It's not fair. Pregnancy is not kind to me. While it would seem all pregnant Hollywood A-listers manage to look fab, I look the polar opposite. Since this is my second, my body apparently remembered the last go-around a little too well and I blew up almost immediately. Muscle memory much? I look 5 months pregnant and I'm only 14 weeks! Another lovely experience for me is teenage-like acne…and I have not been a teenager in forever! Zits and wrinkles? Together? There ought to be a law. I know this is only temporary, but come on! It's hard enough to feel pretty when you are pregnant let alone when you can play Connect the Dots on your face!
So when the acne started to flare up right before New York Fashion Week (my luck) I was desperate! I was trying anything and everything to dry up those obnoxious zits, but all I did was irritate my sensitive skin. I then visited my dermatologist and there was not really much she could do for me (since I can't use Retin A or take anything) except give me a peel which just burned like hell and left my face red for 2 days…with acne! My husband couldn't even look at me and I avoided all mirrors.
I had been sent a Proactiv Solution Gentle Formula kit a few weeks prior, but was nervous to use it since I didn't think the regular formula worked well on my 'starting to age skin' years ago when I had a flare up. I was also warned by some beauty colleagues not to try it. But I didn't realize I had received a Gentle Formula nor was I aware there was even such a thing. But at this point I was so desperate I would have put donkey poop on my face if I believed it would work.
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Proactiv has developed a 3-Step System for those of us with sensitive skin and allergies and who are easily irritated by benzoyl peroxide. Proactiv has replaced the benzoyl peroxide in Steps 1 and 3 of the classic 3-Step System, with 2% salicylic acid, a gentler acne medicine. There are two final steps, one for A.M. and one for P.M. Step two for day includes soothing botanicals, while step two for night incorporates added anti-aging retinol. Seriously? A few days before Fashion Week I was desperate and in tears. I had to try it. At this point I had nothing to loose.
Well the results were almost immediate! My face cleared up considerably in 2 days! I could not have been more thrilled. Proactive literally saved (my) face. The regimen is super easy and I love the toner because it does not sting nor irritate my skin. In fact, it does not feel drying at all. I find it comical I am using Proactiv and yet still using neck and eye cream.
Now, I'm not going to lie, I am still breaking out a bit and my skin is not perfect, but I would say it's a 75% improvement over where I was before Fashion Week. I'll take it. So far it has given me the best results I could have asked for.
I highly recommend trying the Proactiv Gentle Formula 3-Step System if you are experiencing break-outs and have sensitive skin, whether you are pregnant or not. I know for me this is only a temporary situation, but nobody should have to suffer through acne, especially when you are over 30!
Proactiv Gentle Formula 3-Step System, $49.95. Oddly there is no information about it up at proactiv.com yet, but call 1.888.819.2019 and they will hook you up.
– Lauren Dimet Waters
FTC Disclosure: Sample received for review
