Proactiv sort of worked for me for awhile (never fully cleared), but it did stop working and my acne got worse. I don't know why that was, b/c in theory it shouldn't, like Lydia said. But from what I've read a lot of people have a similar experience. I had better luck with Acne.org's Benzoyl peroxide regimen and products. But my skin rebelled against that after about a year. BP can be pretty brutal on your skin. It made my wrinkles much worse, too, b/c it also can severely dry your skin out. Within a couple of days of not using it, the wrinkles around my eyes were almost non-existant. I guess things are often a trade-off, though, and you have to decide what you are willing to deal with. And in the case of acne treatments, as with IBD treatments, what works for some doesn't work for others. I am 30 also, and have been in worse shape since Feb than I have since I was a young teenager. Maybe ever.