Proactiv Review

Proactiv claims to be The Answer for acne that works for everybody regardless of your age, skin type or severity of your acne. Proactiv claims to be different because it prevents future breakouts before they even surface on your skin - while other products only concentrate on getting rid of existing acne.

How Proactiv works

According to Proactiv's web site Proactiv works by unclogging your skin pores and killing bacteria deep inside your skin pores.

Since Proactiv does nothing to the root cause of acne it can only manage your acne. They even admit this on their web site by saying that you have to keep using Proactiv even after your skin has cleared. A countless number of user reviews also confirm this - acne tends to breakout if you stop using Proactiv (and quite often even while you are still on it).

Proactiv can only be a temporary solution

And this holds true for any topical acne product. It's not that the products would be bad. It's the fact that they approach the problem from the wrong end.

Let's take a brief example. Let's say that you are in an unfortunate situation and find that your car is dirtied by bird droppings every morning. You naturally want to keep your car clean and wash it every day.

However, even if you would be using the best soap in the market it wouldn't keep your car clean. Why? Because the soap does nothing to the fact that you park your car every evening under a tree that is full of well fed birds.

This same principle also applies to your skin. Proactiv (soap) can only do so much because dirt keeps dropping in. Once you understand what really causes acne you'll see why Proactiv can't be 'the answer for acne'.

Side-Effects of Proactiv

Most people report that Proactiv irritates their skin. This is due to benzoyl peroxide, alcohol and other harsh chemicals in Proactiv. Especially if you have a sensitive skin, you can expect some of the following symptoms:

Though it seems that many of the above mentioned symptoms are caused by the Revitalizing Toner step in Proactiv System. If you are concerned try using the toner only in the evening.

Also anything you apply on your skin will go through it burden the liver - which ends up aggravating your acne even more.

Contradictory what most people think the skin is quite porous and many substances pass through it easily. Or how do you think that nicotine patches work? So I would really think twice before applying dangerous and carcinogenic chemicals on my skin.

What users say about Proactiv

Like most acne treatments Proactiv gets a mixed feedback. It seems that about 60% of the reviews are on the positive side (note: mildly positive is also positive) while the rest would advice you to stay away from Proactiv.

Note that that is just the 'average' user feedback. There are people that get no results or that report that Proactiv actually makes their acne much worse. Also some users say that Proactiv is fantastic, it completely clears their skin and has no side-effects.

Should I use Proactiv?

Just remember that, no matter what the celebrities or other Proactiv reviews say, Proactiv is not the answer for acne. Because it does nothing to the root cause of acne your results, if any, will probably be short-lived.

So don't consider Proactiv, or any other topical treatment for that matter, as your only option. Think of them more as support arsenal to your other efforts to cure acne.

My free minicourse Acne 101: What Einstein would have done to get clear, shows what you need to do to permanently cure acne.

If you choose to support your efforts with some acne treatment product, try Acnezine instead of Proactiv. I have more information about Acnezine on my site. Read it to see if Acnezine would be good for you.

What do YOU think about Proativ?

Have you tried Proactiv? Please share your experiences by writing your own Proactiv review.

My aim is to make these pages as sources for honest and unbiased information about different acne products. A breath of fresh air in the middle of all the hype, marketing and scams.

So if you have something to say about Proactiv, please 'pay it forward' by sharing your experiences.

The Worst Customer Service Ever Not only did Proactiv make my skin flake, but I sent back the system within the 60 days and continued to get more.

I disputed the claim with my credit ...

Yes, it cleared up my acne but ... ... within a couple of weeks my skin was all red, dry, itchy and flaky. Because I'd been using it in the shower and it had been getting all over my face,...

Proactiv scarred my skin I had the usual teenage acne, and decided to try Proactiv out. It cleared up some of my acne within the first week or so, but then it seemed to stop. I ...

Proactiv tore up my face I loved Proactiv at first. It made my skin less blotchy and smooth, and it seemed to keep those surprise zits off my face.

Although I looked like I ...

Proactiv makes my skin burn I just started using Proactiv and my skin is RIDICULOUSLY dry. It has never been this dry before, and it burns. Also, so far, my acne has not gone away....

never again im 17 and i have acne.
it's not extreme but its pretty bad and makes me feel like crap.
last year i tried proactiv.
i was really excited and thought ...

Proactiv sucks This product is overrated, all the before and afters are of people who have one pimple. I had a of dream of having clear beatiful skin and it was crushed....

Ouch! ProActiv did not work for me at all. It made my skin itchy, RED AS A HOT CHILLY PEPPER, and dry with dead skin everywhere! On top of that, it hurt! make ...

Worked at first and then stopped I used Proactiv and it kept my skin beautiful for over four years. It stopped working for me so I took a break from it and I want to start it again to ...

Completely Con'd By Proactiv, BEWARE potential customers! I wanted to voice a serious complaint with Proactiv. After months of consideration and research on Proactiv, the product itself, and cost, I finally decided ...

Helped a little, but not like I'd hoped. I'm 16 years old, and I struggle with acne. I always have to wear my bangs in my face so no one can see it as well. To make matters worse, I get acne on ...

Proactiv is a hoax Proactiv did not work at ALL for me. I'm 16 and ever since 8th grade i've always had really bad acne, but only around my nose.

I have seriously tried ...

proactiv the untrue and the most untrue of all acne products did proactiv told you that they would clear your pimples? did proactiv tell you that it would clear you up no matter how severe you acne is? did proactiv ...

Proactiv.... My sister and I have the worst breakouts sometimes, so my mom bought us the product, thinking that it would help out so much because all we heard about ...

Know what ur talkin about If u have ever purchased proactiv u would know that the dermatologists that made it makes it pretty clear that there is NO cure for acne at the root so ...

So good so far!! I had mild acne all through my teen years and it really affected how social i was. I have tried a lot of store products and none seemed to really work....

Proactiv. To use or not to use? Proactiv claims that 100% users will have great results. As for me, it did make my skin softer, prettier, but however did not get rid of ALL my acne, like ...

Proativ I've just started using Proativ about 4 days and my face has broke out more since using it.I'm not sure if that's how it works,you know it makes your face ...

Don't waste your money on Proactiv I purchased Proactiv and used it. I did see a difference about a week after using it. While using Proactiv my FACE NEVER CLEARED COMPLETELY.

I decided ...

Proactive user I used proactive in high school cause I would break out here and there. I never really had bad skin I just wanted great skin... My problem was that I always ...

Acne clearing after one week I have been using the product for just over a week, now. And I am pleased with the acne going away, but my face is constantly stinging. It's starting to ...

depends on your skin type i have sensitive skin but i started off using the regular proactive solution. it made my face burn as soon as i started using the product. i switched to ...

Phototoxic reaction (really!!) - Melasma Proactiv cleared up my major break-outs, but not the small bumps. After a year or so of use, I started to get Melasma (brown spots on cheeks and sometimes ...

Proactive works... but is horribly addictive. I never had bad acne. I just wanted to find something that would keep me from getting it in the future. I ordered Proactive and it automatically worked ...

Proactiv Didn't Work for Me I tried Proactiv after I had heard how good it was and also being promoted by Jessica Simpson.

The first few days things were going great, my face ...

Proactiv won't solve acne problem Proactive is a good product overall but when I stopped using it for just one day I broke out terribly. It has to be used everyday. I don't recommend it....

4 Days and skin looks better I just started using It four days ago and already I can tell that my skin looks a whole lot better, we'll see what happens when i stop using it.

5 Weeks and no results; disappointed I've tried, and am still currently using, pro-activ, and it's been about 5 weeks now. It is not working, it seems that there is more acne than usual, and ...

Worked for me Personally, I think it all depends on what your skin is like. Just because you got dry flaky skin, doesn't mean someone else will.
I never did, Proactiv ...

Dont waste your time on Proactiv. Proactive actually made my acne twice as bad. My acne was bad to begin with, but when i started buying those over priced bottles, my acne became extremely ...

Pro Active User Within the first week if using Pro Active, my face became flawless...I had no blemishes whatsoever and all my pimples had gone.

However, after about ...

Proactiv is a miracle,for me I had horrible acne ever since I was in junior high. I was picked on for it. I finally asked my mom to take me to the dermatologist and he gave me some ...

i love proactive!!! i was so afraid of getting scars from getting pimples in the same places over and over again, i don't need to know the "root" cause of acne to know that ...

Proactiv irritated my skin My skin has always been clear, except for the odd zit, but recently my face broke out in pimples that were under the skin.

After seeing a Proactiv ...

I love Proactiv I love Proactiv! I had acne for 5 years on my shoulders, pet and back. In Italy there is only the Gentle Formula (with salicylic acid and retinol instead ...

Worked well for 3 years Worked well for 3 years. I had the occasionally monthly premenstrual zit, but that was it. But after it stopped working it made my skin worse. Plus Proactiv ...

Proactiv is not for everyone Proactiv cleared my acne a bit, but it also made my skin really dry. So people with sensitive skin should probably stay away from this. People with tough ...

Proactiv worked for few months First couple of months on Proactiv were great. My skin was clear. But then my skin seemed to adapt to it and it did nothing anymore. Now my skin is ridiculously ...