Proactiv -- Is it any good?

[nappyandhappy]

I'm at my wit's end. I'm 30 years old and I have horrible acne. When I was younger I hardly ever broke out, but since I turned 30 in August it's a completely different story. I've been to a dermatologist and she gave me two prescriptions for benacyclin? and climacyclin? and I've been using it since November but it hasn't done anything for me. I have sensitive skin, so any advice anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated.

[Antigua]

Proactiv is the only thing that has consistently worked for me. I haven't used prescription drugs though, so I don't know if they would work. The only problem that I have is that after using it for weeks my skin tends to develop dry patches. I usually skip it for a day or two and I'm good again. I'd reccommend it. I'm sure it can't be much more than prescription products.

One not of advice, don't join the skin club if you do purchase. I ended up getting kits before I finished another one. Try out one shipment and see how long it takes you to use it. Then you can adjust the time interval between shipments if you decide it works for you. I hope that helps.

[tann]

I have had acne too mostly all my teen and adult years and I'm 34. I went to the dermatologist and he put me on Clindagel for the morning to wear all day, and Tretinoin Cream for nite, and let me tell you, it works it fades the dark spots without lighten your skin, so no more light patches. Ask your dr. about these two drugs. :) The Clindagel controls the acne down to ZERO, no more acne, this has been the first time in my life that I can actually go without foundation. Now I just wear lipstick and eyeliner, I very pleased with the results.

[BlackOnyx03]

I think it depends on the severity of your acne. Amazingly, I think people with the most severe cases see tremendous improvement with the system. For those of us who have mild-moderate acne, I think it is more likely that this system may not work for us.

I found Proactiv to be a waste of my money...

[Naturaljoy]

When I first started using Proactiv, it worked very well for me, but after a while it seemed to stop working as well, so I stopped using it.

[jacura]

Proactive did not work for me...I use Dermalogica at the instruction of my asthestician and it has been about 9 months now and my skin looks amazing...especially compared to where it was...even my dh is like WOW, YOU SKIN LOOKS SOOO HEALTHY, SMOOTH AND CLEAR.

Patience is a virtue and this is what had to happen for me to see results...it took prayer, change in diet, self perception, discipline (not picking at my face and nixing the makeup) and religiously following my cleaning regiem.

[afronappy]

ditto on prayer... oddly enuff i don't pray for ME as much as i should!

i started proactiv again a week ago and i like it but i realize my skin needs some pampering... moisture and gentleness as well as treatments... the acne has died down somewhat and my skin looks better

i wanna try the clindagel and tretinoin cream someone recommended for fading acne scars... my skin camouflages it a lil (i'm dark) but i would like something prescribed...

dermalogica sounds interesting too

[elleebeme5]

Is tretinoin the same as RetinA?

[SweetNess]

hey gals,
forget about all of those harsh Rx for acne.
Try washing face with Nasabb's Black Soap. Then applying their unrefined shea butter. I know ...I know...
I thought the shea butter would break me out too because I would usually break out after applying oily/greasy substances on my face.
But trust me..this really works. Some of the sistahs on the board know about it and enlightened me about the benefits of it's use.
visit www.nasabb.com
I've never had a problem with acne, but I would occasionally get a little zit here or there when I'm PMSing. But after using these two products togther, I haven't seen a pimple yet.
It's said that these two products compliment each other.
Give it a try :wink:
Peace...Nessa

[ChocolatChaud]

hey gals,
forget about all of those harsh Rx for acne.
Try washing face with Nasabb's Black Soap. Then applying their unrefined shea butter.

I would have to agree with SweetNess, dump the Rx stuff. I struggled with acne starting at the age of 11 and after all the expensive prescriptions and endless visits to the dermatologist, I figured out that less is more. I use Black soap from Nasabb.com and it cleared my skin up in like 2 weeks. My dark spots have faded considerably. Now I would like to try the shea butter(unrefined) at night. I just went to go order some more soap and guess what ladies??? The Black soap is out of stock for 2 weeks!!! Oh well, I still have some and it will last me more than two weeks so I am set for the time being. I'll just have to wait a couple of weeks to order some more soap and to get the shea butter. I've used shea butter in the past for my body and it was wonderful. Anyways, keep it natural and keep it righteous sistren.
peace and blessings
ChocolatChaud

[Naturaljoy]

I'm also now using nasabb's black soap, but I'm now curious about the black soap from www.theabikeline.com. It looks like it may be similar. Has anyone tried it?

For those using nasabb's black soap, how long before you started to see results? I've been using it for 2 weeks now and my face is still breaking out like crazy. Also, do you apply the shea butter at night and in the morning too? I've only been applying it at night because my skin is already very oily and if I apply it in the morning, by noon my face will look like an oil slick. I'm getting discouraged..... :(

[ChocolatChaud]

I'm also now using nasabb's black soap, but I'm now curious about the black soap from www.theabikeline.com. It looks like it may be similar. Has anyone tried it?

For those using nasabb's black soap, how long before you started to see results? I've been using it for 2 weeks now and my face is still breaking out like crazy. Also, do you apply the shea butter at night and in the morning too? I've only been applying it at night because my skin is already very oily and if I apply it in the morning, by noon my face will look like an oil slick. I'm getting discouraged..... :(

Naturaljoy, perhaps your breakouts have something to do with your diet? I mean I noticed a vast improvement after 1 month of using black soap but also my skin has been somewhat better since I cut all dairy out of my diet. Oh and about the shea butter, maybe try just putting it on before bed like you have been, I too have oily skin and I can only put a light oil-free moisturizer on in the morning or else I have an oil slick. Don't get discouraged; it's all about finding the skin care routine that works for you. It's trial and error.
peace and blessings
ChocolatChaud

[awooof]

NaturalJoy,
Like ChocolatChaud said, maybe your breakouts have something to do with your diet. Also remember that all products do not work for everyone, so you may need to try others if what you are using does not work.
My skin tends to get very oily, yet when I tried black soap (not Nasabb's, but Dudu Osun) my face became extremely dry and taut. So, I decided to stop using harsh cleansers and soaps altogether and tried Neutrogena's Oil-Free cleanser for acne-prone skin. This has worked really well for me. It's a gentle cleanser, but yet does the job. Also, I use an oil-free cleanser in the morning and at night. My face cannot handle heavy stuff like Shea Butter.

[Naturaljoy]

Thanks ChocolatChaud and awooof, you may be right about my diet. Although I don't eat a lot of junk food, I still may need to make some adjustments, like cutting back or cutting out dairy and I definitely need to drink more water.

[curlygirl]

Proactive did not work for me...I use Dermalogica at the instruction of my asthestician and it has been about 9 months now and my skin looks amazing...especially compared to where it was...even my dh is like WOW, YOU SKIN LOOKS SOOO HEALTHY, SMOOTH AND CLEAR.

Patience is a virtue and this is what had to happen for me to see results...it took prayer, change in diet, self perception, discipline (not picking at my face and nixing the makeup) and religiously following my cleaning regiem.

Boy do I struggle w/the not picking at my face, I think if I could keep my hands of my face for a week I'd see a noticeable improvement. For now though it's shea butter and tea tree oil for me. My dermatoligist did not recommend the Proactiv. So far tea tree oil has been the best thing for me, but I always use a light coat of the shea butter underneath because it's so strong.

[nikkinwren]

Curlygirl is right about the tea tree oil. I've used proactiv and everything else you can think of. They work for a little while and then I start to break out again. No matter what the dermatologists tell you, what you eat does affect your skin. think about it. Your skin is the largest organ. If you eat the wrong food it affects your other organs. Why not your skin? Drink lots of water and stay away from dairy.
As for the tea tree oil. I rinse with Cetaphil non-comodogenic cleanser( you can buy this at Walmart) and pat dry and wait for 15 minutes ( This is important because you must allow your pores to close so that you do not irritate your skin when you apply the tea tree oil) I use one drop of pure tea tree oil in 1 1/2 cups of water. I put this in a recycled bottle so I don't have to mix everytime. It is important that you only use one drop of the tea tree oil. It's very strong. If you want to, use a dropper because if you use too much you will not be able to breath because the smell is so strong. If you use too much tea tree oil just add twice or three times as much water.
I apply the tea tree oil all over my face with a cotton ball. I do this in the morning and before I go to bed. I have moderate-severe acne and this works very well. I also have very sensitive skin.[b]

[heavenly22r]

I found Proactive to be drying and rough on the skin. My face looked terrible after using it for a few weeks.

Some people will swear by its effectiveness. Hey, to each his own!