for me too when I used it.

I swear by it. I've tried every Salicylic acid and Benzoyl Peroxide regimen that every super market in my city offers. None of them have worked for me as well as Proactiv. So long as I'm consistent (three times a day for me), it works absolutely wonderfully. I'd recommend it to any friend I have who has the money to spend on it. I've even tried similar Benzoyl three-part treatments like Neutrogena's and they didn't work for me.

yes it does work. but search out a cheaper product offered at any supermarket or drug store. I can get the brand name (when I go home) that is about 1/3 the cost.

I've tried Proactiv as well as the knock-off "Acne Free." They both worked for me, but after about 3-4 months of usage with both, my skin began drying out to the point of my face looking like fire ash. I could peel entire chunks off of my face it dried it out so bad. I could put lotion on it, but who wants to lube up your FACE when the reason you have acne is because of oil? I tried going with the system anyway and using lotion but I just ended up with flakes floating around in lotion on my face.

The person who said the acne comes back as soon as you stop is 100% right too - we're talking days. As soon as I stopped using Acne Free (same ingredients as Proactiv) my acne returned to normal in literally 5 days. You have to keep using it or you're fucked.

If anyone can find a way to make it not dry out your face, they all would be excellent products...

It made things horrible for me. I never had horrible acne to begin with so that's probably why. But, it made my face dry and for some reason it would stink like the toner all day.

The only product from that line that I actually liked was the refining mask.

you're only supposed to spot use it. not as a cream or mask, but on the zit itself.

I haven't heard anyone have good luck with the product, other than a few here. Seems like a lot of money to pay for the marketing costs. I suspect you can do just as well with the basic ingredients like others have mentioned here and be consistent. If you are a dude and shave Nutrogena has a great shaving cream product for men with the salicyclic acid. I swear by it and use nothing else now unless I fly - in which case you can't carry the container in carry on luggage because it is 5 oz.

as promised. here is the (much cheaper, but same) product that we use in our family.

Panoxyl Aquagel:

Buy PanOxyl Antibacterial Acne Aquagel 5 from Canada at Well.ca - Free Shipping

In spite of what some people have posted in this thread, our family has been using this for over 5 yrs now, with great success. As are my in-laws who first recommended the Proactiv product.

I used it a bit when my acne was at it's worst. Never regularly though. Nowadays I'll only usually get pimples after shaving(sometimes), so sometimes when my skin feels not so good I'll just trim my facial hair with the trimmer part of an electric shaver.
If you find a good cleanser for your skin that properly regulates oil levels you'll most likely be fine. I would wash in the morning and at night, with a gentle exfoliation at night, and possibly oil free moisture after the exfoliation.

I tried it once in highschool. didn't work. Only thing that worked for me was prescription topical cream combined with an anti-biotic, I think it was minocycline.

I was prescribed Accutane and it WORKED. It was impressively effective for me.

Of course Accutane is a whole other monster.