When I was around 17 years old, I started using Proactiv because I "thought" I had acne. I had tiny white bumps and minor congestion. I was young, never really did any research on the products I was using on my face, and just wanted clear skin. Proactiv was doing just that! My skin was always clear with the odd pimple every so often. Until about 2 years ago, I was always happy with Proactiv until the little bumps slowly started coming back, I was noticing my skin was very dull, dry and very sensitive. At the same time, I had decided that I wanted to stop putting chemicals in my body and on my face. I decided to get off birth control and stop using Proactiv - "au naturel" What could go wrong? I was doing something good for my body. Well, my skin went CRAZY! That was the beginning of my 2 year long acne journey - but real acne this time! I decided to start off my using an all natural skin care line called Suki. A few days after starting the line, my skin flared up. Tiny little pimples everywhere - not red or inflamed, just small white pimples. Everyone calls this the "purging" stage where all the crap in your skin starts coming to the surface. I was told to "hang in there" or "it gets worse before it gets better". Apparently this stage can last anywhere from several weeks to several months. So, I tried. I tried to tough it out. I used the products for about 2 months as my skin continued to get worse. I finally decided to return the products and try something else. All in the meanwhile, I was doing countless hours of research trying to find something that would a) fix what was currently happening to my face and b ) bring back the clear skin I once had. I got scared and started using Proactiv again, however, my skin was no longer used to the harsh chemicals. My skin was red and it BURNED. I knew I had to find something else. The research continued and I ended up going to Sephora and spending hundreds of dollars to formulate a skin care regime which didn't include the same harsh ingredients Proactiv did. I tried the natural route - Aloe, Tea Tree, Sea Salt, Honey, Oatmeal, Apple Cider Vinegar. Nothing was helping. A relative referred me to a skin care clinic which friends of hers had gone to and had great success. There, I had painful extractions done, was put under blue and red lights, was given facials, did microdermabrasion and had a new natural skin care regime to go home with. It helped somewhat but I had to go out in public with red marks and scabs all over my face due to the extractions and wear a noticeably white cream as my moisturizer every day. Between the money I was spending and the embarrassing marks all over my face, i decided to stop going. THEN came the cystic acne. The huge painful, red, swollen, hard pumps all along my jawline. So, I said screw the natural way! I need powerful acne fighting ingredients. I went to the pharmacy and bought over the counter benzoyl peroxide creams and gels, salicylic acid treatments. I went to a dermatologist who prescribed me "Biacna" (it's Canadian) which is extremely harsh on the skin. I even tried the Acne.org regime for a few months. NOTHING was helping. My skin just became more red, inflamed and irritated. The acne kept coming. I was feeling depressed, I didn't want to go out or have anyone see me, I was getting to work and appointments late because of the time i was spending ensuring my acne was all covered with makeup. So the research continued... I was on acne.org daily and for hours at a time. I then started looking more into treatments versus products. I tried laser acne treatment or IPL rather. I went for 3 sessions which cost me $600 in total. I will admit, the laser treatment did help with the cystic acne on my jawline but the pimples kept on coming. I got so desperate, I decided to try Proactiv's new line Proactiv+. I was going back to the roots. Within 2 days my face felt like my skin had peeled off the burning was so bad and I developed tiny little water-filled blisters all over my cheeks. I had to ice my entire face to provide some sort of relief. After that, I decided to give my face a break from everything and used only the mildest cleanser and moisturizer while I did more research. During my hours of research, I kept coming across a skin care line called Paula's Choice which has individual lines depending on your concern - from anti-aging to acne. I kept putting it off because I had to order from the US (I live in Canada), I didn't know what products to chose, and the products are the cheapest especially when I had already spent hundreds to thousands of dollars on my face. Then I thought, "what do I have to lose other than money". I have to try something new. So, I did! I spent quite some time on the Paula's Choice website reading product reviews. I decided based on the reviews from people who had similar experiences, I created my own regime and place my first order. I nervous and reminded myself not to get my hopes up. Here's where it all turned around for me. Within the first 2 weeks, the products started to erase the mess Proactiv+ left behind. I have been using Paula's Choice since November of last year and my skin continues to make progress every day. Some days I don't even feel the need to wear makeup and feel more comfortable than I've felt in 2 years. Now, my skin isn't perfect but I'm learning to accept that nothing ever really is. It's been a rough journey I thought I'd be stuck with but Paula's Choice has been my saving grace. I couldn't be happier with the results and would recommend you at least give it a try. If you're interested in knowing what my regime is, I'm happy to reply to your comments. The acne struggle is really hard and only people who have gone through it understand. I hope everyone can one day find their cure <3