I've been using proactiv for over two years now and it works for me (although I do have a friend who has a proactiv horror story). I had bad hormonal acne (those painful and huge under the skin bumps) along with the general pimples and oily skin since my early teens.  The toner did dry out my chin in the beginning but I just used it sparingly until my skin got used to it.

Diet and excercise are paramount in skin care along with any health/beauty issue.  If I'm stressed out or fattying it out on the couch I'll definitely see one of those pre-period bumps start to crop up. So I find sticking to the routine is most important.

When going the proactiv route get a sample to make sure your skin can handle it (senstitive skin people most likely will not) but I love it!!  It has saved me so much money because I'm not going to the drug store every month looking for my next miracle product.