Hello I am 25, have had acne since I was 13. When I was a teenager, my acne was moderate. In the past I have tried a lot of commercial products such as neutrogena, clearasil, clean and clear, oxy, to name a few. When I was about 19 started using Proactiv. It helped me tremendously, but after about a year it started to get worse. Up until January 2013, I continued to use Proactiv because it helped heal my acne much faster than anything else. It didn't stop acne from coming, but it helped.
Then in January I decided to go off Proactiv. I am unemployed and it was getting costly to buy Proactiv. I started with neutrogena, and applied tea tree oil to my blemishes. Then I got a tea tree oil face wash, and witch hazel toner. After only 2 weeks or so, I broke out so horribly, it was the worst my face has ever looked even before going on proactiv. Of course I got scared an went back on proactiv. In the past month my acne is still horrible, but now it seems the acne is just on my jawline and around my mouth. I get new pimples almost everyday, and they are the big ones. I used to only get big pimples on my chin when I got my period. Now i am getting the big ones all over the bottom half of my face.
I looked into supplements, started taking zinc. I know acne doesn't clear up overnight, but I was getting impatient so I haven't used zinc long enough to see results I guess.
I am about to start taking Evening Primrose Oil and/or red raspberry leaves. I heard that both are excellent for the female reproductive organs, since I'm suspecting this is hormonal acne.
I've also been drinking a lot of water, exercising, and i'm trying to cut out processed foods. Since it's lent, lol, I'm not eating sweets.
I'm so glad I joined this website, it has made me appreciate that there are people going through what I am and that I am not alone!
I've cried myself to sleep a lot lately, and I can't look at myself in the mirror. I've avoided going out at all costs because I do not want people to see me, it's embarassing.
If you have gone through what I have, please comment!!!
Proactiv is not a good company. I used to work for a kiosk stand and used their products to death! they f*cked my skin to high heaven and gave me hives. I found that their products damage the skin over time during long term use. It's okay for say a fifteen year old to be using Proactiv for a year or two without any lasting damage but to be using it as an adult as your skin care routine will make your skin "raw as Hell" and irritate it (as your skin thins into adulthood). Olay makes a "3 step" acne system for adults that won't irriate the skin (Cheap too, under $30 bucks I believe). Proactiv is for the goofy little teenagers with comedone type acne (Mild to moderate) like Justin BIeber (lol) not for mature skin.
They have the cheapest ingredients in their products as well. Actually, the today show did a story on how the quality of ingredients in Proactiv was identical to a brand like "Oxy" and the company was just overcharging their cheap sh*t to make a profit back in 2006:
Hello I am 25, have had acne since I was 13. When I was a teenager, my acne was moderate. In the past I have tried a lot of commercial products such as neutrogena, clearasil, clean and clear, oxy, to name a few. When I was about 19 started using Proactiv. It helped me tremendously, but after about a year it started to get worse. Up until January 2013, I continued to use Proactiv because it helped heal my acne much faster than anything else. It didn't stop acne from coming, but it helped.
Then in January I decided to go off Proactiv. I am unemployed and it was getting costly to buy Proactiv. I started with neutrogena, and applied tea tree oil to my blemishes. Then I got a tea tree oil face wash, and witch hazel toner. After only 2 weeks or so, I broke out so horribly, it was the worst my face has ever looked even before going on proactiv. Of course I got scared an went back on proactiv. In the past month my acne is still horrible, but now it seems the acne is just on my jawline and around my mouth. I get new pimples almost everyday, and they are the big ones. I used to only get big pimples on my chin when I got my period. Now i am getting the big ones all over the bottom half of my face.
I looked into supplements, started taking zinc. I know acne doesn't clear up overnight, but I was getting impatient so I haven't used zinc long enough to see results I guess.
I am about to start taking Evening Primrose Oil and/or red raspberry leaves. I heard that both are excellent for the female reproductive organs, since I'm suspecting this is hormonal acne.
I've also been drinking a lot of water, exercising, and i'm trying to cut out processed foods. Since it's lent, lol, I'm not eating sweets.
I'm so glad I joined this website, it has made me appreciate that there are people going through what I am and that I am not alone!
I've cried myself to sleep a lot lately, and I can't look at myself in the mirror. I've avoided going out at all costs because I do not want people to see me, it's embarassing.
If you have gone through what I have, please comment!!!
I started using Proactiv when I was about 22, because I'd had acne since I was about 13. I'm on birth control, have been since I was 15, to help my acne. At first, Proactiv was the only thing that helped and made my skin smooth. But after a few years using it, it just made my skin more oily than before, which caused the zits to come right back. So Proactiv is not a viable option, it's so expensive, and it does wreak havoc on your skin over time.
You need to find a cleanser that is gentle for you, and won't cause you to overproduce oil, like Proactiv does by stripping it all away, and causing your skin to make more to compensate. I had to try a few before I found ones I liked, now I use a Mary Kay on in the morning and a Garnier scrub at night, but that's just what works for me.
hi kris 1787 ,please go to the seborrheic dermatitis forum ,last page and check what I wrote ,by ...noche ...before all what iam using today ,I had to use only soap and persa gel 10% to dry my skin and big pimples ,also I used some clyndamicin during the day ,that is prescribed ,I did kind of got the problem under control but then again ,started .....so that is when I started using all the products that Im using today ....no pimples so far ,just tiny plugs that come out with the toner ....I hope it helps ,being on proactiv causes stress too ,just thinking about not getting the shipments on time ,so I went and got everything over the counter ,proactiv had a recall on the cleanser and treatment not long ago ,my daughter and I noticed it had stopped workind around the end of 2009,but then kept using it ,according to proactiv they sent me a letter letting me know about the recall in 2010? I never got such a thing ,I didnt know until a year later probably when I was going to the dermatologist and the derma gave me retin a and retin a micro and those things made more damage to my skin ,antibiotics didnt work either ,so my skin got pretty much ruined ,I developed seborrheic dermatitis . and I started searching online and found out that some people do better on bha products than aha products , that is the reason why proactiv seemed to stop working from time to time ,so go to the page and if u have any question ,leave it on and I will try and check the page as often as I can ......You will be fine .
Everyone I have ever talked to said the same thing about proactiv.
It's pretty simple. Here's how they get you to fall into the Pharmaceutical/Medical Industry's hands:
Teen has normal acne caused by hormones. Tries Proactiv.
Proactiv makes teen breaks out. Teen visits dermatologist.
Dermatologist prescribes oral and topical antibiotics.
Teen takes medications, but they lose effectiveness and break the teen out even more.
Doctor prescribes Accutane. Teen takes it and develops dangerous side effects.
Doctor refers teen patient to specialist to manage the effects of Accutane.
More pills, more visits, more harm.
Welcome to our lovely health care system.
Treating symptoms only. If only everyone in their teen years accepted acne, never slathered anything on their face, and changed their diet to a non western formula that does cause insulin spikes which trigger hormones...this would be a less popular website.
Oh, wait, that doesn't make the medical industry money.
Hello I am 25, have had acne since I was 13. When I was a teenager, my acne was moderate. In the past I have tried a lot of commercial products such as neutrogena, clearasil, clean and clear, oxy, to name a few. When I was about 19 started using Proactiv. It helped me tremendously, but after about a year it started to get worse. Up until January 2013, I continued to use Proactiv because it helped heal my acne much faster than anything else. It didn't stop acne from coming, but it helped.
Then in January I decided to go off Proactiv. I am unemployed and it was getting costly to buy Proactiv. I started with neutrogena, and applied tea tree oil to my blemishes. Then I got a tea tree oil face wash, and witch hazel toner. After only 2 weeks or so, I broke out so horribly, it was the worst my face has ever looked even before going on proactiv. Of course I got scared an went back on proactiv. In the past month my acne is still horrible, but now it seems the acne is just on my jawline and around my mouth. I get new pimples almost everyday, and they are the big ones. I used to only get big pimples on my chin when I got my period. Now i am getting the big ones all over the bottom half of my face.
I looked into supplements, started taking zinc. I know acne doesn't clear up overnight, but I was getting impatient so I haven't used zinc long enough to see results I guess.
I am about to start taking Evening Primrose Oil and/or red raspberry leaves. I heard that both are excellent for the female reproductive organs, since I'm suspecting this is hormonal acne.
I've also been drinking a lot of water, exercising, and i'm trying to cut out processed foods. Since it's lent, lol, I'm not eating sweets.
I'm so glad I joined this website, it has made me appreciate that there are people going through what I am and that I am not alone!
I've cried myself to sleep a lot lately, and I can't look at myself in the mirror. I've avoided going out at all costs because I do not want people to see me, it's embarassing.
If you have gone through what I have, please comment!!!
HI HI. I am almost 27 and have been going through the same problems with severe acne for most of my life, since about age 11. How have you been doing thus far, I se that the last time you posted was in February... are you continuing to use Tea Tree Oil? I just started TTO a few days ago and it's been working pretty well on my ridiculous cystic acne that started last Sunday all over my chin and mouth area. I can't even look in the mirror either... It's so depressing. I hope things are starting to get better for you!
Everyone I have ever talked to said the same thing about proactiv.
It's pretty simple. Here's how they get you to fall into the Pharmaceutical/Medical Industry's hands:
Teen has normal acne caused by hormones. Tries Proactiv.
Proactiv makes teen breaks out. Teen visits dermatologist.
Dermatologist prescribes oral and topical antibiotics.
Teen takes medications, but they lose effectiveness and break the teen out even more.
Doctor prescribes Accutane. Teen takes it and develops dangerous side effects.
Doctor refers teen patient to specialist to manage the effects of Accutane.
More pills, more visits, more harm.
Welcome to our lovely health care system.
Treating symptoms only. If only everyone in their teen years accepted acne, never slathered anything on their face, and changed their diet to a non western formula that does cause insulin spikes which trigger hormones...this would be a less popular website.
Oh, wait, that doesn't make the medical industry money.
HAH. You have me laughing over here, because this is SO TRUE! Sounds like my life..... I was put on Accutane when i was about 15 years old. I remember the side effects were insane.....I don't even think I finished the full treatment (which my mother still blames me for and til today still says I should have finished it- I am 26 now lol) . I just read a book "Back to the Basics of Human Health" describes pretty much what you mentioned about the medical industry..
Hi Kris,
I know exactly how you feel. I am not sure what the current situation is but I went through the same thing and it took time for my face to heal. It affected my social life and I avoided all my friends because I did not want them to see me. Whenever I went out, I found that people would constantly stare because of my houmongous pimples. It was such a messy time for me and a lot of my friends would constantly ask if my diet was okay when it was lol I just couldn't bare the shame but I knew that I should stop using proactiv and then finally... After months and months of going natural, my face got clear but I do have some scars but they are slowly fading away.
I hope that people actually stop using proactiv because it is not good for your face and if anyone is thinking of using proactiv, I urge you not too.