Doesn't meet my needs---especially not at this price!
Written: Jan 31 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Gets you on a rigid system; toner and mask are good; flexible return policy.
Cons: Drying; benzoyl peroxide bleaches fabric; ingredients not effective for blackheads/whiteheads; expensive
The Bottom Line: I feel like there are a lot of better products I could buy with my $40.
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| nancybel's Full Review: Guthy Renker Proactiv Solution System |
You can't avoid ProActiv. For the last 10 years, the infomercial has been all over TV. Now, there are 2-minute commercials and inserts in the coupon section of your Sunday newspaper. Celebrities like Jessica Simpson, Stephanie Seymour, Britney Spears, and Vanessa Williams extol the virtues of the product, and in televised testimonials, plebeians like you and me hail it as a miracle product. After struggling with moderate acne for nearly 16 years, I finally gave in and decided to try this product.
ProActiv has a "bottom of the bottle," 60-day guarantee---you can try it and use it down to the end of the bottle. If you don't like it, return it within 60 days to get a refund, less shipping and handling. I figured, "if this is such a miracle, what could I lose by trying it?" (besides about $10-11 dollars in shipping costs?) The three-part system costs $39.95, which seems steep at first, but then I realized it was for a two-month supply. Twenty dollars a month seemed reasonable to me for something that seemed like it could clear up my acne (FINALLY)! Besides, over the years, hadn't I dropped PLENTY of cash on products that didn't work? Forty dollars is cheaper than a dermatologist's visit and prescriptions.
Let me explain my condition to you. In my early teens, I had a pretty average case of adolescent acne---open pimples and blackheads. I tried a lot of things to control the acne, including the typical teenage acne cocktail of Noxzema and Oxy. (I think everybody can remember the first time they slathered their face with Oxy 10---all of a sudden, your face started BURNING and stayed lobster red for a few hours!) Despite my efforts to try every product advertised in Seventeen magazine, my skin calmed down by itself after age 16. Since then, I wouldn't describe my skin as "clear." Ten years later, I still suffer from closed comedones---whiteheads. It is really hard to get rid of these! Before I started using ProActiv, I experienced moderate success with knockoff Cetaphil and Paula's Choice 2% BHA (beta-hydroxy) solution. I'd definitely recommend Cetaphil---I never tried it in my younger days because I thought it would be greasy, but I noticed they came out with a formula for acne-prone skin. It throughly cleans your skin (and removes makeup!), while keeping it soft and moist (not oily). I started using the BHA because I read on Paula Begoun's site (she's the "cosmetics cop") that the only way you can really get ride of whiteheads is to exfoliate the pore---you have to remove the dead layers of skin and really get into the pore to get out the gunk! While I was pretty pleased with this skincare arrangement, as a 16-year sufferer of acne, I'm never pleased ENOUGH with my skin and I MUST try new products!
It took about a week and a half for the ProActiv to arrive after I ordered it online (ordering was a simple process).
I tried it for the first time that night. Here's how I found the process:
Step 1 --- Use the Renewing Cleanser
This cleanser contains 2.5% benzoyl peroxide (b.p.). Now, b.p. is typically something you apply and keep on, not rinse off, so I was definitely skeptical about this. You are supposed to massage this cleanser into damp skin for about 1-2 minutes so the b.p. can penetrate your pores. The cleanser has a slightly grainy texture that's supposed to mechanically exfoliate your skin, which helps the b.p. penetrate. I really feel like the cleanser is not worth it---b.p. will not penetrate your skin in 1-2 minutes. Also, this cleanser will not remove makeup, so you'd have to use another cleanser before this one in order to remove any residue from your face. Adding another step into a three-step cleansing process? Ugh!
Step 2--- Revitalizing Toner
After your rinse the cleanser from your face and dry yourself, you should apply the toner with a cotton ball. I actually kind of liked the toner. After I wiped it all over my face, I noticed that the cotton ball was darker---it looked like this stuff was really getting residue off of my face. It was kind of cooling and tingly without being irritating. It has no b.p. in it---one of the ingredients is witch hazel, which is a good natural astringent.
Step 3 --- Repairing Lotion
Okay, I think "repairing lotion" is a misnomer. Anyone who's ever tried the aforementioned "Oxy 10 mask" I described KNOWS that b.p. does not REPAIR your skin---it ain't gentle. This lotion only contains 2.5% b.p., though, as compared to the 5-10% in Oxy (depending on what formula you buy). The makers of ProActiv claim that 2.5% will adequately treat and prevent pimples without the irritation of greater concentrations. My skin did not turn red or irritated after I smoothed on the lotion, but I feel like I've toughed my skin after trying products for sixteen years! Again, b.p. doesn't exfoliate your pores---it just kind of sits on top of them. Therefore, this treatment would be GREAT for existing open pimples, but it really won't do anything for blackheads and whiteheads, which are in the pore. My ProActiv-using friend warned me to only apply this lotion at nighttime, because if you use it twice a day, it is too drying. Even though I only used this lotion once a day, the system definitely dried out my skin a little bit, and the fourth step of my regimen was to moisturize!
One mistake I made while using this lotion was to apply it to my neck (sometimes I get clogged pores under my jawline, etc.). It MAJORLY dried out my skin. I'm talking 80-year old lady dry, and my skin is STILL recovering. Another thing to consider---make sure you slip a white pillowcase onto your pillow---if not, you will CERTAINLY have mottled sheets in the morning after the lotion rubs off onto your pillow! Frankly, I don't even own white sheets, so you can imagine what mine look like now! I can't imagine applying the lotion in the morning and then getting dressed---you'd probably have bleached clothes!
Optional Step -- Refining Mask
One of the free gifts you receive when you order ProActiv is the Refining Mask, which contains sulfur. I've read that sulfur and clay are good for drawing impurities to the surface of the skin---a key way to get rid of those blackheads and whiteheads! Three times a week, I applied this mask to moist skin after washing my face with the Renewing Cleanser. This white mask is non-irritating, and, luckily, it didn't smell like rotten eggs, as I had feared. You keep it on for ten minutes, until it dries, and then I took it off with a washcloth (so I could exfoliate, as well!). While the mask didn't smell bad when it was on my face, I could smell the sulfur coming out of my pores after I applied the toner! That was definitely kind of gross---I was expecting my husband to say, "what is that SMELL?"
IN SUMMATION
I've been using ProActiv for two weeks and I've been waiting for miracles to happen. I should know better---I've been through this before. I've done research into acne treatments, so I should have known that b.p. wouldn't be too effective for my whiteheads. I guess I'm an eternal optimist, though, looking for the holy grail of acne treatments, something that would make my skin COMPLETELY CLEAR! I definitely haven't found it in ProActiv. I plan to send the system back so I can get my refund. I'm a little irked that I have to send it either via certified mail or UPS ($$$!), but at least I'll get $40 back in the end. I'll put that money towards my old stand-bys---knockoff Cetaphil, Paula's Choice 2% BHA cleanser, 5% benzoyl peroxide (hey, you DO need some on hand for that odd pimple pop-up), and oil-free SPH 15 moisturizer.
My experience with ProActiv wasn't all bad, though. I really appreciated that it kept me on a strict cleansing schedule. I was committed to making the system work, so I religiously went through the steps morning and evening---no falling into bed without cleansing! I will make sure I keep this regimen up with my (less-expensive) products. Also, I like the sulfur mask that came as a free gift with the system. (read: I DON'T have to return it. Yay!) However, in the ProActiv catalog, the mask is rather expensive (I believe over $10). The Queen Helen Mint Julep mask is just as effective, and that's about $3 (for a TON of mask).
All in all, this product might be good for someone who has a lot of open pimples on their face. Some people also really need a strict regimen to follow, and they'd like that ProActiv automatically sends you a shipment of their products every two months. (you can say to yourself, "oops, I ran out!")
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
nancybel
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Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 0 members
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