Proactiv Review

Proactiv claims

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:

• Itchy skin
• Skin goes red
• Dry and flaky skin

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.

The average user rating is something like this:

• Mild to moderate acne
• Acne reduces/ clears completely within the first few weeks
• Skin becomes itchy, dry and red
• Acne breakouts continue a week or two after the use of Proactiv is stopped

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?

That's a question I can't decide for you.

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.

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.

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

I love Proactiv  Not rated yet
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 ...

Proactiv sucks  Not rated yet
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....

Worked well for 3 years  Not rated yet
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  Not rated yet
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  Not rated yet
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 ...

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