Desperate help for chest/back acne

[DrEmilleShofhousen]

Hi

can anyone recommend help for my young adult son (21yo). We have tried everything for the last 5 years to clear his acne. Currently, he takes isotretinoin 60mg x 2 , plus a prescribed antibiotic (name escapes me) daily. These have been prescribed since February and there is very little difference. Previous to this we tried several medications on the NHS through his GP, to no avail.

He’s returned to the private clinic twice and had doses increased, but the cystic lumps (no heads to them) on his back and chest remain really angry and painful, though his face is improved.

it’s really getting him down now , we’ve spent hundreds of pounds, and I’m just lost what could actually help! Any ideas gratefully received x

What is his diet like?

It’s pretty healthy, though he does go out at weekends and has alcohol then, but not too excessively. He’s eats a lot of salad, chicken, pasta with veggies and not really much fast food at all. Not much chocolate. A lot of cereal bars. He does drink a lot of caffeine - coffee. But also does drink plenty of water.

The Japanese have lovely skin. Maybe all that seaweed and fish works wonders.

It could be an allergy. Dairy is instant acne for me. Otherwise, the model's trick is to eat raw sauerkraut every day (health food shop, in their fridge). Start cautiously with the sauerkraut - a teaspoonful with each meal.

Cereal bars contain a lot of sugar....

Ok…can an allergy to food actually cause acne? And wouldn’t it be everywhere if so, not just chest and back? Thanks x

Dapsone?

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6131924/

Yes, I'm not alone. If I get fed surreptitious dairy it hits my face visibly in the space of about five minutes! Acne has zones, and chest and back are common areas for men.

Other people have a similar problem with sugar. Fellow student at uni had the problem with beef, and her landlady pooh-poohed it and added it to her food, so she had to move out.

hassletassle - thank you, looks interesting as an option, not sure of it’s UK availability but I’ll take a look

SpaceshiptoMars - thank you so much for sharing that, I think there may be a link here with my son. Because isotret is a really powerful drug, and it’s puzzling that it hasn’t calmed it down more than about 20%. So something is causing it more than hormones. I thought it might be to do with hair follicles in some way.

I've also read good things about photodynamic therapy x

Sorry posted too soon there! It could be diet related.

Thank you hassletassle, I appreciate any recommendations

Has he been referred to dermatology? If not, he needs to push for this

www.msn.com/en-gb/health/condition/acne?ocid=entnewsntp

Nutrition
Foods to eat:
Low glycemic diet such as fruit, vegetables, pulses, fish etc
Foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids such as canola oil, cod liver oil, flaxseed oil and mustard oil
Foods to avoid:
High glycemic load diet, such as chocolates, sugary foods, white rice
Dairy products such as white bread, milk, cheese

It’s worth investigating (with dr help) anti fungal treatments. I remember a poster on here who had struggled with acne for years, worst on her back and chest, turned out to be fungal.

Thank you for these responses so far x
He was put on a long waiting list for Dermatology through GP, but hit so down about it I have been paying for him to be seen through BUPA. TBH, I’m concerned that we have been ripped off. His appointments are literally 5 mins, in and out again. But that’s another story! Just want to find something to help him now.

minipie - I don’t think it’s fungal, it’s not “spotty” as such; think big mosquito bites but without a head. They are deep down cysts, really painful too.

I'm guessing he's pulled everything back to basics:

Natural fibre clothing - bamboo is great
Wicking clothing where he knows he'll sweat (exercise etc)
Changing tops a couple of times a day
Change bedding frequently, change pillowcase daily
Hot washes for anything that touches his back and chest

Use as neutral products as possible for washing - nothing strongly scented etc
Use roll on type anti-perspirants - no sprays onto the skin
Washing straight after exercise, not leaving sweat on the skin for any length of time
If he carries a rucksack, maybe switch to a cross-body strap for a while and avoid making his back sweaty

I also use a Murad salicylic acid spray for my chest and back when I'm having a breakout. I apply it before bed, and before dressing.

How has he got on with topical creams / gels like benzoyl peroxide? Is he allowed to use them in conjunction with his medication?

Diet makes no difference. My daughter suffered and we went to a dermatologist who told us it's an over production of sebum the oil in the skin. You need something to stop the production in order to stop the acne He needs to keep going back to the gp to be see. By a specialist.

Thanks all.
GetOffTheRoof - great tips there. He does shower a lot, and for a while we thought it might be too much and THAT could be the cause! But it wasn’t.

He tried Dermatica (tailored skin service) for topical treatments…he had a cleanser and a retinol / Niamicide cream, but they didn’t touch the sides. We’ve had Acnecide too. He's tried Tea Tree ointments. He’s also had countless creams from GP (some worked short term, some just didn’t help).
the Isotret tablets cause very dry lips and nose bleeds, it’s horrible, on top of everything else.

Thanks again for all suggestions, going to talk to them about all of them x

My DP had a really bad back, so sore and angry.

We went to chemist and had them make up a 10% salicylic cause cream. We rubbed it on his back every night for a week maybe. But it started to clear up after the first time. Now we just repeat when it flares again.

DD (18) had awful chest and back acne for years, tried creams, antibiotics etc, nothing helped. She had to have quite urgent spinal surgery which meant a 6 week deadline to have clear skin on her back or it would be cancelled due to the infection risk.

In a last ditch attempt she did a course of sunbeds (others may not agree with this and we are fully aware of the risks, it’s not ideal at all) and the difference even in a few weeks was massive. 6 months on and for the most part her skin is still clear. She also used clinisept (an antimicrobial spray) after showers, exercise etc and this combination seems to finally be the one thing that’s actually worked for her.

Many thanks for these suggestions.
And for sharing, it gives me hope we will hit upon the solution one day 🙏

I remember my uncle being referred for sun treatments back in the 80s for his acne. I know it’s risky, but when you are desperate you’ll try anything…I wonder if anywhere locally to me still do sunshowers.

@clipclop5 how many did she have to have?

I see a dermatologist for a different complaint. Bad skin can cause depression. Some anti acne drugs can exacerbate these feelings. So make sure to read about side effects.

(I'm currently taking medx that are used in chemo for example)