I vividly remember my teenage experience with acne – I surrendered as a helpless victim. There was nothing that would rid my teenage face of those little infected pores that became ugly, red monsters. Being a young, impressionable male, I bought into all the acne myths that bounced through the rumor-filled halls of my high school: Chocolate gives you acne too much salt gives you acne; long hair makes your forehead break out; it’s all hormonal. Solutions: Use hemorrhoid cream to reduce acne…toothpaste on your zits…diaper rash cream, ice massages, a mild soap and water, Kiehl’s, Noxema, Oxy, Clearasil, Neutrogena, Accutane, Retin-A or what my doctor put me on, Tetracycline. Did it work? I felt like the Sahara Desert, the effects stretching into my illustrious, high school jock career, making me constantly suffer from cramps associated with dehydration. I quit taking it immediately and dealt with the acne – after all it would be gone in another year or so.

Fact: Acne Doesn’t End at Age 20

My acne never went away, not completely at least. I would spot-treat into college, and without fail, as an important event would approach, so would an unwanted break out. The 1990s pushed toward the advent of the 21^st Century, and I was able to find a wealth of acne myths online – exactly what I needed, fuel for my fire: Diet greatly affects overall complexion – I tried becoming semi-vegetarian. Didn’t work. Acne is brought on by stress – I slept more and exercised more, which offered no change. While it was frustrating, it was manageable and I left no acne myth unturned, hoping to find something to rid me of a nagging beast. Spot treat, break out, spot treat, break out…

Dealing with Adult Acne

Transitioning into adulthood, I moved to New York City to see what big city living was all about. Tragically, my face that had been manageable in college became a mine field. Not small zits, but cystic acne – around the jaw line, combining with ingrown hairs, etc. that made wearing a collar a living hell. It hurt. It hurt to touch, it hurt my ego, it hurt my desire to socialize in one of the world’s grandest cities. My lowest point came during an interview when I was asked if I had been bitten by a spider right between my eyes. Ugh. No, sir. Just a zit. Thanks for your time.

One night, I was channel surfing and saw an infomercial for Proactiv. I thought about calling – thought hard, but instead I called my doctor back in the Midwest and jumped back on prescription acne pills. Did they work? This time I felt dried out like a raisin, and the zits kept coming. The nastiest of the acne dissipated, but it was back to spot treat…break out…spot treat…

Another year passed, and I started to struggle with my complexion again. I decided to buy every acne myth as truth – acne being stress related, diet related, hormonal, etc. and I needed a fix for all of them. I was fed up, in my mid-20s and not about to be a sufferer of adult acne. I pulled out my credit card and called the Proactiv toll free number. Within three weeks, my acne was gone – completely gone! Any zit that started to develop after I began using Proactiv would never really make it to the surface. My skin had never been healthier, and any time I see a photo from that fall or winter I smile, because I remember it as the year I ditched my acne. Since then, I have recommended and purchased Proactiv for friends and relatives of various ages – all positive results and feedback.