Proactiv Success Stories

Acne Creates Wall 

When you have acne, you tend to avoid social events and you shy away from situations where your skin is the spotlight and makes you stop doing the things you love with the people you love. Acne influences your self-esteem, self-confidence, your outlook in general and your social life. Even mild breakouts can negatively impact how you feel about yourself. Acne truly affects more than just your skin. It can affect your entire life in very real ways.

Reclaim Control Over your Skin with Proactiv! 

Gladly, there’s Proactiv! Proactiv Solution is the only acne management system which combines medicated ingredients that work together to treat and control acne. It uses several different ingredients in one system to treat the blemishes you have now and help keep new ones from forming. With Proactiv, you’ll get back control over your skin.

Here are some of the inspirational stories of ordinary people who had won over acne and are now enjoying the life-changing benefits of clear, beautiful skin.

Alex Gonzaga

 Video link: http://my.proactiv.com.ph/alex-gonzaga.htm?t=1

“I’m really thankful I gave it a try. I use Proactiv everyday and it’s amazing. It really works! It leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean especially after a long day at the studio. Now, my skin is balanced and under control. No more oily cheeks, no more dry skin and best of all, no more pimples.” – Alex Gonzaga

Nolin Dela Cruz

Video link: http://my.proactiv.com.ph/nolin-delacruz.htm?t=2

“After six weeks of using Proactiv, my skin improved. Ngayon, mas confident na ako…” – Nolin  

Lourdes Agcaoili 

Video link: http://my.proactiv.com.ph/lourdes-agcaoili.htm?t=2

“Nakita ko agad ang resulta. Nag-heal ang mga pimples at na-lessen ang oiliness. And then nung umuwi ang husband ko from abroad, he said, ‘Wow ang ganda mo ngayon. You look great!’ ”. – Lourdes

Mark Chuahiock

Video link: http://my.proactiv.com.ph/mark-chuahiock.htm?t=2

“After using it for three months, my friends began noticing that my skin was improving. Then after six months, my face was all clear. Now, I recommend my friends to use Proactiv. And I’m the one inviting them for photo shoots”. – Mark

Mike Irapta

Video link: http://my.proactiv.com.ph/mike-irapta.htm?t=2

“Of course I will recommend Proactiv, talagang effective siya. Makikita niyo naman wala na yung acne ko.” - Mike

Latagaw Diaries: Sohoton Cave and Natural Bridge

One of the most accessible weekend getaway destination from Tacloban City is the Sohoton Cave and Natural Bridge located at Basey, Samar. Basey which in Waray means beautiful is is the old capital of Tacloban City. (Does that make sense? Tacloban used to be a sitio of Basey.) 

The town has lots of old Spanish era houses and the church itself which is located on top of a hill overlooking the waters is from the 1700s. I bet its walls are still held together by egg whites. Weaving mats and bags with tikog, a local grass is one of the town's main source of income.

It is best to spend one whole day in this town so start your trip early.

Things needed for this trip:

• a couple of adventurous friends so you have someone to split the cost
• a thousand pesos

Suggested itinerary:

7:00 am The starting point for this trip if you are coming from the island of Leyte or Biliran is the New Tacloban Bus Terminal. From here, take an air-conditioned van bound for Basey. The ride will set you back 30 pesos and will eat approximately an hour of your time. If you want a longer but authentic Filipino experience, take a bus for 25 pesos but the trip will be longer as there will be frequent stops along the way. The ride will take you across the scenic San Juanico Bridge which spans across the island of Samar and Leyte. 

8:00 am From the town proper you can either register at the tourism office or go directly to the Sohoton Cave Tourism Office at Brgy. Wespal, a 30 minute, 50 pesos per head habalhabal (motorcycle) ride from the dock. I suggest doing the latter is more convenient and prices are negotiable.  

If you value your personal space and hate coming in contact with a stranger's body like I do, I suggest getting a whole motorcycle to yourself but you will pay three times the regular price.

8:30 amGet dropped off at the Sohoton Cave Tourism Office at Brgy. Wespal.

Soon they will be offering B&B here. This place has been built with funds from ABS-CBN.

You will pay the following fees:

You can only look at me like that if you will give me a discount.

River Cruise                                       2500 pesos

or Motor Boat                                      500 pesos for 5 persons 

Cave guiding fee                                  300 pesos

Kayak guide                                         150 pesos

Community fee                                    150 pesos

Light                                                    300 pesos

Kayak rental                                          50 pesos

Cave entrance fee                                  50 pesos (locals)

                         200 pesos (foreigners)

Golden River environment fee              50 pesos

Guitarist fee                                         200 pesos

Fold Dancing fee                                 200 pesos

SSA Operational Expense at 15%

After splitting the cost and paying the fee, put on your flotation jacket. Then get ready for the 30 minute ride with a banca or motorized boat along the Golden River. 

Cool floating dock

Upside of the banca ride:

• cool waters
• verdant forest
• limestone karst formation
• local life ( women doing laundry, children taking a swim, men fixing their boats)
• bird watching

10 am Upon arrival at the Sohoton Cave, you will be serenaded by some guitarists. This is not an optional activity as it is automatically charged already.

Singing Ismayling(Smiling)-a kind of Leyte-Samarnon Folk Song.

Put on your helmet and light on your torch before entering the caves for an hour of splunking. Let your imagination run wild as you view the stalacites and stalagmites. From elephants to eagles to musical organs and uhmm sex organs.

 If you want to get the best deal out of your money, challenge your guide for the hardest route. Which actually is not difficult at all. I would say from 1 to 10 for an average girl like me, it would just be a 2.  It just requires some crawling in small crevices that all of us in the picture was able to easily navigate in. 

11 am After exiting the cave, you can take a kayak upstream to see the Natural Bridge which for me is a weird description as it looks more like a tunnel for me with a skylight. I was here 15 years ago and this area was accessible only during high tides or by hiking through the forest.

Be nice to your guide and help him drag a kayak upstream. Believe you me, you are missing out on the fishes playing around your toes if you don't.

If you are feeling lazy, ask for your kayak to be tied to your guides or ask for a guide to row your kayak towards the natural bridge.

12 am Activities you can do at the Natural Bridge:
1. swim
2. have lunch here
3. jump off the boulders and dive
4. bouldering/rock climbing
5. yoga and meditate

1 pm Row back to Sohoton Cave and take a ride banca ride back to Wespal.

2 pm Are you craving for more adventure? The Balantac Fallls is just a few kilometres away. Take a habal-habal ride for 50php but I would rather walk since it is just about a 20 minute hike away.

Or you can go back to town and explore.  See the church and the mat weavers and even take a 15 minute motorized banca to Tacloban from San Antonio and see the beautiful sunset.

Here are more guides on Sohoton:

1. http://faq.ph/sohoton-caves-natural-bridge-basey-samar/
2. http://faq.ph/how-to-get-to-sohoton-natural-bridge-national-park/

The Truth about Acne

What is acne and how does it develops? 

Acne is the most common skin disease and very common to teenagers. Nearly everyone experiences acne at some point in life. It may last for a few months or a few years.

An acne blemish begins approximately 2-3 weeks before it appears on your skin’s surface. So while it may seem you get a pimple overnight, what you’re actually seeing is the final stage of a much longer process. It starts in your sebaceous hair follicles – the tiny holes you know as pores. Deep within each follicle, your sebaceous glands are working to produce sebum, the oil that keeps your skin moist and pliable. As your skin renews itself, the old cells die, mix with your skin’s natural oils, and are sloughed off. Under normal circumstances, these cells are shed gradually, making room for fresh new skin.

Dead skin cells may block the pores, resulting to over accumulation of oil underneath. Bacteria that live on the skin naturally begin to grow and multiply in this site, triggering an inflammatory response causing a red, angry pore that we may see as pimple already at the tail-end of the acne formation process.

What provokes Acne?  

Contrary to popular belief, acne is not caused by eating too much chocolates or oily foods, nor does it occur exclusively on teenagers. Acne is a cyclic process that everyone experiences, and can occur at any age. Stress, periods, climate, cosmetic products (comedogenic), drugs and industrial chemical are factors that provoke acne.

How to Prevent Acne?

Nourish - There is no miracle diet to clear acne, but a healthy, balanced diet can help your skin fight acne. Choose fresh, unprocessed foods from all four groups and drink eight glasses of water a day, or more when you exercise.

Cleanse - To maintain clear skin, stick to a daily acne-fighting skin-care routine. Gently wash your face with a soap-free exfoliating cleanser twice a day to remove excess oil, dirt and dead skin cells. Avoid over washing, which dries out your skin and causes it to produce even more oil.

Protect - While small amounts of sun exposure may seem to clear acne at first, the sun actually dries your skin, causing it to produce more oil and dead cells, creating the ideal environment for blemishes. Avoid excess sun exposure and wear at least SPF 15 sunscreen every day, even if it's cloudy.

Rest - A good night's sleep (7-8 hours) can do wonders for your complexion and immune system, which helps fight infection to clear acne more quickly.

Exercise - Your skin benefits from an increase in blood flow and blood oxygen level achieved by exercise. If you are prone to body acne, wear loose-fitting, breathable clothing when exercising, and shower with an acne-fighting body wash soon after.

Relax - Acne starts inside hair follicles, where your sebaceous glands produce the protective oil that keeps skin soft and supple. Hormones control these glands, and psychological stress affects hormone levels. Too much stress can yield too much oil and trigger the acne cycle. So relax—take a bath, go for a walk, do yoga or whatever you want to make you feel happy and calm.

How Proactiv Solution Combination Therapy stops acne?
1. The Proactiv Renewing Cleanser (Step 1) and the Proactiv Revitalizing Toner (Step 2) works by removing dead skin cells, ensuring that the pores don’t get clogged. The Proactiv Revitalizing Toner (Step 2) removes excess oils.
2. The Proactiv Renewing Cleanser (Step 1) and Proactiv Repairing Treatment (Step 3) kill the bacteria and prevent proliferation.
3. The Refining Mask helps reduce the inflammation and swelling.

Proactiv is designed to attack acne “proactively” – delivering the right concentration of medicines and acne-care agents, in the right order and concentrations, to help control the acne cycle before breakouts occur. If you have acne, Proactiv Solution is the key to clear complexion.

Proactiv is safe and effective for almost everyone with mild to moderate acne – healing the breakouts you may have today and keeping your complexion clear by helping to prevent future breakouts. By clearing your skin, Proactiv also helps blemishes from leaving behind permanent scars. Proactiv combines mild concentrations of antimicrobial acne medicine with botanical skin-care agents to gently remove excess dead skin cells and oil (to keep pores from clogging); to kill acne causing bacteria inside pores; and to soothe redness and irritation.

Proactiv Solution comes in 30-Day kit (P2,495) and 60-Day kit (P3,995) and is available at all Watsons nationwide.