Sometimes those who have been there and travelled that journey understand things better than those who have never made that trip. In this case, we're talking about acne. If you've suffered, you are more likely to understand what you need to get rid of the acne and the very real desire that drives you to get rid of it forever.

It's maybe no surprise, then, that Proactiv acne products were created by two dermatologists who suffered from acne themselves. They wanted a product that would help them get rid of their acne and prevent the formation of new acne. Proactiv was born. Necessity was truly the mother of invention here and drove these two people to invent their own cure for their own particular problem.

Today, it's one of the top selling products in the world for acne care, but before you buy you might wonder: Does it work? That depends on who you ask and what their particular problem is. It's very rare for one single treatment for any problem to suit every single person who uses it - without fail.

Here's the short answer – Proactiv works for most people with acne, both of a more severe variety and those who suffer mild acne. Some people report that their skin becomes too dry, while others report they still have acne problems. There are some tricks, however, and we'll look at those in a minute.

First, it's important to know what's in Proactiv that is the magic bullet. Proaciv is actually a set of three products. You are instructed to use all three products daily. They work in tandem and they don't all contain the same ingredients. The three products are a cleanser, a revitalizing toner and a repairing lotion.

The two key ingredients in the Proactiv products are benzoyl peroxide and glycolic acid. The benzoyl peroxide serves to dry up the pimples (and hopefully help to prevent new ones from forming) while the glycolic acid helps to exfoliate the skin, which is really important to helping to prevent new pimples from forming after the old ones have been dried out.

There are other products you can buy – a moisturizer and an oil control lotion, both of which can be used daily. But the real winner among users seems to be the mask, which is an additional purchase, but which gets rave reviews from pretty much everyone who has used it.

If you are worried about Proactiv products drying your skin too much, you can do spot treatments. Use the cleanser over your whole face and then spot apply the toner and repair lotion in areas where you really need them so you only have to just treat the spots (no pun intended) that you're really worried about.

In the end, the answer to the question of does Proactiv really work seems to be 'Yes', for the vast majority of people. The trick is in the application and the knowledge of your own skin, so you know what your skin can take and what modifications you need to make so you don't over dry your skin and get the most benefit from the Proactive treatment package.