Miscellany: The Poor Man's Proactiv

Proactiv, a fairly popular acne treatment, has all sorts of infomercials and celebrity spokesmen. Diddy, Vanessa Williams, Jessica Simpson - all have pimped out the relatively expensive system of skin treatment. They even have vending machines in malls that dispense Proactiv - no employees, no overhead, and people get the product instantly and on demand.

Here's an example of all that marketing money at work:



I have some mild acne, so I wondered what Proactiv could do for me. Now, I don't have $50 to blow on an acne treatment system, especially when the active ingredients are available elsewhere. Proactiv is basically a combo of salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide, both of which help clear off layers of skin and dry the skin out. I bought a Neutrogena brand "Proactiv-alike" and immediately started using it instead.

After a few weeks of use, I can't say this stuff has made much difference. In fact, my acne might be getting even worse - I have a big ole red zit on my cheek right now. I suppose I'll use up the rest of the package, and then go back to my old standby salicylic acid pads. At least my results weren't as bad as this poor fellow: