We all know the commercials on TV for Proactiv. The brand has gained much popularity with celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Adam Levine, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber serving as brand ambassadors and numerous brand deals with social media influencers.
I have always had mild acne and my doctors have never wanted to treat my acne. They hesitantly gave me a cream for the acne on my back and chest, but it did nothing. Recently, I have been having acne scarring on my face and have been fed up with having to cover with my acne. I wasn’t confident enough to wear low back tops because it would reveal my terrible back acne and I often used concealer to try to camouflage the acne on my face and chest.
My parents were watching tv during winter break and decided to purchase Proactiv MD for me as a surprise. I was very hesitant about receiving their gift. After trying pretty much all the drugstore acne care, I was either allergic to them because of my sensitive and dry skin or they did nothing. One of the key ingredients of the product in Proactiv is benzoyl peroxide, an ingredient that I pretty much refuse to use, after using numerous products that burned and dried out my skin, but my parents asserted that I should at least try the trial because it worked for many people they knew.
Benzoyl peroxide is basically the worst ingredient to have in skincare. It dries out your skin, causes skin peeling and flaking, induces sun damage, creates hyperpigmentation, and cases signs of aging. The worst side effect is that your skin becomes dependent on the product, which is why Proactiv is so hard to quit.
I started the product anyway, and for the first week, I did not notice a difference in my skin. I made sure to use the products using the facial supplies on my face and their body wash on my back.
After about the second week, I began to notice my skin getting very dry, to the point that it hurt. Previously I have never washed my skin twice a day because I knew that my skin was just too dry, but the Proactiv kit instructed to wash your face twice a day and use the sunscreen every morning and their acne gel every night. I tried to combat the effects of the drying product by using their green tea moisturizer, but my skin was still dry and tight, if anything it made it worse. I even started to notice more bumps and acne on my skin. It seemed to have been reversing my years of hard work to limit my acne and keep healthy, glowing skin.
By the third week, my skin began to peel and I developed a small rash between my lower lip and chin. The skin began to peel and was an angry red color. That was the moment I quit Proactiv; I told my parents to call to get their money back and cancel my subscription.
Needless to say, not all acne products work for everyone. The issue with Proactiv is that it is a generic formula, who clearly does not consider dry or sensitive skin. I do not suggest this product if your skin is not oily, it ended up wreaking havoc on my skin texture that I am still trying to balance. Use this product at your own risk, but you are better off establishing a natural or chemically aware skincare routine and changing your diet/lifestyle for healthy and long term results.