I bought the Proactiv package for my daughter who is 16. She has a very mild case of acne. The Proactiv works very well, her skin looks much better than it used to. But it is expensive, costs close to $70 for three bottles (CLEANSER,TONER,LOTION) that last about six weeks. Just a word of warning. You can do the math.

I saw recently an advertisement at Costco for a similar system (I forgot the name), and was wondering if anyone has tried that instead. And yes, it does seem to be pretty expensive. I'm guessing that everyone is purchasing it directly from the manufacturer like I have.

I have used Pro Activ in the past and love it. It was the only thing that healed my really acne prone skin.

I stopped using it because I found lower priced products that work just as well. I now buy either Acne Free or Clear Zone from Rite Aid or CVS for under $20 and I get the cleanser, toner, and repairing lotion. They work just as well as Pro Activ. You can also order Pro Activ on QVC for $19 and you get those same 3 bottles minus the mask (which I always thought was useless anyway).

pommona,

Thanks for the great advice regarding QVC. I will definitely check it out. I don't like the idea of Pro Activ just charging my credit card in a month automatically. Thanks!

I tried it and it was very drying on my skin. It took about three weeks before I saw results and only lasted for a week. I just tried another kit which is for "older" skin, I'm in my mid-thirties and yes, feel that is me, it's C29 Infusion and love it. Same price as Proactin, you get cleanser, toner, day and night moisturizer and this line eraser stuff. I like it. I also really like the aspirin mask. You can google that to get info on it. Just make sure you aren't pregnant on blood thinners etc. It's not like ingesting an aspirin but I'm sure some gets absorbed in your body when using. I think the key is a good toner/astringent when cleansing, I usually get too lazy to bother.

Proactive does not work. I tried it about a year ago, and it did not help my face at all.

My son tried it and it didn't work after all of that $$$. Believe it or not, I bought this cheap homeopathic acne gel for less than 10 bucks from new-raves.com and his face is totally clear now. It took 3 weeks and he went from pimply face to peachy. Not sure if it will work on everyone but my sons face looks really clear now.

I have found the Pro-activ products to be of excellent quality, and work quite well. The system works because it addresses the three main culprits of MOST (not all) acne: bacteria, oil, and dead skin together and the products are designed to work in unison by using the right concentrations of medications. I think the first step in treating yourself would be to determine what's causing your acne. Unfortunately Sometimes "experimenting" with other products can become even more costly then just going with the pro-active in the first place. But then again, you may not need all three products in the Pro-activ line. Below is a website a friend told me about and I think it's very helpful in determining your acne causes and treatment options.

Here is a link that might be useful: acne.com

I had fairly bad acne as a teenager. I tried everything over-the-counter. I was extremely self-conscious and shy. Finally my parents took me to a dermatologist. He wr ote upa prescription for a bottle of benzoyl peroxide solution, to be used once or twice a day. My acne slowly cleared. Within six months, maybe less, my acne was gone. I bought Proactiv for my daughter because its main ingredient is benzoyl peroxide. It really works for her. She is 16 and has beautiful skin. She's been using Proactive since January. She gets the three-piece kit. At $70 a month, I'd call it expensive but worth it.

I have used Proactiv for about a year and really like it. I still do get an occasional blemish, but they are more the type near the surface of the skin that only stay for a day or two, as opposed to the type that can wreck your whole week.

The only downside I found to Proactiv was that it turned my khaki Tommy Hilfiger pillowsheets orange from some ingredient contained in the face scrub. It does have a fine-print warning on the box that it may bleach some fabrics, but it was still a bummer.

I purchase most of my Proactiv products on ebay. They are much cheaper there than buying them directly from Proactiv. Obviously, prices vary on ebay, but I usually pay about eight dollars, plus shipping, for an individual bottle and around 35-40 dollars for the three-piece kit, which includes the mask.

I tried Proactiv and it wasn't for me. Ifound it making my acne worse which was rare considering I heard so many great things about it. It blew my mind that it didn't work. I kept trying out things and found the one that worked for me called clearpores. Basically it's the same kind of acne treatment but it works inside out with a great herbal supplement directed towards making your skin healthy and to get rid of acne. If you want more info about this stuff, go to skincleansingsystem.com where I saved money on cp at the time. I continue to use this stuff and it works day in day out.

Good luck

Pro active has not even made it in to the top ten products that drs. recommend. Here's a link to read more about it.

Here is a link that might be useful: pro active review