My 17 year old son tried the travel sized proactive and it seems to work, but he is lazy and will not use the 3 step system. Which are the 1 or 2 most important items to use? I am trying to teach him that the skin is an organ that needs to be taken care of.
Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to respond; I will get him the regular size #1, the cleanser to use in his shower, and #3 the Repairing Treatment to use at night.
The repair lotion is the most important. Also you might try just the mask. I use it by itself at times and it works. Just put the mask on the problem area and sleep with it on.
My dermatologist told me that proactive isn't good for your skin. She said soap and water and otc acne meds are just as good at a fraction of the cost. If he has acne that doesn't respond to that, then he might need stronger things from the dr.
Proactive is not for everybody! What I have heard from some clients, is that it works great for few months, after that the acne comes back even stronger! Like the previous post, I would recommend you take your son to a dermatologist to determine which type of acne he has and prescribe a treatment (internally and topically) that will work for his specific condition. Proactive has Salicylic Acid which is a beta hydroxy acid, a strong exfoliating agent. So it's treating your acne topically only!
Ok, so I'm going to answer a little different than everyone else. I do think taking him to a dermatologist is a great idea, but if you can't or don't think it's bad enough you might consider using another system. Whatever you use you should use all the same brand because they are made to work together. Mary Kay has a line called Velocity (don't worry, it's orange not pink) and it is directed toward teens. It is pretty inexpensive and only has two steps - cleanse and moisturize. This is what my girls will have to use regularly before they are allowed to wear makeup (and no, I don't sell it, just have used the products with great success for years). I agree that it is important to teach your son to take care of his skin. He needs to get into those good habits now. He can use the cleanser in the shower and then just throw on the moisturizer when he gets out. They also have acne treatment gel if he needs it for occassional use. Whatever brand/direction you go with, good luck!
Steps 1 and 3 are the most important, according to the customer rep I talked with when I ordered the product. She said If you are going to skip a product, skip #2. Cleansing and repairing, that's the way to go. My daughter and I both use this product, and it has made an amazing difference in our skin. Even if we clean with any "soap" becasue we're tired or lazy, we always use the #3 repairing lotion. It's like the acne lotions on the market, only better.
The system works really well but you really need to use all 3 steps. It only takes 5 minutes and once your acne is under control, you can use it once a day or even every other day. He really needs to use all of them...he's 17...doesn't he want to look good?
If he used the first two items and it worked for him, then that's probably good enough. Teenage boys just want a product that works without all the fuss or drama from their Mama (speaking from personal experience). Keep the 3rd around, and he will probably just use it on his own one day (speaking from personal experience).
I didn't have ance at a young age. I got it around 28 and still have little break outs. When I first began using the product I used it day and night , but now I only use it in the morning. All three is best but #3 keeps you looking good when you get lazy. There are teens at my church that use it also. When they stop you can tell. This is the only thing that worked for me! All the money I wasted on anitbotics, creams, blemish stuff~ I recommend it to everyone that asks.
I agree with Bobbi K - I haven't talked to my dermatologist about Proactiv specifically, but it depends on what kind of acne he has. Most people have acne vulgaris, but some of us who are really unlucky, have cystic acne that can't be treated topically. I had to take antibiotics for years to help control it and still have problems at almost 35 years-old.
Treating the wrong kind of acne the wrong way won't make it any better. I'd recommend talking to his primary care provider or a dermatologist to see what their recommendation is.
Being a kid with acne is SO hard!
Using all three is best... with that Proactive hardly helped me (still at 28 I struggle with it) after many years I went to a dermatologist and told me Proactiv actually caused scarring because it was the wrong treatment. I was told if in three months if it hardly helped or if I could not remember or have the time to do all the steps then it is no good so try something else.
There are other products in the store similar for cheaper that are just one steps because they are a 3 in 1 type (Nutergeana, Clearasil to name a few). Acne can be a struggle and even if someone wants to look good the cleaning process has to fit their life style to work.
It is best to use all 3 on a regular basis. using 1 or 2 will be ok but you get the best results using it as directed.
