Have used Proactiv Solutions for a little then 3 months now and see little results. What am i doing wrong?

Question

I don't know if it's Proactiv that’s not working or is it that I’m not using it right. For the first month i started using the whole 3 products and this Daily Oil Control and then after 2 months i only used the cleanser and the toner. My skin is really oily, usually in the t-zone area, and when I used the repairing lotion, it made my skin oily again after an hour or so. I used to have a lot of pimples on my forehead and a few zits on my cheeks and chin and when I used Proactiv my forehead got better, but my cheeks got worse. It made my cheeks breakout more and I think it’s the repairing lotion because I am touching my face more when applying the lotion. So what am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

Trance, I'm involved with medical health care and do microbiology, genetics and other stuff like that. Sounds like your case is one of epigenetics. Your genes are reacting to many things going on and your system is not able to heal this problem with simply putting something 'on top'.

Not everyone will get the same results with every type of 'antidote' which is what Proactiv is. Proactiv is a topical antidote for things in the system that are off balance and for some people who use it, whose systems are not as damaged, they can get results that others cannot.

The system that will work for you may also be helped along by using Proactiv, and maybe not. You need to examine your diet, lifestyle and stresses -- and check to be sure you are getting enough nutrient. The minimum daily requirement is set up for healthy people... people who are stressed and need to heal need better sources of quality nutrient.

A famous pathologist, Dr Kilmer McCully has made charts to show how much damage is in canned and processed foods:
http://cobankopegi.com/mccully.html

If you consume a lot of processed food, including high fructose corn sweetener and other sweeteners such as sugar and do not also address actual nutritional content of your food, you will have problems that will build up. Aging can happen more rapidly due to damage occuring at the cellular level when things become depleted.

In Chinese medicine, the idea is to heal from the inside rather than just put a paste on top of the problem. Maybe you get the idea.

Look for books by Dr Diana Schwarzbein for example to begin rounding out your understanding of this.

Another thing is to just go here and look at the photos and captions which show a little more about nutrition:
http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0203cat/020305ppnf/PPNFpartII.html

Vitamin C, Omega-3 (fish oil for example) and MSM can help build better health to the development of healthier collagen.

Good luck and I hope you get to the top of your issues.

Answer 2

First of all, make sure that you wash your hand before you apply any of the Proactiv solution. Second, you should use the repairing lotion every single day. That might be the answer to your question. It's true that using the repairing lotion causes your skin to produce more oil (trust me that happens to me too), but you should still use it because after 4 weeks, your skin will clear up. If you only use the cleanser and the toner, it doesn't help and that's why you haven't been seeing any result. Try sticking to the 3 step solution and you won't regret it in the end.

Answer 3

I have had moderate acne since I was about 17 years old. I am 26 now and still get breakouts, although more few and far between. However, I also have some scarring from dealing with acne for the last 10 years or so.

Acne is brought on by hormonal changes in the body and an overabundance of testosterone. Your skin is constantly secreting oil (hence why its easy to lift fingerprints from something that you've just touched) however, some more than others. The oil subsequently clogs the pores in your face, back, neck and becomes infected, producing acne.

Because the oil is being generated from the elevated hormone levels and coming from within YOU ... sometimes a topical solution will be non effective because it is just getting rid of the surface layer of dirt and oily residue. Likewise, many of the topical solutions (prescription or otherwise) contain acid which will dry out your skin, make it very sensitive to sunlight, and in some cases produce peeling. Again, it is sloughing off the surface layer of the skin which indeed, has many layers (cutaenous, subcutaneous, etc.).

I have used ProActiv, Retin-A, soaps, scrubs, creams ... you name it I used it; all with little to no results. My face became very dry and red, most of them smelled terrible, I still had breakouts, and these products only served to dry out the acne I already had but they did not prevent new acne from forming. When I wasn't using the creams my face started to produce an extreme amount of oil because up to that point, the creams/scrubs/washes had only been serving to put a barrier up, but they did not curb the amount of oil my glands were producing. Here again, one must realize that acne is a HORMONAL imbalance.

Eventually I had enough and went to my dermatologist to try something new. What worked for me was tetracycline. Tetracycline is a mild antibiotic (not like Accutane or anything like that) and it is used to treat cystic acne, amongst other things. I took one pill in the morning, one pill in the evening, I washed my face with regular over the counter products (no special 'acne' creams) and within one month my acne was 90% better. I was shocked. I thought that there would never be a miracle drug for me ... but there was and tetracycline was it. It regulated the amount of testosterone my body was producing and in so doing, curbed the oil production and subsequently, the acne.

I noticed that my skin was definitely a lot less oily, the acne that I had went away, any new breakouts I had were extremely mild, and my acne finally became manageable and to a point where I didn't even really notice it. I was happy because I wasn't constantly thinking about my acne and if people were looking at it.

It might be something worth asking your dermatologist about. Its prescription so you can't get it without MD approval, but tetracycline helped me in ways that are too lengthy to account for here. I really believe that acne is one of the most deblilitating conditions for young people because it affects ones self esteem so severely.

Answer 4

I had similar problem. I tried Proactiv for about a year, I also tried Clinique and neutrogena, and nothing worked. Finally, I went to see a dermatologist. She told me that any type of scrubbing will irritate my skin and actually induced breakouts. Because my skin produce enough natural protective oil on its own, I don't need to use any lotion. The toner, which shrinks your pores actually traps the oil under your skin, when the oil gets infected, it becomes a zit. Now I just wash my face with non-scented soap. I have been acne free for about a year. One more thing, as long as you have the acne scar, always wear sun-block when you go out, and make sure the it is non-comedogenic.
Wish you best of luck.

Answer 5

like any products...you'll either get good results or none, depending on whether the product is correcting the cause of your acne.

I've personally used proactiv, and didn't see a huge difference, but also didn't get a worsening of my symptoms either. If you continue to use it, consider using the repairing lotion only at night...it contains benzoyl peroxide which is actually very drying to skin - but for that reason, it can make your skin overreact and become more oily to counteract the dryness. If skipping it all together works best for you, then do that.

Answer 6

Yeah... well what happens is when you use Proactiv, after a while, i'll work, then it will severly dry your skin out, causing more irritation and breakouts, and it goes in a neverending cycle where you HAVE to use it.... its a trap cause it makes you more dependent on the product or you will break out either way... Proactiv is not for everyone... some benefit, but for the rest of us its like a Catch 22....

Just take the natural approach, regular soap and water and some witch hazel and after a while, your natural balance will come back, trust me

Answer 7

My daughter and I have used Proactiv for quite some time and it works great for us. But I have other family members that have tried it only to have their complexion get worse. I think because it's not really specialized for individual needs. You said that you have oily areas on some parts of your face. I think Proactiv is made for plain old acne and not for "specialty" skin. I have noticed that it does tend to make my daughters face more oily also. My advice would be to see a dermatologist who can give you something especially for your problem areas. Good luck!

Answer 8

Proactiv is not for everyone. It may be you and it may not be. I would meet with a dermatologist and discuss trying another product. You may be allergic to Proactiv and could be damaging your skin. My friend used Proactiv for 6 months and did not see results so she met with a dermatologist actually i think it was her regular doctor and she tried another regiment and now her acne has gone away. I hope this helps.

Answer 9

You need to be more consistant ie do the routine fro beginning to end twice a day. Only use the lotion on the areas that are really dry. You need to dry out your cheeks a bit, they are probably over stimulated

Answer 10

I had the same problem. You have to use all 3 at least 2 -3 times a day everyday. You cant stop using it. then it wont work