Please help me not to be a spotty bride!

[Squaffle]

Hello all, help needed!

I am getting married in a month. I've had mild acne since I was a teenager and am now 35. My face is fine, it's my chest and back that are causing problems, and in my naivety I bought a dress months ago which exposes them both, thinking I'd find a way to clear it. No such luck.

I have been on Lymecycline since February and that has definitely helped, but it is still not 100% clear. I have a healthy diet, drink 2 litres of water a day and have just switched from shower gel to tea tree soap as I heard that shower gel can aggravate it. I am going to try cutting out dairy to see if that helps. I am also going for a Murad back treatment the week before as this has helped in the past.

Can anyone recommend any concealers for the body? I am white with dark hair and quite fair skin. The spots are small and red, rather than big and poppable!

Also, would any kind of fake tan treatment help to even my skin tone out and make me look a bit less rashy? Never had one before...

Thanks everyone :)

Childs farm

I have no idea if it will work but it is meant to be magic

I was coming on here to say give up dairy! Honestly made a huge difference for me and others I know including a friend with rosacea.

Good luck for the big day - sure you will look fabulous!

The only thing that has ever worked for me is the pill Yasmin. I was able to wear a backless dress for my wedding, I'm not sure if you've got enough time for it to work though unfortunately.

You can buy salicyllic acid sprays for the back. I think Murad do one and Paula's Choice. Also, try to rinse your conditioner off your hair without it going down your back (tip your head forward instead). The emollient stuff in conditioners can be clogging/acnegenic.

Here's the Murad one

...and the Paula's Choice one

Lymecycline takes a long time to work but it does, so stick with it. I was on it for a year at least before all my spots disappeared.

I would actually suggest sun beds over a fake tan as they will help to dry out your skin. They were also recommended to me by my doctor (small amounts of time). Tan will hide them better.

UV light can be very helpful with acne but I'd very cautious about suggesting sun beds. The UV is so intense, even in short bursts.

Get antibiotics from your GP. It's not a long term solution but it is the only thing that I have tried that works in under two months.

The contraceptive Dianette is the only thing that keeps my skin clear.

ttbb, OP is already on antibiotics.

IPL for acne - it has cleared my face up amazingly - one treatment only if just a month to go but I had results after just one treatment. Not sure how much it would cost if both back and chest - face is £150 average per session but would be worth it for peace of mind bridal glow!

I second IPL carried out in a reputable skin clinic.

Are you sure it is acne? Have you been checked for Pityrosporum folliculitis? A derm would need to do a scraping to diagnose.

Zinc

Zinc vitamin E and C

STay away from the pill. It dried me out to the point I had hair loss

This may not be the best advice (and apologise as they are not recommended) but I have acne and went on sunbeds for mine and was 100percent clear

Having said that, I don't use them now but I just needed not to worry about my skin on the day

I would recommend seeing a dermatologist privately and getting advice

Can you post a pic so we can see what we are dealing with?

In terms of concealer, I think a powder fix will probably be the best over a large area but I say this without the advantage of seeing what your skin actually looks like.

Have you considered, if it won't conflict with your medicine, a course of sunbeds? Not something I would suggest long-term but a short course should be fine and the UV can really help acne?

Giving up dairy got rid of my painful cystic acne, so stick with it. Consider not switching to soy milk though as this could make it worse. Alpro oat milk is the best and oats are great for skin.

Dermacol foundation, properly powdered down, applied with a damp beauty blender, will literally cover everything. However, keep it away from your dress if possible and be careful to get the actual product and not a dupe. Lots of fakes about at the moment xx

If you need make up on the day. Try MACs face and body--it comes in a larger bottle and used on fashion shows for legs chest etc.. However ask the sales assistant on advice how to apply as the texture can bd tricky

Go to a private derm and
ask for Roaccutane, it literally works miracles!!

Second the suggestion of checking it's not folliculitis. I thought I had acne for two decades but it turns out to be folliculitis. I use nizoral shampoo to wash my chest/back every other day in order to kill off the yeast on my skin.

I make sure my shower gel and shampoo/conditioner don't contain silicone, sulphates or parabens. I also don't allow my conditioner to touch my chest or back.

Wow! Thanks so much everyone! I am really touched that so many people have taken the time to reply and there are loads of great ideas which I will work my way through!

It has been diagnosed as acne by several GPs over the years, and it certainly seems to fit this as it gets worse just before my period. But I will certainly go back to the GP to rule out folliculitis, that's really interesting.

MAC has been recommended by so many people, I will get myself booked in as they have a counter at a local dept. store. Sadly a dermatologist and IPL are financially out of reach at the moment but would love to go down that route once we're not spending all our cash on the wedding.

Thanks again everyone, will let you know how I get on. Have a fab bank holiday