Proactive users?
 

Anyone use proactive? I have super sensitive skin. I've been toying with trying it, based on the fact that it has a guarantee and I can get my money back, the site also says if I return it within 15 days they'll refund my shipping and handling.

Thoughts?

Acne Free, sensitive skin formula (blue box), local drugstore, check return policy, claims to work better and faster than proactive...it does IMHO. Try it I think you will like it. I am 45ish and use it, tried them all this to me is the best. First few days difficult, wonderful now! Good Luck!

Is it an entire system? Like the wash, moisturizer, etc? Also do you know if this is available in Canada? I'll have to go check it out.

My daughter used it and it didn't work so well for her. My middle daughter has hormonal acne and I took her to the dermatologist last month. She's using RX ointments and she's clearing up. Wasn't cheap though, the copays ran around $145.00 for dr visit and meds.

ProActive likes to but you on a plan that ships more than you need and bills your credit card. You have to call and cancel.

I have used Proactive in the past, and can't say enough good about it! As far as being sent more than you need, all you have to do is check out their website and/or call them. They will work with you.

Right now, my DH and I are using the Acne Free kit, and it seems to work very well! We are both now 50 and are still plagued with oily skin and outbreaks (menapause does not always do away with zits, lol!:eek:). I use wrinkle cream around my eyes, and zit preventer everywhere else!:D

It's been probably 5 years since my daughter tried it. Maybe their sign up plan is different now. It's certainly worth a try at the price they're offering. I phoned in the order and was automatically put on their auto refill plan.

I too suffered from adult acne so I can relate.

Good to hear there are equally good reviews.. I think I'm gonna buy acne free if i can find it at the drug store today... fingers crossed.

I highly recommend Neutrogena Skin ID skiniD Personalized Acne Treatment - Neutrogena skiniD - Neutrogena skiniD

My younger daughter used it and got back her beautiful skin in no time. It's much more specific than Proactive and has many different formulas. I remember when I went on their site to answer all the questions for her, it gave me one formula but then after talking to a representative she actually changed one of the numbers (I believe it was the cleanser) because she thought the one it told me was a little too harsh for her age. What she ended up with was 14,32,72. That will make more sense when you look at the site. She's been using it over two years and we've only had to buy the entire set maybe 3 times. Mostly we just have to get a cream cleanser in between buying all 3 items. It will set you up for automatic renewals but you can ask them to extend it quite a ways out. I just make a note on the calendar as to when it will automatic ship and will call them a few weeks before to extend it out another 6 months if I don't think we'll need the whole set. And she does not use the Skin ID moisturizer. She uses Purpose moisturizer (recommended by our dermatologist and much cheaper!).

You should google search for a coupon because there's usually a $10 one out there.

Oh, and this was suggested to me by another YT user who's daughter had great results. Now I can't remember who it was but we are very grateful!

The trick with any product like this is to wash your face and moisturize every day 2 times a day.
With specialty products like proactive you're paying for the face regimen rather than a product.
Someone said it best to me one time "You'd be better off burning a 20$ bill and rubbing it all over your face".

Wash your face often.

For me, I use Philosophy products. Purity and Microdelivery to wash my face and hope in a jar, when hope is not enough and sometimes I'll use the eye cream.

My face looks a ton better, cystic acne has gone down on my face more than anything (haven't seen a cyst in 2 years). I'm 38 but I'm told I look 28. My GF is 43 and people thing she is 30. She works for Philosophy (manufacturing) so I get the stuff for free, thankfully!

:( They didn't have Acne Free at the drug store... I guess I'm back to considering Proactive.

Thanks to everyone who's given advice... Just to give some background for those who have given specific advice. I've used spectro gel wash and moiturizer for years (2-3 times a day everyday). I also used to have a prescription face cream (solugel I think it's called) to apply when I had break-outs. I've recently changed some medication around and now I'm unprotected for acne (my old ones had some acne control)... so the regular stuff isn't cutting it anymore. I also break out it a HUGE rash when I use the prescription cream now, so I can't use it. My face is generally clear, but when I have a break out it's painful and usually huge! So seeing the doctors are useless I'm left trying to solve it on my own.

I went to see a dermatologist who was freaking useless and it took me 6 months to get in. I told him my shampoo was causing break-outs (which it was where ever my hair touched) and that I couldn't use the prescription anymore and he told me to use the same shampoo and just "keep doing what I'm doing" and rushed me out the door... URGH.

So anyways, I found a shampoo that works, now I just need to find a face wash that my poor face can tolerate. I'm going to request a new dermatologist appointment when I move in 6 months and hope they have better suggestions.

Thanks again for all the advice. Will likely call the two companies and see which is cheapest to order/ship and which has the best return policy.

[QUOTE=deonk1;3831492]:( They didn't have Acne Free at the drug store... I guess I'm back to considering Proactive.
QUOTE]

Did you see my answer about Neutrogena Skin ID? We swear by it! I've told quite a few moms of our girls' friends and they all come back to tell me that it worked wonders for them.

I personally had to resort to Accutane shortly after the girls were born because I started getting the cyst acne (never really had acne issues as a teen). Painful! I would get one on my chin and the whole shape of my face would get distorted. Accutane can be rough on your body but for me it was a godsend. After a course of that I no longer have the cyst zits. Now if I could just find a product that really makes those reddish spots from old acne go away like it promises.... but that's an idea for a new thread I guess.

...lol well who knew when you call the 1800 # from TV it shows up on the customer service person's screen that you get the TV offer... I called proactive the number I saw on TV, and she was like, "and I see here you called in from a promotion to have free shipping and blah blah..."

Gonna give it a try, I hope it works,

[quote=TatumsMom;3831505]I looked at the neutrogena, in the past I've had problems with their products and I think I'll probably give that a try if the proactive doesn't work. Based on the fact I got the free shipping and guarentee, it's only a small expense to me if it doesn't work.

I've also never seen a place where I can buy the full assortment of neutragena products, nor have anyone I can ask for help on picking the right one, maybe once I'm in Toronto I may have more options.

Also I wonder if thats the same type of zits I'm getting. Last one I had was the size of a quarter on my chin, and it HURT. I've been thinking of Accutane, a friend of mine used it, and it helped her a lot.

I was cursed with oily skin that caused skin problems in my teens and early 20s (now that I am in my early 40s, I see that my skin type is a blessing :)).

I tried every kind of medication and product available. In the end, I found the main problem was that I was trying too hard to dry out my skin. The drying and harsh chemicals made my skin problems worse. Dry skin clogs pores and harsh chemicals aggravate the skin.

I recommend trying a mild cleanser like Burt's Bees Apricot Scrub. Then use really good organic, cold-pressed olive oil or organic coconut oil (I use Nutiva from the Vitamin Shoppe) as a moisturizer or just on your spots. Both of these kill bacteria without being harsh or drying.

It's seems weird and yucky at first to add oil to your skin, rather than drying it out. Try it for at least a couple of weeks. I have converted my entire family. :)

Also, change your pillow cases daily and wash them in a mild soap.

[quote=deonk1;3831512]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.

[quote=TatumsMom;3831552]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.

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.

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:)

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...

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.

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.

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!

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!

I helped a lot but it dried my skin out.

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.

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...

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

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.