okay. im a 19 year old african american male (mixed with japanese and white also, but i have a medium color complexion). I first got acne at around 16, it really started to get bad at 17. That is around the time that I tried proactiv and i was happy with the way it left my skin feeling, but in all honesty, it didnt clear up my acne. It just made the texture a little bit smoother. After trying just about everything from salacylic acid to benzoyl peroxide, i got an appointment to see a dermatologist. He prescribed accutane for me. That was the best thing I could have ever done! Everyone talks smack about the drug, but if you can handle breaking out for the first month or so of taking it, you'll understand why I love it so much. This is my 2nd month on it and I am finally starting to clear up, but it's a MAJOR SUDDEN difference. Everyday for the last 2 weeks I have seen dramatic improvement. My skin is about 80% better as far as the acne goes and as far as the scars and dark marks go, it is about 70% better. I'm thinking by next month it will be 100% clear. Acne is a problem that forms under the skin. topical treatments such as proactiv only work on the surface. Accutane permanently clears most people and about 90% of the people who use it result in completely clear skin. Don't wait any longer, I wish I would have started accutane earlier. Good luck with everything!

__________________
Yahoo! Answers