Why isn't Proactiv working?

Question

I got Proactiv about a month and a half ago. I have acne on my forehead, and a dermatologist recommended that I try Proactiv, but only use it once a week. I got it, but now I am noticing more acne. Is this normal? Why is there more acne occuring.

Also, I have had a blackhead on my upper lip for about 2 years now, and it keeps getting larger. I wash my face everyday, once in the morning, once at night, and that doesn't seem to help. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

call your dermatologist and tell them that proactiv isn't working for you. They should give you a prescription instead. Proactiv doesn't work for everyone.

Answer 2

it just did not work for you the same happened to me

Answer 3

Try a prescription acne medicine for severe acne and it sounds like you are allergic to proactiv so i would stop using immediately.

Answer 4

I am a Registered Nurse and I specialize in skin care and teen acne.

First, about your blackhead, you need to get a facial and have the facialist clean it out for you.

Your question is very broad and you need to get professional advice. I will explain why it's a broad question!

Your age plays a role! How old are you? Do you always have breakouts?

However, acne can result from several factors such an increase in hormone levels. In males testosterone or androgens. In females, androgens respectively. The increase in androgen levels can stimulate the oil glands to become enlarged and thus more oil production is produced. An increased oil production can clog the pores with oil or sebum ( white thick substance) which cause the cell walls of the pores in the skin to breakdown. This process allows bacteria to form and thus breakouts develop.

Genetics may also be a cause. It is a myth that greasy food or chocolate causes breakouts.

However, using make-up sponges that are not changed or washed often can contaminate the pores with bacteria which may develop into acneic breakouts.

If you are a teenager ( which I assume that you are) your hormones play a definite role in your breakouts.

If you have severe breakouts than you might need medication. There are many factors.

The most important thing is that you need products that are AGE APPROPRIATE! Every age group has different products appropriate for them. If you are young than you need milder products as to not dry out your beautiful young skin.

The problem with commercial skin products is that they are manufactured for MASSES OF PEOPLE and are not specifically made for different peoples' needs.

Your skin type is different than mine and your age differs from mine so how is it logical that we both use the same skin product for breakouts. We need different strengths of cleansers and toners. Do you kind of understand what I am getting at?

Here is my STRONG SUGGESTION for you. I refer all my students and patients to this website:

www.aboutyourskincare.com

You need to consult with professionals and on this website YOU CAN ASK QUESTIONS FOR FREE AND A SKIN EXPERT/PHYSICIAN WILL ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. It would be a shame if you dont take advantage of this free service.

Lastly, they have incredible products for breakouts and they make them specifically for every kind of skin type. That means that if your breakouts are more severe than mine, than while we both will buy the same product yours will have stronger ingredients than mine will.

They have a mild glycolic acid cleanser that's great for your type of skin and also a DRYING LOTION ( I have 3 bottles) that you put directly on your breakouts and the next day it's gone. It's truely magic in a bottle.

A basic guideline for properly taking care of your skin is this ( now if you're a young girl you will need fewer products than this):

Night time:

1. Exfoliate the skin

2. Mild Glycolic Acid Cleanser

3. Mild Glycolic Acid Toner ( cleans off the excess debris and balances the PH level of the skin).

4. Drying Lotion used only on breakouts

5. Moisturizer

Morning:

1. Mild Glycolic Acid Cleanser

2. Moisturizing cream

The above is a standard you may need to only use one or two products. Visit: www.aboutyourskincare.com

As I suggested and click on the ASK FOR FREE section send them an email and you will get free expert skin care advice.

You can also read up on acne at: www.aboutacneproblems.blogspot.com

Good Luck to you,

Michelle

Answer 5

honestly, when i got proactive it didnt work for about a month.. so i quit using it... go get the nuetragena (i spelled that wrong) clear pore stuff..its in a clear bottle and the liquid is blue. i found it at vons. EVERY NIGHT after you wash your face take a cotton ball, pour the clear pore stuff on the cotton ball and wipe it where your acne is... after about a week your face should look alot clearer =] and the blackhead is probably not a blackhead because if it was it would be gone by now. but you could always do it the old fashion way (even though painful) and get the blackhead strips and rip it off.  

Answer 6

u use proactive once a week?? r u CRAZY

your supposed to use it twice a day!! or it does nothing!

morning and night!

sheesh

Answer 7

My friend used to use proactive and it didn't work for her either. it doens't work on all skin types. As for the blackhead i would try that new blackhead eraser by clean and clear. it's inexpensive and i hear this one really works!!!

Answer 8

You're body/skin adapts to its surroundings. After using proactive for an extended period of time, the skin gets used to the benzyle peroxide and other chemcial agents.

You just have to lay off the product for a while. I know, because I've experienced this many times

Answer 9

Your dermatologist made a mistake by telling you to use Proactiv only once a week. She was probably thinking that your skin was too sensitive to use Proactiv everyday [its very strong]- so recommending it once a week wouldn't make your skin irritated. This was a mistake because now you are only slowly drawing out the acne you have, rather than doing it quickly to get results. You see, Proactiv draws out your acne at first, and then about 1 month later you'll see your results because there will be no more acne to draw out. [ So It gets worse before better.] But if she thought your skin was too sensitive in the first place, so much that you couldn't use it properly [2X a day, not 1 time per week!] then she shouldn't have suggested it at all.

There is no acne system that will work for everyone. Proactive is the best though, if your skin can stick it out. It sounds like your skin is much to sensitive though... Your dermatologist didn't even want you to use it more than once per week! Here are some tips on how you can reduce your acne without spending money on things - and suggestions- that just do not work.

-Drink 5-7 glasses of water a day if you don't already.

-Eliminate lots of sugary drinks, butter, peanut butter and other high concentrated sugar-y foods from your diet.

-Use a GENTLE exfoliant.

Now see what happens...

Answer 10

you need to use it every morning and night. thats what the proactiv bottle says to do and thats how it works best.

Answer 11

You must wash your face with ProActiv in the morning, when you wake up, and at night, before you go to bed. Only put the last step on pimples, not your whole face or it will be dry.

Also, you must work towards getting that nasty black head out. That means pinching it with your fingernails, digging deep and pressing until it stops coming out. It will hurt, but you should not let black heads like that grow, they will leave a dent in your skin.

Also, try weekly skin masks.

Answer 12

i have never tried proactive

but i would reccomend using nutrogena deep clean.

i use it in the shower everyday and it works wonders =]

Answer 13

proactiv is really really strong, so make sure you only use it on the parts of your face that really have acne. like, for example, if your forehead is horrible but your cheeks are totally fine, try to not let your cheeks touch the facewash too much. also, use it like every other day, cuz otherwise, you won't really be seeing results.

Answer 14

Yeah definantly more than once a week. But sometimes things dont work. Different stokes for different folks. Try using the directions on the bottle instead.