Anyone use Proactiv?

I used Proactiv about one year ago, but not for very long so I am not really sure what the results would have been had I used it regularly and for an extended period of time.

Every since I went off birth control pills (no matter which one I tried, I experienced migraines), my skin has not been in the best condition. I am prone to breakouts, mostly around the chin. It gets worse right before my period, but even at other points during the month, I still get acne.

And it's weird because I'll get those pimples that form underneath the skin and are very painful... but I won't get any of them for awhile and then all of a sudden I'll have a breakout where I get a few of them on my chin or the side of my face.

At night I am so careful to make sure I remove all of my makeup. I have used St. Ives apricot scrub in the past with success, but it does not seem to be working well lately. Nothing seems to be working well.

I went to the mall today and bought a 5-piece Proactiv kit. I will start tonight and be very consistent with it.

The salesman told me that it takes about a month to a month and a half for the full result to occur. He said that I could see a change within three weeks though, with regular use.

Has anyone had sucessful results with Proactiv?

I am very frustrated with my skin-- it was never "perfect" but I was pretty happy with it-- within the last year, it has been troubling me.

It also looks as though I am going to be starting Lithium, which may cause my skin to become even worse. I would like to find something that works. I hope the Proactiv does.

My son's girlfriend uses it with great success...you just have to be pretty consistent...

yeah ive used it in the past with great sucess, i found my skin much softer as well with using it.

hey. i have trouble with that kind of acne too. sometimes i get the ones that are deep in the pore and they can be painful. most often i just get a build up on gunk in the pore. it doesn't get infected (it isn't painful) but it looks like a little lump. i try to drain them and mostly that works well, but sometimes i can't seem to so they get infected until i'm able to drain them. sometimes (after they have been infected) draining them results in a little indented scar.

i've heard that the active ingredient in proactive is the same as the active ingredient that is in other varieties of anti-acne medication (prescribed by dermitologists etc). so... it should work so far as it goes.

something that i've just started on is flaxseed oil. omega 3, 6, and 9. i found this MD website where the guy really swears by omega oil for skin conditions (and hair health). i'm not sure how scientifically founded this is... but the notion is that your cebaceous glands produce oil. if those glands get blocked then you get a buildup of oil in the gland / pore. the buildup can get infected and that is why you get that kind of acne. one thing to do is to use a facescrub and / or vigerously dry your face with a towel to help unblock the pores. another thing that he swore by was omega oil to help the oil be of a runnier consistency that is less likely to become trapped in the pores. he also mentioned about drinking lots of water and avoiding saturated fats (which can make the oil thicker).

don't know about this... but i have heard wonderful things about omega oil helping with other skin conditions like dermatitus and rashes and allergies and the like. often people scratch (because the skin is dry) and that is why they get a rash. moisturiser is supposed to help (so i moisturise a lot because i do tend to get those rashes on my legs / arms in the dry climate), but i want to see if the omega oil helps too.

1gram (1000milligrams) three times a day...
and we shall see.

(by the way i went with the vegan flaxseed oil rather than the fish oil because there is some concerns about heavy metals concentrating in the kinds of fish they are most likely to extract the oil from - shark and tuna)

the active ingredient in proactive is benzylperoxide -
according to the dermatologist it is the strongest over the counter stuff.
Am not sure about the US but here you can get stuff with the same active ingredient from the pharmacy - here it's called benzac or something and you can get it in different strengths. And it is LOTS cheaper than proactive, who spend lots of money on advertising

My teenage daughter and niece swear by the stuff but her acne is rather mild. Is your acne severe? Do you rest your chin on your hands frequently? That will cause a breakout. Have you brought this up with your doctor? He/she may have suggestions.