Proactive users?

[deonk1]

[quote=TatumsMom;3831552]

Originally Posted by deonk1

If you have the way deep under the skin zits, then I think that's what Accutane is geared more towards. You said you saw a dermatologist? Did they mention Accutane? Accutane isn't something to be taken lightly.... you have to get bloodwork done every month to test your liver enzyme levels or something like that. I think it was only maybe a 9 month program or something. You have to be very careful to not get pregnant during that time because it does cause birth defects. But after taking that, I've never had the cyst type again.

One thing about Proactive vs. Neutrogena Skin ID is that the Proactive seems to be a lot harsher on the skin.... usually makes it way worse before it gets better. My daughter had none of that using the skin ID. And like I said, the lady on the phone was very helpful and we talked a long time while getting the correct formula pinned down. That's the key though, there are so many formula combinations because not everyone's problems and skin types are the same. Proactive seems to be all or nothing (but then it's been a long time since I've researched Proactive). Oh, and I believe the skin ID has a good return policy too if I remember correctly. Proactive does have places where you can buy individual products instead of ordering them (I've seen kiosks at the mall) but with skin ID you have to order the individual products. Good luck with whichever road you take.

Thanks, no the dermatologist did not mention Accutane. He didn't mention anything. Honestly he really annoyed me, he didn't listen to what I had to say, I was trying to tell him that my shampoo was bothering me (I used to use head and shoulders and pantene) and he told me I needed something with Zinc in it and to use head and shoulders. When I tried to argue he just shuffled me out the door. Luckily my hair stylist was more knowledgable and found me a hair product that solved that issue. Now I just have the break out issue.

I hope the Proactive isn't too harsh, but if it is I'll just send it back.

[Cooper2010]

Accutane CAN be a very dangerous drug. My nephew took it for a short while and became extremely depressed, almost suicidal. The Dr. took him off of it immediately when that happened. I would use that as a last resort.

[Mee-sha]

see u live in ns,me too,i don't have that bad of skin but i get bad breakouts before that time of the month really really bad, i've had these bad breakouts since i was 14, i almost have ocd about getting perfectly clear skin..i want it, lol...i hate pimples they make me feel sooo ugly,so i started trying to get this cleared up since i was a teen..dermatoologists put me on tons of perscription face cleansers that would only clear me up temporarily soon as i stopped it would come right back, tryed low dose of accutane 3 times(no problems with it,very happy,normal on it,can really help those who have bad skin), same deal though pimples come back as soon as i stopped. Problem is my body produces too much sebum, causing oily skin and breakouts, only thing that stops the sebum production is accutane, can't be on accutane the rest of my life so i've had to find ways to manage it.Cetaphil is amazing, you can buy it at walmart...when i'm breaking out more i use cetaphil oily skin cleanser..when i'm breaking out less i use cetaphil gentle skin cleanser. I tryed proactive a few times, problem is i over used it i;d be breaking out and scrubbing at my face trying to get it cleared up, problem is when you use these harsher cleansers, what your doing is stripping your skin of all oils, which leads your body to produce even more oil than before therefore breaking you out more so if you over use proactive,u will end up breaking out more, i do like the benzoyl peroxide in the proactive though for bad breakouts sometimes. if you have oily skin, skip the moisturiser, your body produces enough moisture for your skin, you don't need it(good thing about having oily skin, is you will have less wrinkles than people with dry skin. my routine to now keep my skin clear is DONT overwash your face( its kinda like people with oily hair who wash it too much, in the end it'll make the problem worse!) never pick, i exfoliate every 2 weeks or so(i use bioelements quick refiner)..wash any and all your makeup off when sleeping, do not use any soap on your skin(the stuff that holds bars of soap together causes you to break out, only use cetaphil on your face instead of soap)..drink lots of water and eat healthy.. do not tan tanning will look liek its fixing it but in the end its just blocking your pores even more...wash your pillow cases often...hmmm theres prob more..anyways this has made my bad skin awsome, although i still have some scars, i rarley get piples anymore so hopefully you will find a routine that works for you, everyone has different skin and unfortuantley there is no quick fix, its usually a combination of things, can;t wait til one day they find a permanent cure to bad skin

[Carmeow]

Just tried proactiv, like ten minutes ago. I looked in the mirror and my face is BRIGHT. RED. Like a BAD sunburn. And clearly only in the spots where I put the cream. So around my eyes is normal and I have a bright red mask on. I am terrified and extremely upset. yes, I'm 20 years old and my skin is actually pretty nice. Sensitive skin type, but I never really had acne, just black heads. Never pimples. Currently I'm having unbalanced hormones because of taking emergency contraceptive, so I broke out with two huge, deep painful blemishes, so I immediately got proactiv and now my face is burning in pain beyond the norm and is bright red and getting swollen. I think I'm having an allergic reaction....

[deonk1]

Originally Posted by Carmeow

Just tried proactiv, like ten minutes ago. I looked in the mirror and my face is BRIGHT. RED. Like a BAD sunburn. And clearly only in the spots where I put the cream. So around my eyes is normal and I have a bright red mask on. I am terrified and extremely upset. yes, I'm 20 years old and my skin is actually pretty nice. Sensitive skin type, but I never really had acne, just black heads. Never pimples. Currently I'm having unbalanced hormones because of taking emergency contraceptive, so I broke out with two huge, deep painful blemishes, so I immediately got proactiv and now my face is burning in pain beyond the norm and is bright red and getting swollen. I think I'm having an allergic reaction....

Oh no! that is my biggest fear... I'm trying to think what would be the best approach to deal with that. If it's a rash you may want to take some benedryl or something to offset any allergic reaction. If it's just a skin reaction, laying a cool wet cloth on your face may sooth it

Keep me posted how you make out with it, I hope your face clears soon...

[deonk1]

Originally Posted by Cooper2010

Accutane CAN be a very dangerous drug. My nephew took it for a short while and became extremely depressed, almost suicidal. The Dr. took him off of it immediately when that happened. I would use that as a last resort.

that's good to know, I do have some anxiety issues and definitely would not want to drag that back up now that I've got it all sorted out. I will keep this in mind. I really hope the proactive works. It still hasn't gotten here yet... oy the mail is slow.

[Carmeow]

Just please...test a small spot on your face before you go slathering it on like I did. :\ I'm crying right now. I know it'll go away, but I don't want to be seen like this at work..and my puppy comes in 2 days and I won't be able to be in any pictures...it's getting worse by the minute. I put some aloe on my face and I'm trying not to SCREAM, the pain is so bad.

[TatumsMom]

Originally Posted by Carmeow

Just please...test a small spot on your face before you go slathering it on like I did. : I'm crying right now. I know it'll go away, but I don't want to be seen like this at work..and my puppy comes in 2 days and I won't be able to be in any pictures...it's getting worse by the minute. I put some aloe on my face and I'm trying not to SCREAM, the pain is so bad.

Oh no, I'm so sorry. My face didn't react well to it either many years ago when I tried it. I would definitely take some Benadryl right away and then use the cool cloth method. Take the Benadryl as often as the directions say you can. Sorry to say you may have to make a rush visit to the dermatologist though. I had a bad reaction to a cream my dr. had given me a while back and another dermatologist had to give me a steroid cream to counteract the awful reaction. It worked really fast though so I think if Benadryl doesn't work fairly soon then you should try to get in to the dr. right away.

[Mee-sha]

Originally Posted by Carmeow

Just tried proactiv, like ten minutes ago. I looked in the mirror and my face is BRIGHT. RED. Like a BAD sunburn. And clearly only in the spots where I put the cream. So around my eyes is normal and I have a bright red mask on. I am terrified and extremely upset. yes, I'm 20 years old and my skin is actually pretty nice. Sensitive skin type, but I never really had acne, just black heads. Never pimples. Currently I'm having unbalanced hormones because of taking emergency contraceptive, so I broke out with two huge, deep painful blemishes, so I immediately got proactiv and now my face is burning in pain beyond the norm and is bright red and getting swollen. I think I'm having an allergic reaction....

i had an allergic reaction to the moisturiser in the proactive!!! my skin was swelled and sore and all red too!!i had to leave makeup off for a few days and wear aloe cream on it! luckily my job at the time was in a back room not around alot of people but i looked scary! hope it clears up soon!

[Carmeow]

TThankfully a cool cloth and some aloe helped. My face is still puffy a day later but the red has faded a lot. Once again, please spot test before you put a bunch on, ladies lol!

[TutBugaloo]

I helped a lot but it dried my skin out.

[Roxy 87]

I've been thinking about trying Proactive as well. I'm scared I'll have a reaction to it. But the only way I'll know is if I try it, spot check. That skin ID product is no longer available in Canada I just checked. Last year I tried a product and had the worst reaction ever, my entire face was I swear tomato red. I had to go to the ER to get checked over, it was so uncomfortable. I have to watch what I use on my face, which is why I'm a little shy to try proactive.

[deonk1]

Well just got mine, I put a bit near my ear on my cheek, we'll see, it's been 15 minutes and I'm not turning into a lobster yet, hopefully by morning the skin is fine, I'm going to do one more day on a tiny spot and if we're good try it on my whole face. Hopefully it works.

Man those bottles are tiny when you actually get it! I know they last a while but still...

[MsFamousHepburn]

I used Proactiv for YEARS; older formulations, the "extra strength" formulation, as well as the newest one. Over the past 2 years, my skin has progressively went from bad to horrible! No exaggeration... It was nothing for me to have 30+ pimples and cysts at a time...

As an aspiring makeup artist, this was more than just confidence shattering; it left me questioning if I could ever pursue my dream career. (Would you trust a makeup artist who had skin from hell? Didn't think so.)

Anyway, after trying everything from natural remedies, to diet changes, and finally back to Proactiv.... I found something that works! And, it's $5 at the local drugstore...

OXY! It contains a high percentage of Benzyol Peroxide (10%) which isn't the greatest for those concerned with anti-aging, but if you're dealing with chronic acne it's worth it. I honestly have 1 tiny blemish on my face now and my scarring is beginning to fade!

I recommend Oxy's facewash to anyone who is dealing with acne. It can be very drying, so keep a good, oil-free moisturizer handy. I do use Proactiv's Repairing Lotion every few days, as it is less harsh than Oxy.

Hoping you all find your "miracle" product! <3

[deonk1]

Well despite a working test spot for 2 days, when I used it last night on my entire face I turned into a lobster, and ít's itchy as hell. Oy.

Well I called the company cancled my account and they're refunding my money.

So this confirms I definitely cannot use Benzyol anything products... Cause my prescription cream I can no longer use also contains it, and that gives me the same burning and itching sensation on my face.

I guess I'm back to the drawing board, and calling 811 to soothe the itch.