Proactive Solution

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By:curlysue10

On:Nov 05, 2008

1 out of 1 chicks found this useful

curlysue10 has 4  reviews

I think this is a great product. With S&H;(if you order online like I did) it comes to about 50 bucks for a 60 day supply (which you will find lasts A LOT longer than 60 days!)

The kit I got comes with the renewing cleanser, revitalizing toner and repairing lotion. I also got a sample size of the refining mask (note: when you order, you are automatically enrolled in their Clear Skin Club which will send you the same kit every 60 days unless you tell them otherwise. The thing I want to point out is that the refining mask only comes with your first shipment, and if you want it after that, you have to buy it unfortunately.)

The cleanser is my favourite product. It works very well (I notice a drastic difference when I run out and stop using it for even a couple of days) and makes my skin very soft. It has tiny beads that scrub your skin free of impurities and acne causing bacteria, but its not such a harsh scrub that it dries your skin out.

The toner is ok. It is the second step in the 3 step system, and I mostly use it to wipe away the eye makeup that the cleanser has left behind to be honest (its an acne care system so I guess the cleanser is not really meant to get rid of mascara!)

The repairing lotion is amazing. It works very very well. It’s a thick lotion and it has a relatively strong amount of benzol peroxide in it, so it is too harsh to use on your skin more than once a day. I made the mistake of ignoring the directions and using it morning AND night when I first got it, and it severely dried out my skin (which is the problem a lot of other people had mentioned).

The refining mask is great as well. I use it at night as a spot treatment and it works very well. It’s important to remember its not MAGIC, but it does reduce the size and redness of my pimples overnight. I also like to use it on my full face, because it makes my skin look very healthy and radiant afterwards.

Overall I would highly recommend this product. It does seem pricy at first glance, but when you consider that it really does work and it lasts for a super long time it is worth it. Not to mention that if you were to add up all the money you throw away on other acne treatment products that DON'T work, it adds up to be far more expensive than buying this one system that DOES. Good luck!

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By:LawyerGirl

On:Oct 05, 2008

0 out of 0 chicks found this useful

LawyerGirl has 6  reviews

I purchased this about three years ago after seeing a friend get good results from using it. It works, I hadn't been following an acne skin care regime at the time. I've tried many other products since and Proactiv doesn't work any better/worse than a lot of other less expensive generic brands. After using two full kits of Proactiv, I switch to other products. I currently use just a salicylic acid cleanser, an oil-free moisturiser day and night, and a 5% benzoyl peroxide solution on my face at night.

Pros: easy-to-use 3 step system, smells pleasant (except for the mask), lasts longer than the two month supply it's supposed to be

Cons: Relatively pricey, refining mask smells awful!!!, benzoyl peroxide will bleach certain clothes/bedsheets.

I found this commentary from the Derm Blog to be particularly enlightening about Proactiv and why it works:

"Do you use Proactiv®? [...] Proactiv was developed by two dermatologists; its success lies not in the actual product but in the way they have you use it.

It is an absolute truth that almost any acne treatment works and almost every acne treatment fails. It depends on one thing: Do you actually use it?

The active ingredients in Proactiv are the antibacterial benzoyl peroxide and glycolic acid, a mild acid that helps skin exfoliate. These ingredients are available in generic forms at drugstores and supermarkets throughout America.

“You can get the same amount of benzoyl peroxide at a drugstore at a fraction of the cost and it will work as well, provided that you use it,” said Dr. Hilary E. Baldwin, the vice chairwoman of the dermatology department at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn.

So why do people buy Proactiv for $40 when they can do the same thing for $4? [...]

Proactiv encourages you to be, well, proactive about your acne. By dividing the treatment into a three step process, it helps teens (and adults) stay on the program. The creators of Proactiv understand that the key to treating acne is you must treat the acne; if you don’t use your products everyday, then they won’t work. This is surprisingly hard to do."

Bottom line? If you don't care about cost and you've got moderate acne; sure, go for it. Otherwise, go for the less expensive generic drugstore brands that contain benzoyl peroxide. They work just as well, you just need to make sure you're using it consistently.

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By:aynat

On:Sep 15, 2008

1 out of 1 chicks found this useful

aynat has 5  reviews

my skin is very dry on my face and Proactive doesn't irritate it at all...my complexion has never been so clean!

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By:bldrmk

On:Sep 15, 2008

0 out of 1 chicks found this useful

bldrmk has 1  review

i love proactiv. i wouldn't use anything else on my face @ night time. it's the best acne medicine out there!

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By:Learn-a-little

On:Sep 05, 2008

1 out of 1 chicks found this useful

Learn-a-little has 6  reviews

This stuff works like magic. I had sooo many breakouts, pimples, zits whatever you name it and my skin has looked better than it ever has in years. I still am using it because I haven't fully finished the program and still havent losen all the zits but its great. I'm only almost 3 weeks in and already i've seen results. From what it looked like 100 zits to now only like 3 or 4 on my forehead. It's a mircale. And worth every penny.

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By:Gertie

On:Sep 03, 2008

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Gertie has 5  reviews

Now, Believe me i have tried absolutely everything for my face but proactive is the only thing that works and keeps on working! With any other product it would work for a bit and then stop as if my face became immune to it. Proactive was my last resort since it is a little difficult to come by and a little pricy but i'm definitley glad I chose it!

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By:TigerLilly

On:Aug 15, 2008

1 out of 1 chicks found this useful

TigerLilly has 7  reviews

I agree with the others that have posted - it works differently for different people. I know a few people who love it.

I personally bought the 3-piece starter kit which came with a free sample of the face mask. Initially it did clear up my skin but after about a month my acne actually started to get worse. I eventually stopped using the product because it was too rough on my skin. My skin became really dry and my acne became worse. This product was not for me. Unfortunately by the time I figured out that it didn't work it was past the 60-day money back policy, maybe into the 3rd or 4th month. I would've liked my money back but I also didn't push it.

I would suggest trying it if you're going through cleansers because I know it does work for some people. Getting a cleanser, toner and lotion for that price isn't too bad. I think you just have to give it a try and see if it works for you.

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By:Miki

On:Aug 14, 2008

1 out of 1 chicks found this useful

Miki has 10  reviews

I don't have terrible skin, but I have a few pimples that show up, as I have combination skin.
I bought this a few years ago and found it very harsh. The smell is okay, but the active ingredients were very strong. I used the entire line once in the morning and once in the evening.

My skin was dried out after second time. I had a terrible break out after I used it and had to see a skin specialist because an entire layer of skin was peeling on a daily basis. It took me 3 weeks to stop the skin from peeling on a daily basis and 2 months to bring my skin back to (an almost) normal state.

It works for a couple of people I know, it didn't change the appearance of one other friend and when I got my hands on it, my skin went the opposite direction. I actually had full on acne for two months. I was very insecure about going out for two months. It was brutal... be careful with this product. I wasn't allergic, because I use their active ingredients in my other products, but it had a high percentage of it in Proactive.

If you buy it, use it once every 2-3 days to see if it's too strong for your skin or find something that doesn't have as much benzoyl peroxide first.

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By:aleesh22

On:May 19, 2008

2 out of 2 chicks found this useful

aleesh22 has 15  reviews

so the only reason I have given this product a low rating and i dont recomend it is because I'm specifically reaching out to those who have super dry skin/sensitive skin and it's really really bad for your skin if your a fair skinned red head such as myself. I only used the stuff once a day if that and it totally burned my face and dried it out soo bad, so after spending $65 on the proactive solution i spent another $40 on the proactive green tea moisturizer, which don't get me wrong smells amazing and is a pretty good moisturizer, but only when your not using the poractive solution. I've heard that the stuff works wonders, but for those with really sensitve skin, I do not advise it at all.

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By:Lyne L.M.

On:May 02, 2008

1 out of 1 chicks found this useful

Lyne L.M. has 8  reviews

I have been using Proactiv for 8 years and I do not see the day when I will stop. Having suffered from acne since I was 12, having gone through the series of antibiotics and done the Accutane treatment, Proactive is the product that got me off all that 8 years ago. Honestly, for what this is worth, the price is unbelievably low. I always make sure that I have a bottle of cleanser in stock (I do not need the toner and the clarifying lotion much). I have recommended it to several of my friends, none of which have been disappointed.

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