<p>lol, a question i'm sure alot of you high school/college students must have had before... Does Proactiv actually work? Anyone with personal experience?</p>
<p>I think I used it or something similar and it did not help. The only thing that worked for my acne was Accutane.</p>
<p>I used a while back when I had a lot of acne, and let me tell you this: Complete waste of money. It reduces the inflammation of the acne and it might reduce swells, but in the long run it is ineffective and useless. Also, once you stop your face begins to break out because you need to be using it constantly. I’d stick with a scrub or a cream face wash, depending on your skin. Oh, and time. :)</p>
<p>I’ve been using a L’Oreal face scrub that comes with a little pad. Seems to be working great atm, I use a dry skin one and anti-acne one.</p>
<p>Get a violet ray machine. Ignore the “quackery” labels on ebay. This thing WORKS on your skin if you use it everyday. I use it. It’s great.</p>
<p>(I used Proactiv for a very long time. It never really worked at all)</p>
<p>I used Proactive when I was 13. It completely dried my skin out, making it red, inflamed, dry, and peeling. My skin was worse than ever.</p>
<p>The only thing I’ve found that really works is Erno Laszlo & the Clarisonic.</p>
<p>I tried it and it was WAY too strong for my skin. It burned my nose and the areas around it and caused crazy dryness. Then they sent me a free sensitive skin kit and it still burned, less so, but still.</p>
<p>Now I just use a Neutrogena face scrubs or St. Ives Apricot scrub. I switch it up every now and again especially when the weather changes.</p>
<p>I’m surprised so many people are saying proactiv didn’t work for them! I used proactive daily in high school and my skin looked great because of it. I had terrible acne and it cleared up within days and never came back as long as I was using the proactiv. Now I still use it but my skin isn’t as oily so I only need to use it every now and then, every few months or so I might get a break out and I use it and I’m clear the next day. I love it, back when I was younger and my skin wasn’t as nice nothing else would work, not even prescription.</p>
<p>Neutrogena face scrubs are excellent. If that doesn’t work, see a dermatologist. I was on Bactrim for a while and it completely cleared up my acne. Bactrim is a step below Accutane, so it’s not as rough on your skin/body.</p>
<p>Despite what Proactiv would like you to believe, their product can not compare to prescriptions medications such as Bactrim and Accutane.</p>
<p>One of my children used it and it did not help!
Went to a dermatologist & got much better advice…</p>
<p>Accutane is the ish. Proactive doesn’t do anything.</p>
<p>Don’t waste your money on Proactive…my brother got it and it didn’t work at all…</p>
<p>the way the OP’s post starts says it best: lol</p>
<p>Just go to a dermatologist.</p>
<p>I have mild acne and my dermatologist was able to put me on medicine for my acne that actually works. I wish I had gone sooner. And I’m not on anything super strong like accutane. (I’d never try using that. It isn’t worth it in my opinion.)</p>
<p><a href=“I’d%20never%20try%20using%20that.%20It%20isn’t%20worth%20it%20in%20my%20opinion.”>QUOTE</a>
[/QUOTE]
The many people with who suffer from the socially debilitating condition known as cystic acne would probably beg to differ. ^_^</p>
<p>Yeah… But I don’t. Like I said, I have mild acne, so I would never try anything like that. In my opinion, for me, it wouldn’t be worth it.</p>
<p>I still say go see a dermatologist. They’re your best bet.</p>
<p>Clean and Clear benzoyl peroxide was as good as anything I ever got from my dermatologist. If you’re short on funds, I recommend trying that before spending money on Proactiv and the Derm.</p>
<p>If you have acne problems, just do yourself a favor and go to a doctor. Anything that is available over the counter with the exception of benzoyl peroxide is completely useless. Benzoyl peroxide is an ok short term solution but won’t solve the long term issue. For that you’ll need minocycline or accutane. Minocycline is the second strongest thing out there, it’s just a pill and it’s pretty effective. It is what I’m using right now, I had mild to severe acne and within around five-six weeks of starting I’m essentially acne free with absolutely no side effects. Accutane is real serious stuff. It will cure your acne for sure but it can really dry out your skin and cause other issues. It’s also very tough to get on, you have to be able to come in for monthly blood tests with the same dermatologist (so you really can’t be going to school very far from home) and some doctors won’t give it to you unless your acne is very serious. But do go see a dermatologist, it’s well worth it.</p>
<p>^^^A dermatologist would never suggest, much less prescribe prescription medications (aside from topical treatments) for mild acne, so of course it wouldn’t be worth it for you. :)</p>
<p>^^Clean & Clear benzoyl peroxide is excellent. It all depends on the severity of the acne, though. I had pretty bad acne (face, chest, and especially back) and topical treatments never made the slightest difference. Some people really need prescription drugs to get rid of acne, but if OP has mild-or-lesser acne, then I would definitely sample a few topical treatments before seeing a dermatologist.</p>
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Or Bactrim, which is trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole.</p>
<p>^ ya they would.</p>