Hi there,
I have had acne since 11. It has always been mild/moderate. At age 14 I started using proactiv once a day (just at night- I used an aveeno cleanser in the morning). It cleared my skin moderately, but I continued use it because it seemed like it was the only thing that worked. I cut out dairy at 17 and saw huge improvements in my skin. Around the time I turned 18 I had dairy again for about two weeks, and my skin broke out. I then went vegan, and up until February of this year, it had once again been manageable, with a few big break outs happening every so often. I am now 19, and near the end of March I decided to quit proactiv cold turkey since it is harsh on the skin. I had tried this once before and went crawling back at the first signs of my skin getting bad.
It is now May, and my skin has never looked worse. I do not have cystic acne, but I do have many many many red bumps and whiteheads all over my face. my forehead is completely covered (including my temples-which have never broken out before), my chin is completely covered, the parts of my cheeks near my nose are covered, and in between my eyebrows are also bumpy. My nose itself, and the outer parts of my cheeks are the only things that are surviving so far.
I am cooped up in my room because I don't want anyone to see me. I am constantly telling myself "it will get better", but so far, it has just been getting worse and worse.
I am using an aveeno face wash, and a clean and clear toner and moisturizer. I have also upped my intake of water within the past two weeks, and I expected my face to get better-but it just has gotten much worse since doing so.
Like I said before, I am vegan-hclf to be exact. I eat tonnes of fruit and veggies and tonnes of rice, sweet potatoes, occasional corn pasta ect. I don't eat oils or excess sodium.
I am trying so hard. I feel like I am in an endless pit and there is no possible way that it will ever get any better.
Has anyone been through something like this and have any tips for me (or even just some moral support-I could use it right now 
....)? And if you have gone through this, how long did it take for your skin to get better?
I am in the exact situation as you. I have been using proactive since age 19. Each time I've attempted to quit my face explodes and my self esteem plummets. So I go back. I still break out, but less. I always have red marks and I have some scaring. I don't use makeup on my face, so its not that. I wanted to reply to give you the one tip that I think might help you. I read carefully what you mentioned about your diet. I think you may need to take a zinc supplement. I do. When I don't take it for a number of days my skin really shows the signs. That and vitamin c and fish oil supplements really do help me. So that's the suggested I wanted to make to you. The only thing I wanted to is that you really need to take break from focusing on your skin. Whatever you have to do to take your mind off of it do it. Because there is such a thing as making it worse by stressing over it and/or messing with it too much.Best of luck Emmy. You're not alone, please never feel as though you are.