Their product line expanded to include things like a mask and a variety of other lotions and creams. But their core system still involves the same three products they started with and they still work just as well as they did. Proactiv Solution is a product I have personal experience with because I used it in my late 20s. My cousin who was a teenager at the time and just starting to get her first acne was having a terrible time trying to minimize it.

Her worst acne was on her for head where it stretched from her hairline to her eyebrows and rather than raised pimples appeared as flat, dark spots. It was affecting her self-esteem and just making her life miserable. She also had acne on her chest and back but was less worried about this because it cleared up a bit in the summer when she wore swimsuits and it didn’t show much any other time. The rest of her face would show the occasional big pimple but nothing like what was on her forehead.

I purchased Proactiv Solution for myself because I had adult acne that was really starting to bother me. I’d always suffered with acne but was going through a heavy period of breakouts for some reason. I’ve been on birth control and then went off it because it made me feel rotten, and it seems like after that my face continually broke out. Within just a few days of using Proactiv on myself I could see a huge difference and felt much better about my appearance. So I recommended it to my cousin’s mother, who purchased some for her and within a couple of weeks her face was back to normal. There were still some spots on her forehead that she could see but they were so much lighter than before and clearly going away. New pimples weren’t coming the way they had been so she felt much better about her appearance, too.

There are a number of products similar to Proactiv solution available today and many of them are available for purchase in regular stores. When Proactiv originally appeared it was mail-order only but today you can find it sometimes in places like Walgreens or in mall outlets. If you have an acne problem, you owe to yourself to try Proactiv or a very similar product like top rated acne soap containing similar ingredients because they can really make a difference in your acne.

Photo: sunshinecity

I remember using Clearasil for the first time. I was a big believer in Noxzema cream, even though it didn’t do anything for my acne. It’s hard to resist that nice clean and fresh smell, though. The thick, white cream just feels good on your fingers and your face and it’s enjoyable to put on and use. It might’ve been wonderful stuff for my skin in general but the big pimples kept coming.

Then there were special acne soap products that were actual bar soap with a variety of things in them like oatmeal or some sort of grain to make them look pretty and dimply. None of these did anything for me, but they cost my mom a little extra every time we went to the store and tried a new one. Soap and creams and scrubs, oh my.

I used Sea Breeze astringent on my face and went through mountains of smelly Stride-Ex pads. Nothing I ever did made a difference. I could go on a diet and cut out all the foods that they claimed to cause acne back then like chocolate, pizza and basically everything a teenager lives for and sometimes the acne would even get worse. None of the acne soap products, lotions, creams or miracle cures would work for me and I simply got through my teenage years wearing a lot of cover-up stick and foundation-type make up to try to disguise the fact that my face was in terrible shape.

As anyone with acne knows, that does nothing for your self-esteem. It’s hard to feel good every day when you feel like you look terrible. And no matter how small a pimple might be, it feels huge and it’s easy to think that anyone who’s looking at you is drawn to looking at that big pimple like magnets are drawn to metal.

I ended up with adult acne, too. I’m just one of those lucky people with terrible skin and bad genes. When I was an adult, my acne wasn’t nearly as bad but even now that I’m in my 40s I still have breakouts occasionally.

The important thing to get from this story is that Clearasil, Stri-Dex, Noxzema, Sea Breeze and all those other acne products out there didn’t work for me but that doesn’t mean they won’t work for you. A relative of mine who came from the same gene pool used Noxzema daily and rarely ever had a problem. Was it just heredity or did that specific acne product just do well for her but not for me? I know people who would wake up with a pimple in the morning, dab a little Clearasil on it and barely be able to see where was the next day. It didn’t work that way for me. It was almost as if my face said, “Ha! You dare try to mess with me? Now I’ll make it worse to show you who’s boss!”

When it comes to acne and face care, you have to discover what works for you. If you start out with products that work well for many other people, you have a better chance of hitting on the right one. But be aware that not all of the products that you can buy over-the-counter are going to be strong enough for people with serious acne problems. I had to resort to a mail order acne care solution when I was in my 20s to find a product that worked for me, where most of my relatives could buy something from a discount store and never think about it again.

As you try to find something that helps your acne, try not to get discouraged if the first couple of things you try just don’t work that well. In the same way that your best friend can eat cake every day and stay a size 2 while you would gain 3 pounds just licking the plate, your skin might not respond to the same products in the same way, so be patient.

Photo: Horia Varlan