It burns. It burns! (A Proactiv Story)

[Ensign Steve]

Ensign Steve + late night tv + credit card = recipe for disaster!

I ordered the Proactiv (http://www.proactive.com) skin care system last weekend, and I began using it today. Be prepared for unsolicited, tedious updates as often as I notice a change.

Day 0: I ordered the program, despite the fact that I don't have "traditional" acne (red bumps). I have a couple friends who had severe acne I couldn't believe how well this program worked for them. I want to see if it will help even my skin tone and minimize my pores, as the commercial says it will. Here goes.

Day 1: As the title of the thread states: IT BURNS! Ahhhh! Where are the soothing botanicals?! I'm going to die!

To Be Continued...

[livius drusus]

Was you skin dry when you applied it? I find pretty much anything burns when applied to dry skin. Fucking winter. Yeah, yeah, I know... Take it to the complaint thread.

[Ensign Steve]

It's a combination system with cleanser, toner, and lotion. My skin was pretty wet for step 1, as I was in the shower. But, yah, my skin is dry, and I know from experience with other acne treatments that the burning (and itching and stiffness and tightness) of my skin immediately after treatment is due to its dryness. Yay! But this burning is more severe than I'm used to. Not surprising as this medicine is stronger than I'm used to. This is even after using the "lotion" (which is 2.5% benzol peroxide - ouch!). It's more a medicine than a moisturizer by any means.

[livius drusus]

Oh dear. I gotta tell ya, at first read this does not sound like the product for you. I'll keep my fingers crossed. :crossed:

[Ensign Steve]

Thanks, hon. I'm following the manufacturer's advice and using it sparingly until my flesh gets "used to" being seared of my skull. Worst case scenario, there's a money back guarantee.

[viscousmemories]

Money-shmoney. Will they give your face back?

[Ensign Steve]

Yah, me and Michael Jackson are going to file a class action suit.

[viscousmemories]

:chuckle:

[Beth]

My moisturizer did that to me, burns. It is loaded with vitamin c and causes the burning. After about a week, the stinging went down to something that was not too noticible. Hope the system works.

[LadyShea]

It worked well for me, and didn't burn (hell I use rubbing alcohol as toner usually), but at the time I couldn't afford to keep buying it, then forgot about it. My skin isn't as bad as it was. Hormones change every couple years it seems!

[One for Sorrow]

Proactiv worked well for me for a few months, and didn't burn (I had oily skin, though.) I stopped using it for a couple of months because the website I ordered it from ran out of supply, and when I started using it again, it didn't seem to work anymore.

Eventually, I went to a dermatologist and after a few different prescription acne drugs that irritated my skin and did little else, was finally put on Accutane. That did the trick, and the only really nasty side effect I got from that was extremely chapped lips. Aquaphor (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000052XOY/sr=1-3/qid=1109004500/ref=sr_1_3/104-6648556-9339166?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=3760931&s=hpc&v=glance) handled that well, though.

I've been off of Accutane for almost a year now and would probably use Proactiv again if I could find it to prevent that acne from returning. I hope it works for you, Ensign Steve. :)

[Ensign Steve]

Day 2: Last night I put a dab of the clay mask on a red spot on my chin to dry it out (they say to do that), and it seems like that was pretty effective. It's still there, just not inflamed. I haven't done the treatment today, I'm waiting for my nighttime toilet so that I can sleep through the worst of the burning.

[Ensign Steve]

Day 16: Wow, how did you all make it so long without an update? Were you able to get to sleep at night? Did you have nightmares? I'm so sorry!

Well, depression aside (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=47189&postcount=3), I still must admit that I am still not enjoying the hell out of this product. It did reduce the size of my pores, which was what I was going for. Yay! But there are just far to many negative side effects. The skin on my chin has been dried the hell out to the point that I have dead skin flakes on it. Somehow I feel psoriasis* is a little bit more off-putting than clogged pores. More recently I have developed severely chapped lips, which admittedly could have been caused by this medication, jogging in arctic winds, eating my weight in salted pistachios**, or any combination thereof. But it is still unattractive and painful.

I went the last two days without using the product, to see if that would help me recover a little, and I developed a huge blemish on my chin. Yay. Before that I was still using it only once a day, still not having adjusted enough to feel comfortable moving up to the twice daily routine they recommend. I am going to keep it up another week, as they say it takes three weeks to "work" or whatever. But more than likely I'm sending it back for a refund. My skin just isn't as oily as that of the people this product is intended for.

Oh well, it was worth a shot. I got the results I wanted, anyway. Just got more than I bargained for.

*OMG I speeled that right on my first try!
**I did not get that one right on my first try.

[CARLA]

Sorry to hear it didn't work for you.. :(

My daughter uses it everyday, has for almost a year. When she stops using it she breaks out badly. So for her it's an excellent product. One you can get without a perscription. Accutane works well on most people. The side effect are more than just chapped lips.. I don't want to alarm you, but you should ask your physician about these side effects. Being on it a year is a long time. Be careful... :yup:

Accutane (generic name: isotretinoin) side effects include Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Rectal Bleeding, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Proctitis, Enterocolitis, Ileocolitis, Ileitis, Sigmoiditis, Colitis, Premature Epiphyseal Closure, Desiccation of the Spine and Discs, Optic Neuritis, Cirrhoses, Hepatotoxicity and severe birth defects. Accutane is a drug intended to treat severe, recalcitrant, nodular acne.