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Proactiv. Anyone used it before?
Lurk
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I look in the mirror and see some acne (or what I think is acne). Nothing horrifying, just slightly unattractive. Apparently I was wrong since both my mum and co-workers are like "ya about that.... why don't ya try <insert some weird homemade recipe or shady product>". Latest thing on the list of recommendations I don't particularly care about is Proactiv. The lack of the e at the end makes me suspicious of how effective it really is.
Anybody use it? Is it hogwash or will it wash the hog off my face?
EDIT: Alternatively, a good face cleaner would be rad.
Anybody use it? Is it hogwash or will it wash the hog off my face?
EDIT: Alternatively, a good face cleaner would be rad.
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As far as facial cleaners, I now use St Ives exfoliating scrub. It's peach/apricote and feels like you're rubbing sand on your face. Indeed, there is a little sand castle in the sink after when the water drains away. But, it keeps my face feeling really clean and dry, instead of gunky and oily which I hate.
I also use a medicated (off the shelf) moisturizer.
Best recommendation other than that would be to wash your face 2-3 times a day (morning.. after you get home from school/work, before bed) using a good quality cleanser. Make a conscious effort not to ever touch your face... rest your hand on your cheek... etc.
On Proactiv: everyone I know swears by it. I haven't tried it because I find the very little acne I get noaways manageable without it. If I started to break out again I would definitely pick some up.
She was never attacked by tigers either, so it has a possible secondary benefit.
I always love using that line
Almost any one is going to help, if your acne isn't horrible. You just need to make sure you have 4 things.
1) Cleanser. This will remove the dirt and oil, generally give you that fresh feeling. You'll want to use this and rinse it off with with warm water to open up your pores
2) exfoliant - can be chemical or "mechanical". Chemical one will be the gritty kind and literally rubs the dead skin cells off, chemical one will break up the cells. majority of them are a gritty scrub. once your done using it, rinse it off with cool water to start closing your pores back up
3) astringent or toner - closes up your pores and gets off any excess oil
4) moisturizer - if your face is oily you might think you don't need one, or it would make things worse. This is not true. The other things, especially things with acne treatment will dry out your skin and take away a lot of the oil, which helps. But it also makes your face dry...if you use a moisturizer you can put that moisture back in and everything works out pretty good, if you don't use a moisturizer you face goes "oh, fuck I'm really dry" and then makes even more oil to make up for it.
Sometimes you can get things that combine cleansers and exfolients, mostly for mens products, because men in general want fewer steps with these things. I think combining those to is fine, but you really do need an astringent and a good moisturizer. All 4 things are important.
I think the reason things like proactiv and various others probably work fairly well is that they are presented as a "system" they give you 4 bottles or whatever and step by step instructions and they magically clear up your acne by making you do all the steps you need to do. I am sure their product is fairly good too, but I think that by having to order it from them people sometimes take it more seriously and follow all of the steps.
Also, that seems like a lot of "fucking with your face" right there. There is always the possibility your skin will break out even more if you start going nuts with cleaners, chemicals, and procedures. You don't want to irritate the skin, especially when you've already got clogged pores and puss.
I recommend starting off slowly with a cleaner/exfoliant combo and a moisturizer. Cold water will close your pores up, so dousing your face with a chemical to do the job instead is redundant.
In fact, when I shave I use cold water to close up the pores as I'm rinsing the excess cream off.. it does the job so well that I cannot put moisturizer on afterward. It just slides all over my face and has a real tough time soaking in. Most of it ends up going into my fingers/hands.
Edit: Oh, and be mindful of how you dry your face. Don't scrub it dry--pat it dry. Also make sure you aren't drying your face with a towel someone just wiped their dirty hands on, or make-up'd face, or product-filled hair.
You mean you havn't tried Sham-Wow?
It hasn't completely cleared up my skin. However, it has substantially reduced my acne. New bumps have a shorter life cycle, and appear in less quantity less frequently.
Thing is, you really have to do it religiously. You have to do it twice a day. Missing a treatment usually means you get a break out, in my experience. Also, it doesn't actually come with a moisturizer, besides the first time where they send you a sample. But I started using a moisturizer and it helps significantly. So if you get Proactiv, make sure to pick up a non-comedogenic moisturizer to go with it.
Also, don't touch your face. Ever. And change your sheets and pillow cases a lot.
It's not a miracle mystery drug, or anything. The main benefit is that it markets itself as a "system" which dictates a specific routine that you follow every time you use it. That routine is really where the benefit lies. Acne medications are much more effective when used with face washes, scrubs, and moisturizers, and that's what you're getting when you buy Proactiv.
It's not a lot.
But...it seems the areas of interest are where I would by hands would be if my head rested on them...
EDIT: Your acne is so minor it's not worth wasting the money on anything crazy. Definitely give a mask a try, that can help clear things up quickly.
And by the way, washing your face 2-3 times a day is not excessive. Even if you don't have a problem with acne you should be taking care of your face.
So yeah, my advice is to see if you can find a dermatologist.
If the side effects included exceptionally dry skin, sensitivity to sunlight (easier to sunburn) and nose bleeds, that was Acutane.
From what I understood, it basically shuts down the oil-producing glands in your skin. The doctor told me tales of patients who neglected to moisturize while on the medication, and their face would literally get so dry it would crack into fissures... which would then leak puss-y (how do you spell puss as an adjective? The obvious can't be right) liquids.
So yeah, if you are told to moisturize... fucking do it. I moisturized my nostrils too, because otherwise my nose would bleed from being so dry.
What was good about Proactiv though was the mask thing that it comes with. That's a damn good product and is good for 'spot treatment' which is just a few select trouble areas. It works really nice and well and recommend it heartily. However, eventually I just went to my doctor and they wrote me up a prescription for Minocycline. My face is better and my back is getting there... Those are the trouble areas for me, back and a few stubborn spots on the face.
With my insurance Minocycline ends up being like $7 for a month supply.
In addition, here are two products that I think are very worth their price. Find a local target store and look in the men's section for something called "Every Man Jack." Its basically a brand that is not all about the Macho BS and loading their products up with chemicals and fragrances to sell. Their body soaps work well, as do their lotions and especially so their acne stuff. They won't clear your skin over night, but they are potent and gentle and have really high value. Grab the face wash and the face lotion.
The scrub is also good but I didn't really care much for it.
http://www.everymanjack.com/detail.php?id=16
These products are good for just general maintenance. Prevention, and helping the skin look and feel better. And yeah, looking at your face again, just go on and nab up these two things and maybe the mask. Try em out for a few weeks and see what is up. Best of luck.
If you have a gentle cleanser this is definitely true. When I used plain old Noxzema I used to wash my face 3 times a day easy because it felt so refreshing. I've since cut back to two unless I hit the gym or do something.
You've gotta have some pretty severe acne to get a long-term antibiotic perscription to cure it.
Nowadays I stick to the Aubrey Organics line. It's somewhat cheaper than Proactive, doesn't have harsh chemicals, and I find it works really noticeably well. I just put it on at night, and in the morning, any pimples, blackheads, or redness is very subdued, and almost gone. after about a week, my skin is completely clear.
http://www.aubrey-organics.com/category.aspx?categoryID=12
I know the word "organic" can draw up images of hippies touting that berries and leaves are all you need to cure what ails you, but this stuff is mostly a clever combination of things that people already know have certain hygienic functions: alcohol, witch hazel, vitamins a and e, aloe vera and eucalyptus.
It all depends on you and your acne. the organic stuff might work, but it might not. some cases need benzoyl peroxide, and some don't. I found what works for me by trial and error, and you'll probably have to do the same.
Finally, just a general acne note: do not, under any circumstances, squeeze or pop your facial zits. Doing so leaves bad scars, and they take a very long time to fade.
i have a related question though. i use benzoyl peroxide after i wash my face before bed, and i don't get zits, but i still have kind of red spots on my face, mainly on my cheeks. what the fuck is that
Probably the best advice so far. Proactiv is simply a branded version of benzoyl peroxide, the appropriate first line treatment for all acne. Second line is topical antibiotics +/- benzoyl peroxide. Third is oral antibiotics +/- topical abx +/- benzoyl peroxide. All these steps your dermatologist will take you through before using the stronger medications available: Retin-A (prescription), which is highly effective but has the side effects of dryness (just moisturize) and sun sensitivity (moisturize with SPF 15+). Finally, Accutane is the strongest and most effective acne treatment, but is reserved for people with scarring or abcess forming acne as it can cause liver disease and relatively dramatic skin and hair changes.
You cannot even touch Retin-A or Accutane products if you are pregnant or thinking about being pregnant, and one prescribing requirement for Accutane is avowing the use of TWO forms of birth control (eg, OCP and condoms.)
In short, find an application form of benzoyl peroxide that you find easiest to apply (brand names don't matter at all), otherwise don't touch your face, moisturize what's dry and if it continues to get worse, follow up with either a family practitioner or dermatologist.
I've used both BenzaMycin and BenzaClin (combinations of benzoyl peroxide and either erythromycin or clindamycin) in the past and both have worked well, though the benzamycin stopped working after awhile.
Edit: been using it since I turned 25, since I had tried lots of other spot treatment things in the past and nothing helped.
That isn't bad at all. Here is some advice I got from my dermatologist when I went to see him for another skin related problem. I can recommend to you a facial cleanser you can get at most stores like Wal-mart or supermarket called Cetaphil. It is a facial cleanser that doesn't dry the face and doesn't feel like sand or anything bad is rubbing on your face. (#1 Dermatologist recommended versus P. Diddy recommended) I use it twice a day. And after that I've never had facial acne again. If one somehow comes up, it leaves pretty quickly as long as you don't try to pop it or mess with it.
Also never pop acne and stay away from rubbing or touching your face alot.
Also I would invest in some facial lotion/moisturizer mostly to be used after you shave.
Proactiv seems to be too expensive for my tastes and as a guy I don't want to be dealing with 5-6 different products that I don't really need or care for.
It works well, as long as you are consistent with it. Also it'll take about 3 weeks before you start to notice any big changes.
Uh-oh I accidentally deleted my signature. Uh-oh!!
Thanks for the advice. : )
EDIT: I just realized I had a crazy eye going in that picture due to the angle I took it from.
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Benzol Peroxide
I used that too. That worked well for me and my acne was super bad.
That's the key though. Antibiotics aren't shit you want to be popping like tic-tacs. The OPs acne is nowhere near bad enough to warrant minocycline, and I doubt a dermotologist would prescribe it.
If it gets worse and you really want to do something about it, go to a dermatologist and see what they suggest.
You don't really have a ton of acne tho, but as I remember it, the most useful part of the kit was the 4th step stuff, this cream you didn't wash off and was kind of a spot treatment. This may be all you need, but I'm not sure you can buy them separate.
Not to get too off topic here, but why do people say not to pop your zits? I did this all the time when I was a kid (before Proactiv) and my face isn't covered in scars and hideously deformed. What gives?
Then I went to this website www.acne.org and purchased their benzoyl peroxide 2.5% face cream and started applying that twice a day in the summer and once a day in the winter. It will bleach your clothes so you gotta be careful with it. It seems to be the only thing that worked for me, otherwise I grow a beard of painful acne along my jawline and neck. If you decide this is for you, you will want to read up on the regimen they recommend. I don't follow it completely as I only apply once a day in the winter, but it's a good basis. The regimen can be found here:
http://www.acne.org/regimen.html
And then finally, moisturize. It is crucial to moisturize if you use most acne topical creams so your skin doesn't dry out and perpetuate more acne. You gotta be careful what type of moisturizer you use because there are many out there that clog pores. You can tell you've got one that won't if it says something like non-comedogenic somewhere on the packaging.
I used to use this one:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10805069
but couldn't find it in stores anymore so I started using this one:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10449396#ProductDetail
which I actually prefer now due to the price and quantity you get and also the fact it is easier to apply. The link I put up there has the green label on it which is probably for something like extra UV protection...I don't know for sure...all I know is I get the one with the red label which I think is their Normal version but I couldn't find it online. I know the Wal-Marts and Targets around me carry it though.
and finally, I use this for those days I actually wet shave my face:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10805059
I've heard this too. I don't know for sure, but what I've been told is many times you end up pushing the puss further into your skin and then more pimples can come from it along with the scarring you already mentioned. Having said that I still pop many of mine because for some reason I find it enjoyable.
Enjoy your scarred face because it does cause scarring.
I'm sure I'll enjoy it more than you!
Enjoy your scarred face because it does cause scarring.
The simple reason for not popping pimples lies in the cause of pimples: irritated, clogged, infected pores.
Your hands are positively filthy fucking devices. Jamming your disgusting digits into your face in order to push the bacteria from a pimple is going to likely do a number of things:
- It could push the bacteria deeper down, which can result in a more serious pimple, dark spots (kinda like bruises that last for months) and even scarring.
- It introduces even more bacteria into the skin
- It creates a huge bloody scab on your face that looks much, much worse than the pimple.
Now, sometimes you can't really avoid it. Walking around with a huge whitehead on your face is no fun for anyone, and sometimes you just want to get that taken care of. Never sit there and just squeeze and squeeze.
If you do pop a pimple, wash the area immediately afterwards--even with some rubbing alcohol if possible. DO NOT TOUCH the area afterwards.
If in doubt, just leave it alone though.
i was on accutane, and if that picture was an indication there's no way he'd get prescription oral medication. I had massive cystic acne on my shoulders, and the people in the brochures are horrifying looking. Also, you don't want to be on that stuff unless you ABSOLUTELY have to. my joints hurt, my lips were permachapped. and i didn't even get the worst side effects which include: liver damage, RECTAL BLEEDING, and hair loss
It looks like some spot treatment or that mask would do fine for you. Wash your face in the morning, before you go to bed, and use that stuff and i bet you will be fine.