Proactiv for teen acne

buckeyegirl

buckeyegirl

Cathlete
Anyone have any experiences with their teen and proactiv use? My 14 year old is getting self conscious over some moderate acne on his forehead. He uses a salicylic acid based wash at night and uses benzoyl peroxide as well. He has expressed an interest in proactive but not sure it's worth all the hype.

Or if you've found anything else that has worked!

Thanks,
Heidi
 
I have many friends (adults) who have used and still use Proactiv. It worked very well for them. I use one component of Proactive (the BP gel) every night at bedtime, and I think it's really helped me.

That said, it's just a regular wash and maintenance with Benzoyl Peroxide, with the occasional sulfur treatment for stubborn blemishes. I would personally say, that anything with those ingredients, which is most of what you'll find OTC for acne, would do the trick. Just in case there are cheaper options available.

One additional product I'll rave about it from Mario Badescu. www.mariobadescu.com. It's a serum for cystic pimples (Buffering Lotion), and I can't say enough about it!!!! Normally, those are the super painful "hidden wonders" that last for a week or two. With that serum, they're gone in a couple of days.
 
Heidi - My niece has been using it since she was 14. It has really been the only thing that has kept her face clear. I never had any success with salicylic acid (just made my skin worse) by the way. What works best for me (and I've struggled with clear skin for years - been to dermatologists, on pills, etc. and have finally in the last few years gotten it under control) is using a very mild cleanser with NO acid at all - exfoliating well and then before bed applying a 10% generic benzoyl peroxide cream to my entire face (minus the eye area). I still use proactive from time to time, but I could probably stop it now and just keep with the mild cleanser at night and the benzoyl peroxide cream. By the way, the best benzoyl peroxide cream I have ever found is the generic Equate brand that you can buy at Wal-Mart. One thing my doctor always told me was to be consistent. Whether you had breakouts or not, you have to apply the cream EVERY night.
 
I used Proactiv when I was a teen and it made my skin worse. It got really dry and raw, and I don't normally have dry skin. I called customer service with my concerns and they told me to power through it and it could take a couple of months for your skin to improve. I wasn't willing to stick it out so I canceled my subscription and tried the On A Clear Day line from Philosophy and absolutely LOVE it. They have a facial cleanser, day time application, and a nighttime one; it's been years and I still use this line and haven't broken out since. They sell it at Sephora.
 
My daughter uses it. She's 11. The first time she used it, it burned her face. We washed it out... quickly. Now she only uses it on her T-zone... her problem area. She only uses the cleanser.
 
I say it is worth the $50 to try it. It worked for me but I don't like the fact that I can't buy it at Target or somewhere local. I remember as a teen the whole "acne" thing, . .it is horrible on a teens self esteem. I would also suggest a dermatologist. Let us know if she tries it I'm curious to know if it works for her too.
 
My oldest son used Proactiv and it worked for a while and then stopped.

My teen boys use Neutrogena On the Spot now. They start with a mild cleanser, use the Neutrogena and then are supposed to follow up with a moisturizer, but I don't think they do that third step. This works pretty well for them.

Erica
 
I used it before, and I think that it worked, but it really irritated my eyes. I've heard that the Paula's Choice acne line works well, but a teen boy might be a little self-conscious about using something with a woman's name on it.

I'd get the Pro-Active and see what he thinks. If he brought it up to you, he'd likely use it.
 
GMonkey said:
I used it before, and I think that it worked, but it really irritated my eyes. I've heard that the Paula's Choice acne line works well, but a teen boy might be a little self-conscious about using something with a woman's name on it.
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Yeah, you have to be REALLY careful not to use it around your eyes at all. Even with the cleanser scrub. If I get it on my eye area, it burns and makes my eye lids puff up.
 
Thanks everyone. I think I might give the Neutrogena option a try since I don't have to special order that one online. I feel so sorry for these teens with really bad acne - my son's isn't that bad but I certainly don't want it to become that way. I don't remember ever going through an acne-laden teenage phase, thankfully.

Thanks,
Heidi
 
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