Comments on: How Does Proactiv Work?

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Thu, 13 May 2010 11:47:32 +0000

I just started using it about 1 week ago. My acne is diminishing. My face is clearing up but it is very irritating (especially around the eyes)

I do not apply the cleanser/toner/repairer to the eye area though (you’re not supposed to), I use the eye serum that came with my Proactiv package.

I think I will give it maybe 1 month (and stop using the eye serum). Hopefully the irritation ceases.

By: kim

kim — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 18:20:41 +0000

Does proactive clear up blackheads.

By: deanna

deanna — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:51:41 +0000

That's how I started with my sis expired proactiv. It worked!!@Natasha

By: Natasha

Natasha — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:30:41 +0000

I stopped using Proactive a couple of years ago because I couldn’t afford it. I found some leftovers in my cupboard but the cleanser expired last year, is it still alright to use?

By: Jami

Jami — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:00:12 +0000

I used Proactive and that stuff is CRAP! It made my acne worse, not better, and bleached my clothing. Total waste of money. I used it every day for four months and it did NOTHING except make things worse.

I don’t even believe those stars actually use it. They, after all, can afford to have $1,000 facials every day if they want, not to mention the $400 prescriptions.

By: LinaRose

LinaRose — Tue, 19 May 2009 06:37:08 +0000

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By: misscris

misscris — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:40:53 +0000

I have been using Proactiv for almost 10 years. It helped with my acne, but never made it go away. However, in the last two years I slightly modified the system and have had great success. My skin is super smooth and acne free (except for the one zit I get around ‘that time of the month’). I quit using the facial scrub and toner. After running out of the facial scrub I bought Clean and Clear’s benzoyl peroxide face wash, while waiting for my next shipment. It has 10% benzoyl peroxide and no “scrubbies.” After about a week, my skin seemed to clear up. When I got my new shipment from proactiv, I went back to the regular facial scrub. After about 3 days, my skin started to break out again. So I went back to the Clean and Clear. Voila, clear skin again. I think quit using the toner. My skin quit being so oily and quit breaking out. I determined that the toner and scrub were over stressing my skin, causing it to produce more oil to compensate for what I was stripping away. Here is the routine I have been using for the past two years, and I have been acne free: Clean and Clear face wash. Proactiv lotion. Neutrogena Norweigan formula around my eyes. SPF lotion all over face. Right now I’m alternating b/c Aveeno Positively Radiant SPF 15 for when I’m at the office all day, and Garnier Anti-Sun Damage SPF 28 for the weekends. Then I use plain old lemon juice a few times a week just as I would the toner. The vitamin C really brightens my skin. I use a mask, biore pore strip, or exfoliator about once a week, but no more than that. I think the instinct as a teen is to scrub, and scrub your face to get rid of zits, and just as picking and popping will make it worse, overdoing it on the “cleaning” can do. Oh, and I drink a lot of water and green tea – that just makes you feel better all around!

By: Tammy

Tammy — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:18:07 +0000

Proactive is crap. Yes it can help with acne, but it also doesnt with others. A lot of people use it wrong, and it is too harsh for their skin. It can dry the skin out and overstrip it. If you stop using the products, your skin just goes back to the way it used to be. It doesnt solve the problem. Acne and most other skin conditions are a sign of an internal imbalance. There is inflammation inside, and that is what should be focused on.

By: Dory

Dory — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 01:43:28 +0000

Proactiv will help with inflammatory acne. It will not help with comedones. (blackheads and whiteheads.)
The wash has a “scrubbing” agent, which can irritate inflammatory acne, but its benzoyl peroxide will help with the inflammation and redness. Same with the leave on treatment.
The toner has glycolic acid. This is the closest thing that will help with comedones, but alas, not enough to clear them.
You can get a rx for a topical retinoid from your dermatologist and use it in conjunction with the Proactiv system.
THAT would give you the best possible chance at clear skin.

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:46:23 +0000

There’s a world of difference between acne proper and a few teenage spots, as you presumably know. I’m also not sure that 85% incidence rate is correct, although it is on Wikipedia and elsewhere. This rather terse (and possibly out of date) reference from U of Utah suggests totally different figures although restricts to mid to late teens

http://library.med.utah.edu/kw/derm/acne/03vu.htm