2.10- today, i finally gave in and ordered the Proactive Solution.
2.14- i finally received notice that my Proactive starter pack has shipped.
2.18- it came in the mail today around lunchtime! i opened my package to reveal the 3 step solution, plus a travel pack of the same thing. there was also a spf-15 lotion, a regular oil-free moisturizer, and a rejuvinating mask. all the bottles are pretty small… i hope it lasts the 30 days!
when i opened each bottle, some of them had leaked just a little bit. it wasn’t enough for alarm, though. just an oily sheen on the outside of the bottles that was easily rinsed off. it does have me a little concerned for the safety of future orders, but i’ll worry about that when i get there.
i tried the 3-step solution for the first time that night. for some reason, i just assumed that the cleanser would be a foaming cleanser, so the first thing i did was load it onto my facial loofah pad. it definitely didn’t foam, and i couldn’t even feel it when i applied it, so i put a dab on my fingers… and lo and behold, it has those nifty little micro-exfoliating scrubbies already in it. it felt like washing my face with slimy sand. not too bad, though. i scrubbed and rinsed, then applied the next two steps.
i can already tell i’m going to have to splurge on some sort of moisturizer for a 4th step to my acne solution. this morning, my face is dry as parchment paper. in a way, it’s comforting because i know that it means the oil on my face is being controlled. i can’t continue to have my face this dry on a daily basis, though, so i’m going to implement one of the moisturizers they provided each time i wash my face.
3.13- so far, the Proactiv has helped clear up my acne a little bit, but not nearly enough for me to take an “after” picture. i am going to wait until next month. regardless of how well it works, i will post my “before” and “after” pictures then. if it doesn’t work a little better at the end of 60 days, i am going to discontinue the product. so far all it’s done is clear up a couple old zits and dry the shit out of my face. i’m still breaking out like crazy.
3.29- i just took my “after” pictures. i was a little disappointed in the fact that i still have a substantial amount of red acne spots, but once i examined my “before” pictures, the disappointment completely vanished. i’m also in the midst of a pre-menstrual break out, so i wasn’t too thrilled with taking the pictures… but i knew if i didn’t take them today while i was motivated, it might be another few weeks before i got around to it.
i only used the 3-step program. i tried the “oil control” stuff, but it just made my face burn unpleasantly. i never did get around to the mask either… by the time i’m washing my face at night, i just want to get it over with and go to bed. the spf lotion didn’t do well on my face either. it felt heavy and thick, so i ended up using my Oil of Olay moisturizing spf lotion instead. it worked out well… i noticed that if i kept my face moisturized during the day, i broke out less over night.
here’s the before and after pictures, 5 1/2 weeks into the Proactiv Acne Solution. sorry they’re so small, it’s a little embarassing to post suck intimate pictures of myself. i’d almost rather post a farther-away picture of me in a bathing suit. you can’t tell too much, but there really is a huge difference. i’d say it cut my acne down to a little less than half it’s former self and the redness on my face isn’t quite as harsh as it used to be. overall, i’m not blown away by the results- but i am very pleased with them. i AM, however, having some issues with the cost of the Proactiv Solution. it’s expensive as hell, and i don’t like the “automatic shipment” thing. i cancelled my auto shipments, and asked them to delete my card number from the system (which they did without complaint) and figure that i might try to find an acceptable, affordable alternative. i’m hoping to match the ingredients as much as i can, and go from there. i’ll give a grocery-store brand a try, and if in a couple months my face is back to being full of angry, red acne, i’ll suck it up and spend my monthly “fun money” allowance on it if i have to.
