Proactiv Solution : Acne Treatment System

I think this is a great kit for a teen or early acne-prone individual. It works fairly well but more importantly teaches the basics of a skin care regimen. It is easy to use and creates a method for those to start adapting good skin care habits for long term. Not so sure on the use of the toner except to remove any dirt that wasn't removed [link edited out] the first product. If a product were removed from this I would say the toner could be. This could also be a good start for an adult who was developing acne at a later age and who had not had it early on. Good basic regimen to begin with. Also white sheet and towel alert - it bleaches so use light or white sheets and towels.

I started using the 3-steps, but now I only use the cleanser. The other products don't do much for me and are overpriced since I can get the same exact items from other brands. I'm 26 and have the same skin problems I did 10 years ago, so I've tried almost everything. It's not perfect, but I definitely notice that it helps. I also use it 1-2 times a week tops so I don't run into the problem it looks like many others have with my skin not responding well to it over time due to overuse. After 2-3 months of almost daily use, its effectiveness had surely faded. It was working SO well, it was disappointing when I discovered that was happening. But it's still the best product I've tried. Granted, I have atypical skin. It's dry and oily, sensitive to everything, and sporadically breaks out in unpredictable places. I also agree the company and customer service is among the sh*ttiest I have experienced, but still not the worst.

my skin actually responds very well to proactive. I used it pretty much exclusively through my teenage years and it kept my skin in good condition and pretty much clear. I do not have inflammatory acne, I have lots of blackheads and pesky bumps. suffering from acne as an adult, I wanted to try this again but was hesitant about the price tag. acne free is comparable and also gave me decent results. better yet, the store brand at walmart was only 11 bucks and gave me similar results! I definitely recommend at least trying the store brand. I found proactive to be far less harsh on my skin than the acne.org regimen, though it did clear my skin up as well but left it painfully dry.

I ended up being in the best possible situation for receiving Proactiv+- a woman who works with my mom put an entire Proactiv+ kit on their work bulletin board for $80 (she paid $120 originally). She is 32 and after ordering Proactiv+ but before she actually recieved it, she did some research and decided to go with a different Rodan and Fields product line that she believed would be more age appropriate for her. But before she could cancel the order for Proactiv, they had already shipped it. So she ended up with an entire unopened 3 step kit with a whole box of dark spot corrector wipes and an unopened tube of the under eye brightener, and sold it to us. So I never had to personally deal with any of the issues other Proactiv users have had with the website, the company, the return process, etc. Probably the most amazing situation I could have possibly found myself in, seeing as I have been aware of this companys issues and the problems their customers have faced for years when it comes to prices, customer service, and all of that jazz, but I still have always wanted to try Proactiv, especially Proactiv+. I don't know if its because my issues are moreso with blackheads than pimples, and my skin is definitely combination, but my face has responded amazingly since switching over to Proactiv+. I can understand, though, how this skincare system would be incredibly irritating or ineffective for some people. This does NOT seem like an acne product line that can help a wide array of skin types and levels of acne. People buy it when they have extreme, chronic acne already and don't realize that slapping a bunch of treatments and chemicals on top of that cannot possibly end well. I wouldn't want to put these products on my face if my face was covered, and I mean COVERED, in blemishes. That sounds like a recipe for red, irritated, painful skin. I truly believe this product line works best for people with mild acne, and I believe that anyone who has anything worse than that should go to a dermatologist to discover different types of treatment before they drop almost $100 on an acne treatment that is only well-known because of the celebrities that have endorsed it for years. Do your research before spending your money on this product and if it ends up being the best choice for you, you should absolutely purchase it. Or hope that one day you end up in a situation like mine where you can get it with no strings attached :)

When I first tried it, it was nice and gentle with my skin and a few days later I started seeing results. The only problem with this product is that is sometimes leaves your face greasy, but otherwise this product was efficient with my skin

I've been using Proactiv on and off for about 6 years now, and I always find myself coming back to it when my skin becomes "irreparable" by other products. I've tried everything else on the market, from prescriptions to all naturals and even oils, but Proactiv always seems to do the job just a little bit better. I would definitely say Proactiv works well on certain skin types, and can increase problems in others. I would say your safest bet when trying the 3 step system is to LISTEN to the directions. DO NOT coat your face in this product. Most of the people I know who do not like Proactiv or say it does not work coat their faces in it (using too much of step 2 and 3), or scrub too harshly (seriously, do not scrub hard or use a lot of the facewash, it WILL dry your skin out if used improperly), or just overuse it (washing too frequently, using too much product), thus increasing breakouts and skin sensitivity. Use this product mildly, and give it a good two months before coming to your conclusion about it. If you feel it's not working or increasing problems, move on to something else. Just remember this product has harsh ingredients, and you need to listen to the directions and not go overboard with the system. PROS: - It works well with my skin type - Makes my skin feel clean after washing - Gives my skin an almost "matte"-like finish, very good for the makeup I use - Step 3 is an AMAZING spot treatment. if you get a gnarly zit or breakout, slap some of the BP cream on the area for a few hours / overnight and it should dry out the area and reduce the size of the breakout. My absolute favorite part of the system. - Works good on my hormonal cystic acne and adult acne - It seems to help a lot with dark marks and acne scars left behind by larger breakouts CONS: - It's very harsh when used improperly (believe me, I've been using this product for years and I've had times where I overused it and began breaking out more rather than clearing up) - It can burn, especially on open spots or sores - It isn't for everyone, but you should use the product MILDLY for AT LEAST 8 weeks before coming to your conclusion - Doesn't seem to help much with blackheads _________________________________ REMEMBER TO USE IN MODERATION AND LISTEN TO THE DIRECTIONS! DO NOT COAT YOUR FACE IN THIS PRODUCT, DO NOT USE MORE THAN IT SAYS OR YOU MAY HAVE ADVERSE EFFECTS. THE INGREDIENTS ARE VERY HARSH ON SKIN BUT THEY DO WHAT THEY ARE MEANT TO! __________________________________ Some of my tips for people struggling with acne: - Do not pick or pop. DO NOT. Let your face heal itself. If you do feel the need to pick or pop, MAKE SURE you get the entirety of the zit out. If you leave even a little bit of sebum in your face, that zit can come back with a vengeance. Oh, and NEVER EVER press from the side. Always pop by pushing downward. If you push from the sides / squeeze the zit, the sebum can push itself down even deeper into your skin! But honestly I would just leave your breakouts alone. They will work themselves out. - Drink a lot of water. A LOT. Not only is it good for you, but you WILL see results in your skin in just a few days if you increase your water intake. - Give products time. Do not expect results overnight. Your skin works slowly, and acne products are not magic. 3 weeks AT LEAST before deciding if a product is right for you. - Eat healthier! Sugars and dairy products can increase breakouts, be wary of them. - Avoid touching your face with unclean hands. - Sleep on a clean towel or freshly cleaned pillowcase EVERY NIGHT. Oils and sweat get trapped in the fabric and can cause breakouts. I know acne is hard, but I promise you are all beautiful with or without it. Try not to stress too much over it. You'll get through it.

Proactiv actually does work for me unlike anyone else I've ever spoke to about it. But the "people" that work for Proactiv are money hungry robots. I've been a customer for 12 years & their website has been down for about a year now. The site says to call them to manage your account which is a huge pain for me. I would get over it if the people on the other end of the phone would listen to me. I ask them to change my shipping date a month later because I had plenty of it stocked up & didn't have the funds to pay for it right now when I didn't need it. They simply ignore that request each time I ask but of course approve the request of adding another product to my package. I called them over a month before my shipment was to come, this wasn't a last minute request. Instead of acknowledging that I want to change my shipping frequency over the phone (that can be done so easily online), their trained response is, "what else can I do for you today?" My strong advice is to purchase from a kiosk/vending machine as I've done before & do NOT give them your payment information for automatic shipping. You will end up with a $60+ bill every month automatically deducted from your bank account/credit card.

I had Adult Acne and this product did work for me. I only used the cleanser once a day and treatment once a day as when I used it as recommended (twice a day) my skin dried out too much. You have to give it a good try (at least a month) to see if it will work for you. I was very happy with the results and have been using it for about 4 months now. I use my own moisturizer that I buy at the drug store because I like it and it has SPF in it.

I hate beeing the devil's lawyer, but after reading a few of the comments I think I have to. Proactiv did worked for me. I always had light acne and I think I've tried almost every treatment out there and Proactiv was the only one that actually worked. I only use it once a day tho, at night, before I go to bed, so maybe that's why I don't experience the dryness. And I buy it from the local farmacy so I don't have to deal with the customer service (I feel that people complain more about this than the product itself :D) Anyway, just wanna let people know that there are people out there that have good experience with Proactiv.

I contemplated writing a review for this product for awhile, but seeing how many negative reviews it receives I thought I would defend it a little bit since I have had an overall very positive experience using it. I have never had what would be considered bad acne. I have always been mild, at most, with a few pimples sprouting up occasionally and usually being gone within a few days. I can honestly say that I barely ever washed my face, unless I was taking a shower, and I didn't seem to have many issues with my skin. That was, until I was recommended a top brand foundation from a friend. I had always used drugstore foundation, and thought since I was out of college and into buying higher quality products that I would try out some nicer make up as well. I will not name the brand I used because 1) I am still skeptical that my new acne problem was solely caused by it and 2) I happen to know for fact I have many friends who use it and had none of the problems I had. However, I noticed when I started using this product, that was much thicker than the foundation I was used to, I started having some acne appear on my cheek. At first, it was just a couple of pimples, but that eventually turned into a cluster of some MAJOR pimples that were so deeply rooted into my skin that no matter what I did I could NOT get rid of them. I went into the store where I purchased the product to swap to a new foundation again, thinking this thicker one was just clogging my pores, but I was informed by another employee that I was actually allergic to the product I was using and switching would make it clear up very quickly. After a few weeks of using the new foundation I did not notice any improvement in my acne, and I started to notice some little other ones appearing on my shoulders and face. THIS is the moment that I decided to give Proactive a try. My roommate in college used it and swore by it, and I had seen all the testimonials and celebrity endorsements on tv, but I was still really skeptical that a product that you can order without seeing a dermatologist would really make a big difference. Now that you have my back story, here is my review: 1) Yes, the company does somehow sign you up for automatic shipments. I ordered my first round and was CERTAIN I did not sign up for any reoccurring charge, yet after my first month of using it I came home to a big package of 3 months worth of the stuff. I was confused, and checked my account to make sure I hadn't signed up for this, and sure enough they just do it. I find this annoying, too, and if it weren't for the fact that I had noticed SOME change and that they spread the charges for the three month package out of the three months you are supposed to use it, I would have been irate. 2) The product works well, WHEN you use how it it is instructed to be used. You cannot go willy nilly with this product. I do not believe in all of the little side products it sends, they all seem pretty much the same to be and a bit overboard when you're already using three different things on your face twice a day, but I will say I believe in the 3 step product. The first month I started using Proactive I saw some minimal results because I really wasn't following the system (I'd use step one when I showered, sometimes step two just before bed, and hardly ever step three). The next month I decided I would start being stricter about using it how it was intended, and if it didn't seem to work then I would cancel my order altogether. Here is where I rate this product positively- my cheek acne, that has been sitting there untamable for 2 months, has FINALLY almost fully gone away. HOORAY!!! 3) I guess final note would be this- if you want a product that will work and are dedicated to the process of it, I would recommend Proactive. It DOES work, but you HAVE to use it in the morning, and at night, all 3 steps. I truly believe a lot of the people who write reviews on this product are in the stage I was at month one- not really using it correctly or strictly, and only giving it a short period of time to work. Yes, they will automatically send you a 3 month package of new product. Yes, the product CAN dry out your skin (I would advise to stay away from your eyes with it, since it can kinda irritate those areas when used regularly). But yes, in my opinion, the product does its job.