....OBVIOUSLY, go to a dermatologist. Proactive is no better or worse than any other OTC acne treatment. What you clearly need is a prescription-strength treatment. I have the same skin issues as you, and I'm now on two acne treatments (one is twice a day, one is before bedtime), and they work a treat! My skin is amazing now.

Proactive is terrible.. it just coats the surface of the skin but the imperfections are still there. Not to mention how much it bleaches your towels...

Everyone's different but for me I found that threeFIX worked great after years of me trying all kinds of things. It worked on my best friend too so I guess it's worth a try for anyone else =)
(http://www.threefix.com)

Other than that, keep in mind that breakouts are more likely around your period and so you'll usually still have problems around then. I try to keep make-up to a minimum also.

I would try skin ID, That's what I use now and I will never go back to anything else. It's only 40 dollars for the three part regime, and it's custom to your skin type. I love it. My particular regime didn't include a moisturizer, so I just bought a neutrogena one at a drug store, and it's working great. I noticed results in 2 weeks, and it's STILL working.

Also, to help with scaring, don't pick at your pimples!!! I know it's hard, cause I am defiantly guilty of this as well.

If you want to hide your irritation or redness, smashbox makes a green tinted primer that will counter act the red in your skin. It's a bit pricey, but it lasts at least a year.

I've suffered from acne since 7th grade, I'm now 20 and finally have gotten my skin in a good spot. I've used proactiv too, I suggest, though, not to use the second step. Skip it completely. Make sure your face is really moisturized at night. This really helps. Lastly, I just recently found that the spice turmeric really helps your skin. I've been mixing some with water, it tastes disgusting, but I've seen a difference in my skin. If you can find capsules of this stuff, I suggest that over drinking it.

I hope this helps!

If you find some vegetable soap and wash your face twice a day with it (maybe more if you're able) And moisturise with calendula cream. You'll need to get that from an alternative health type place. I dont know where they'd have it in america. But Calendula helps heal, so that will also help a little with the scars ( :
Should see a result in 1-2 weeks!
And as Carly Sheil said, there will likely be a breakout pattern within your monthly cycle which may not go away completely.

i use gram flour on my face. instead of soap or face wash i mix 1/2 a teaspoon of gram flour with water and spread it on my face and wash it off. i use it like i would use fashwash. it has cleared up my acne and lightened my skin tone. it also acts as an exfoliator. i have given up fashwash. i wash my face atleast 3 times a day or whenever it feels oily. its amazing!!!

I found two things that really helped my skin when it get bad. first is tea tree oil, it might not have the best smell but your skin will look amazing shortly after you start using it. all you have to do is after you wash your face you put it on a little cotton and rub it on your face (best part in the summer you can skip the moisturizer). also try a yeast and lemon juice (or warm water) mask once a week

it's a whole regimen of steps that you got to put yourself thru gradually, dear.. i've been suffering acne for 12 yrs.. now am a pharmacist major & i've been doing wt is my best for oily skin... avoid alcohols in ur facial washes or perfumed make up. Avoid soap (all kinds) just use medium-temperature water & some water-based facial wash that's soap-free, fragrance-free & alcohol-free off course. I know that's too much to consider but you have to relax your face off any ingredients for at least two days a week, & make sure you use a sun block with spf of 100, oil-free night cream as well to keep your skin moistened enough. N.B." drying your face of oil completely stimulates your epidermis to secrete further sebum & fatty secretions to compensate for that"
One more thing.. if u suffer pimples in different areas of your body then get yourself a local lotion or cream that contains Clindamycin antimicrobial that works efficiently on such pimples & papules. Also you can have it as capsules to be taken like 3 times a day after meals.
Best wishes

The most effective thing I did for my skin was to switch normal face cream to oil-free face gel, though my skin gets dry in the winter so I use normal cream when it's frosty.
I wash my face as often as I can to keep it clean (I tend to have my fingers in my face a lot); I use a wash-off and cream in the morning and before I go to sleep, when I take a shower I use another type of wash-off which I have on for about 5 minutes before I get in and then a scrub in the shower, and every time I go to the bathroom I wash my face with cold water and dry. Also I randomly put on aloe vera cream during the day to keep my skin moistened enough.
I've had terrible skin problem since I started doing this about 3 weeks ago, and my skin is nearly picture perfect now !
Also it's good to drink a lot of water, change the pillow case every week, and only use make-up on special occasions :)

I think that the secret is to keep the skin moistened and clean all the time. By doing that everyone should be able to find one treatment that fits their skin perfectly :)