Chest and Back Acne

[littleoldme1]

Hi,

I'm 34 and for as long as I can remember I have always suffered with acne on my chest and back. The only thing that has ever helped this was going on sunbeds or taking the pill dianette - neither of which I want to do now.

Dreading another summer of not daring to wear tops that show chest or back, does any one know of anything that might help? I get the occasional spot on my face/neck but nothing too much.

Adult DD is very similar - like you it only ever seemed to properly clear up with sunbeds/sun on holiday but obviously this isn’t ideal and there are risks. She has found using Paula’s Choice salicylic acid 2/3 times a week really helpful, her skin is far clearer than it used to be. She uses the La Roche Posay Cicaplast moisturiser on the spots themselves and then Aveeno on the rest of her back/chest.

Her skin isn’t perfect, (to be honest I don’t think it will ever be!) but a lot better than it used to be. The vast majority of the time now she can wear tops/dresses that show off her back without having to worry which is the main thing that matters

Do you have long hair worn down? My DC's back and shoulders acne cleared up after going for shorter hair.

@goldenretrievermum5 Thank you I will give those things a try, any improvement would be great.

@CountingCrones I do tend to wear my hair down a lot, so will give it a try keeping it off my back to see if that helps at all. Thank you

Also, when showering, thoroughly wash your back after you have shampooed and conditioned and rinsed to get rid of all the residue

I get this too. The normal combined pill (not ones like Dianette) was like magic for it but now I’m older I can only have the mini pill and it’s come back 😩
I have bought this wash called acnecide which you can put on in the shower. I think it’s helping a little.

You could put duac on or asked to be prescribed spironolactone

I suffer from this too. My husband uses Hibiscrub in the shower as he gets infected hair follicles so I thought I'd give it ago on my chest and back and it seems to have made a massive difference. You can buy it in boots. We bought a big bottle of it on amazon.

Go and see your GP - there are other options than Dianette. And realistically it is hard to do a cream over your back in the way you do for your face.

Oh my God, what a common problem this is... I remember how I struggled with the same problem.

Here are a few things that helped me:

Keep the area dry: sweat and dirt can clog your pores and aggravate acne, so it's important to keep your chest and back as dry as possible. Shower after sweating or working out, and wear loose-fitting, breathable cotton clothing (hemp clothing is the best option).

Avoid picking or popping pimples: this can lead to scarring and infection.

Exfoliate regularly: exfoliating can help remove dead skin cells and unclog pores. However, be gentle and don't exfoliate too often, as this can irritate your skin.

Eat a healthy diet: a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains may help reduce acne.

This helped me and a lot of my friends. I hope this helps you too!

Thank you all for the tips, much appreciated. Hopefully have some success.

You can buy special acne body wash - salicylic one from Amazon is good.

Dr Dray - a dermatologist on YouTube is wonderful for making recommendations.

Also - have you considered accutane? This massively helped me.

NHS is a long wait and your acne might not be severe enough.
Private dermatologist might be pricey but could be worth the money for the 6-12months you'd need to take the meds.

Spiroloactane will only work if it's hormonal acne and some doctors won't prescribe it for acne (it's not designed for it) and thus you'd need to see a doc privately for it.

Probably a little late and I hope you’ve found something that works but If not, I do have a recommendation. Moksha Beauties Salicylic Acid Body Wash Soap (blue bar) and a power of the peel mitt from Goodskin.

@tiredoftheBS Thank you for the suggestion, have managed a bit of an improvement with some of the other suggestions but not as much as I would like. So will give that a go 🙂