Have You Ever Tried ProActive?

Yup. It's harsh and dries the skin. It honestly made my skin worse. Same goes for Arbonne, which was what I tried after the Proactiv.

I suggest a very mild cleanser for sensitive skin with no medications, which really tend to irritate more than anything. Neutrogena and Aveeno both make good ones.

Teen acne is caused by hormone changes. So vitamins, drinking plenty of water, and getting enough sleep and exercise will help. Rubbing harsh chemicals onto skin....not so much.

I would be pro-active myself and take her to a dermatologist so she can learn about her skin. Some people are just going to have acne.

We were fortunate and daughter had few breakouts but I took her to the dermatologist around age 11.

She uses the Clinique line of cleansers and makeup. We both have a very rigid skin routine and you can tell it because our skin is not wrinkly, dry or acne issues.

Other recommended products are Cetaphil and Purpose soap. You have to strike a balance with the skin and it involves more than products ... It's about diet, water intake, sunscreen and overall good health habits.

Still, someone can have the best if habits and still have bad acne!

Good luck!

I agree with Christy. Unfortunately, some people are prone to bad acne, and using harsh cleansers usually makes it worse.

If her acne is severe enough for long enough, you can try Accutane. It works, but people go through major peeling and skin sensitivity while using it.

Just read "her acne isn't horrible," so Accutane is not for her.

Gentle but thorough cleansing, and time. I suggest some kind of gentle cleanser followed by a quick swipe of astringent to remove left-over makeup , oil and dirt. You don't need fancy astringents, witch hazel is fine.

It's messes with the balance of the skin. It might clear up some acne while she is using it, but once she stops her skin will be so out of whack, it will be so much worse. People tend to over treat acne, and it makes skin worse. Skin needs oils, moisture, and room to breathe.

I really love the Yes to Carrots line of products. (I Use the blueberry products.) They are effective and gentle. They don't mess with your chemistry. They have a line specifically for acne. The price is great, because the products last quite some time. http://www.yestocarrots.com/category/oily-or-acne-prone-s...

I started purchasing it about 6 months ago for two of my daughters. It does fine for one of them, but it burned the skin of my other daughter so she doesn't use it. The daughter that still uses it only uses the cleanser. She doesn't use the other two steps because they really dry out the skin. However, she saw immediate results with her acne using Proactive so I can't really say anything negative about it.

Wow - I was just researching this last night, as I am looking for something to improve my (somewhat good) skin as well. I have only known one person who has tried proactiv, and their results were simply mediocre.

My two suggestions would be: La Roche Posay or Exposed Skin Care. I have read rave reviews about both, and I just today purchase my own la roche posay kit. Looking forward to using it! Both get much better reviews than Proactiv - if you simply google and take the time to really read about all of them, you should be able to find all the information you could ever want. I think the reason proactiv is even as successful as it is is due to all the advertising. They are definitely a well-known TV commercial. Good luck!

Yes, we tried it. My son used it once and I used it for about a month. It is/was too harsh on skin. I had more wrinkles and freckles noticeable on me! It dries your skin out, does not work very well, and stains clothing. If you do decide to use it, just use it on the acne itself, not the whole face.

Yes! My son had bad acne, and once he got it under control worth the antibiotic, the proactive kept it at bay.

I think there is some benefit to some kids, partly from the action of the chemicals and partly because, if they have a product, they are likely to think about hygiene and not picking at their zits.

However, remember that the vast amount of acne comes from within and has much more to do with skin nurturing than things like oily hands, eating chocolate or greasy foods, and so on. There's a certain value to exfoliating but the only real difference I saw in my son was when we found a great hydrating and vitamin complex (highly comprehensive, not just this vitamin or that), that really affected his skin from the inside out. The advice we got was excellent - the skin is your largest organ, so it needs at least as much help as the other organs. We also found that he didn't get sick anymore which was a fantastic benefit! That never happened with all the regular over-the-counter vitamins we had given him before. So this wound up being a much better option for us (both in terms of expense and effectiveness), with just a little of the standard zit cream for what became very rare pimples.

My teenage son used it, and it worked GREAT!
While I agree w/ healthy eating, drinking water etc. They are teenagers, w/ wild hormones and oily skin.
His got pretty bad, even with a lot of stubborn blackheads around his mouth. And after the first month I noticed a huge difference. BUT they have to use it daily like recommended.
I'd give it a try. We loved it.