Yes, I've Tried Proactiv (People Always Ask)

It's no secret that I have a bit of a skin problem. I was hoping it would get better after the teenage years, but I'm still waiting for that to happen. My skin tends to be very oily, and I hate how it's shiny in all my pictures. I'm particularly upset about my passport picture because I have to keep it for 10 years. Fortunately, I don't have that many pimples. Sometimes I have breakouts, like whenever I travel. I think my skin reacts to the different water. I also think it reacts to stress and hormones. Aside from the occasional breakout, my biggest problem is scars. I have a ridiculous amount of scars. Through years of trial and error, I've arrived at a 4-part formula that works pretty well for me.

1. 2% salicylic acid cleanser OR microdermabrasion scrub
2. 2% benzoyl peroxide cleanser
3. 2% salicylic acid toner or astringent
4. 10% benzoyl peroxide cream

This is my current skin regimen. I try to do it twice a day, but some evenings, I just fall asleep. Yes, I realize that's part of the problem. I also know I need to drink more water.

I read about microdermabrasion being helpful for post-acne marks, so I decided to give it a try. I use this one about 3 days a week now. The first time I tried it, I used it every day, but that was during the winter. It can make your skin more sensitive to the sun, and I think adding a moisturizer with sunscreen could be 1 product too many. It worked a lot better when I used it daily; I definitely saw a huge improvement in the number of scars.

I use the Loreal cleanser 4 mornings per week plus every evening, if I don't fall asleep first. I really like the little scrublet, but I recently read that it can hold bacteria. I don't necessarily believe everything I read, but that actually makes sense. I don't know why I didn't realize it myself. Well, I'm much too lazy to sterilize it twice a day, so I probably won't buy it again once this bottle is finished.

A lot of people think of AcneFree as bootleg Proactiv. Well, it worked much better for me than Proactiv. Proactiv helped a little, but not nearly enough to justify the price. My first experience with AcneFree was when I tried one of their systems. I don't remember which one, but it was either clear skin or severe. I really liked the first step, the acne wash, but the toner and lotion seemed too weak. Now, instead of using the whole system, I just buy the acne wash by itself.

When choosing a toner or astringent, I was specifically looking for something to target the scars. Luckily for me, the Neutrogena astringent claimed to do that in addition to preventing breakouts. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but the bottle is almost empty now. I'm not complaining about my lack of pimples because that's absolutely outstanding, but there are sooooo many scars. This astringent is supposed to fade old scars, and it definitely has not done that. I'll definitely be trying something new within the next week. I've found that astringents without salicylic acid don't help me, so I'll definitely be looking for that active ingredient. I'm open to suggestions.

The most important part of my regimen is the pimple cream. If I use something with less than 10% benzoyl peroxide, my skin just laughs at it while exploding with bumps. I think the unique thing about this cream is the time-released thing. I don't know how they do it, but it works. This is the best cream I've ever used. It's not a quick fix, though. I don't expect overnight results, and if I miss a day, there will probably be consequences. When I do have an occasional breakout, this cream knocks it out in a few days. It is important to note that most creams like this are meant to be spot treatments for individual pimples. I definitely use it on my entire face. There have been times when it seemed like my whole face was one big pimple, and I never want to go back to that.

And that is your introduction to the mountainous terrain I call my face.