How to get skin that does not look like Jessica Simpson's
Written: Apr 24 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: You can get your money back.
Cons: Smells bad, time consuming, made skin worse, not hypoallergenic
The Bottom Line: I wouldn't recommend this product. It made my skin worse and months later I'm still trying to get it back to how it was before I used Proactiv.
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| greeneyedenvy's Full Review: Guthy Renker Proactiv Solution System |
Last summer, my usually clear skin decided to go haywire and get some rather ugly acne. It wasn't terrible, but it was there and it was more than I was used to. I think it was because I switched face washes and the one I went to didn't work for me. By the way the one I switched to was Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser, which is known to make skin break out, but my mom bought it by mistake and refused to buy more face wash until I used it up. I don't recommend it, and I'll probably give it a bad review too, later.) Throughout my life, I always got compliments on how I always had clear skin. I wanted to keep my good reputation, and since my skin was starting to look rather gross, I decided to be like Jessica Simpson and use Proactiv. I ordered the basic 3 piece kit, and it only took about a week to get here and I used standard shipping because rush shipping was rather costly. The product itself wasn't cheap- I've always just used Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash and Clean & Clear Continuous Control Acne Cleanser, both f which are in drugstores and don't cost much at all. I think Proactiv cost around $40 plus shipping. However, Vanessa Williams said, "What have you got to lose?" and she made it sound like if you can get your money back, then this is totally risk free.
Anyway, I got the package, ripped it open, and I ran to the bathroom to wash my face. First you use the Renewing Cleanser. It wasn't bad and it felt gentle, though you could feel it exfoliating your skin. I read on their website and heard from reviews on here that it wasn't a bad idea to leave this stuff on for a while before you washed it off. At first I didn't do this, but I did it sometimes- I'd rinse my face, massage the stuff on my skin and brush my teeth or something hoping that it would get into my pores. Next, I would use the Revitalizing Toner, which I found to be refreshing, but it can definitely dry your skin at first. Then came the Repairing Lotion which really smelled and sometimes it took a while to rub it in all the way. I also got a Refining Face Mask which was supposed to calm and soothe skin. I used it once or twice a week. A very important thing to remember: All these products have a distinct smell. It isn't bad, but it's not great and overtime I hated it more and more. I'm sure if I took a whiff of the stuff today, I would hurl.
I had high hopes for Proactiv and I used it religiously and I followed the directions. It was a bit time consuming because you have to dry your face completely before you apply the next product, so that was a little annoying. After the first week, I thought I noticed my acne getting a little less red (yay!), but I noticed that my acne would hurt whenever I washed it and it became very painful to wash or to touch it (no yay). After a while, I noticed that whenever I put any of these products on it, my skin would itch a little, especially after the Repairing Lotion. Eventually, my acne just got really red and large and embarrassing, and I even started to develop a rash on my chest, on the back of my neck and also in little spots on my stomach and arms. At this point, I knew I had to quit using this stuff. After a few days, the rash was gone. I know Proactiv mainly focused on using Benzoyl Peroxide in its products to treat acne. Both of the face washes I used before either had Salicylic Acid or Benzoyl Peroxide in them, so I didn't think I would have a problem with Proactiv because my skin is used to this stuff. The Clean & Clear face wash I used was 10% Benzoyl Peroxide and Proactiv's Renewing Cleanser only has 2.5%, so I figured it wouldn't hurt me. However, Proactiv uses a lot of minerals and elements and all kinds of chemicals that could cause an allergic reaction, which I believe is what happened to me. I looked on the bottles after I got the rash, and nowhere on them does it say that these products are hypoallergenic.
At the beginning of this review, I said how Vanessa Williams said this is basically risk free. I certainly don't think so, and I know several friends of mine who would agree with me- their skin either remained the same or got worse after they started using Proactiv. I did send my products back to get my $40 back- by the way, they didn't send the money until over 2 months after I called and sent the stuff back. Crappy service, eh? My acne was way worse, and I looked terrible. That was last September. Now, I still have acne, though it's nowhere as bad, and I have bad scars that look like acne, but they're not. I know they came from Proactiv- my skin wasn't this bad before I tried it, and months later it is a slow process trying to get back to the clear skin I once had. So yeah, I got my $40 back, but I've spent so much more money on better products trying to undo what Proactiv did, and I am going to go to a dermatologist soon and probably spend even more money. To me, it was not worth it.
Another thing I will warn you about is the customer service. Overall, it's not bad. However, when you first sign up to get the stuff, they automatically sign you up for "The Clear Skin Club" in which you will receive a new kit every month or two (I can't remember if its every month or every other month) by default unless you change it. REMEMBER TO GO ONLINE AND CHANGE THE SHIPMENTS ACCORDING TO HOW SLOWLY OR QUICKLY YOU USE THE PRODUCTS UP. They have your credit card number, so they'll automatically just send stuff every month or two unless you say otherwise, and they will take money right out of your account when they do it. I know $40 may not be a lot to most people, but if you're a teen working a minimum wage job, it’s a nice chunk of change. Also if the stuff is working for you and you run out, you might not want to go 3 weeks without before your next shipment comes in. Anyway, when I decided to cancel my membership with them, the people on the phone were very curious why I wanted to quit using this stuff, and I don't feel like I should have to say anything more than "It made my skin worse and I had an allergic reaction". They tried to convince me to keep using it. How rude! Good luck dealing with them. Also, like I said, they won't send your money back in a reasonable amount of time. It came 2 months after I sent my stuff back. Also, this may have changed since last year when I was using this stuff, but I was never able to buy just the face wash, or just the toner. If I had ran out of something, I would have had to order a whole new kit, which seemed annoying. Though I only ever used one kit of Proactiv, I went through the Toner much more quickly than I did the cleanser or the lotion. I think they started to change this right before I quit using this stuff though, so you may have an easier time than I did.
It's up to you if you think it's worth it to try this stuff. True, you'll get your money back, but you'll probably end up spending way over $40 trying to fix what Proactiv does. And remember it is not hypoallergenic, so I wouldn't recommend it for people who have sensitive skin and are allergic to weird scents (this stuff reeks) or Benzoyl Peroxide.
By the way, a great alternative to this system is the Neutrogena Advanced Solutions Complete Acne Therapy System (includes a cleanser, overnight lotion, and a moisturizer with sunscreen). I know I said Neutrogena Deep Clean is what messed up my face in the first place, but Neutrogena is a good line, and this Advanced Solutions is only $30, you can get it at the drugstore, and I think you can buy the face wash and lotions separately if you run out of something and don't want to buy a whole other kit. Of course, everyone's skin is different so different stuff will work for different people. No matter which product you use, I wish you luck and hope this review was helpful.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
greeneyedenvy
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Reviews written: 5
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