Spotty Back

[BrennieGirl]

I'm looking for a bit of advice for DD who is 15. She's got a bit of a spotty face but is quite good about keeping it clean and using moisturiser and other products.

The problem is her back. She's got a ball/dance thing coming up in a couple of months so she's suddenly worried about her spotty back. I don't know what kind of products to recommend - a wash for the shower or some sort of topical cream?

Any recommendations please?

I had the same issue (and neck/chest) until my mid-late twenties and it was miserable. Mine was fixed long-term with (I think) the pill and just growing out of it, but I still get the odd break out even now.

The one other thing that used to clear it right up was the sun. And... I know I'll get slammed for this as I know it's terrible and I don't even know if its allowed at her age, but I had about 20 minutes in total over about 6 sessions of sun beds before my wedding and it totally cleared it up, albeit temporarily. For absolute clarity I'm not advocating sunbeds in any way as we all know the danger, but it did work...

Bit of a strange question but here goes.... how does she wash her hair and in what order does she do it? I suffered with this for ages, as well as on my chest, until I was advised to try and wash my hair away from my body as the products can cause acne if they're not washed off properly. So ideally lean over a bit and rinse your hair, and then wash your body after to wash off any product. I started doing this a few months ago and I've definitely noticed an improvement

Since acne is largely down to hormones, I think you will struggle to clear it up with a cream.

Maybe body make up would help? Like the kind that covers tattoos? Or choosing an outfit that covers that area like high neck lace or cool blazer etc.

I feel her pain, my back is awful. The only thing that stops the spots is the pill for me. And when I have breaks for pregnancies etc, I have to use a couple of sun beds like the PP to get rid of the scarring when I go back on it.

There's a spray you can buy in Boots - tea tree back spray, try that I think it's £3 or 4

Laser treatment cleared this up for me. I only needed one or two sessions. I also realised wool jumpers made it worse. The laser clinic also recommended a spray which worked well but I can’t remember the name of it. It was fairly expensive.

I don’t know if they still do it but Boots has a spray in the Witch Hazel range that I have bought previously. Worth a try

Might be tea tress as a PP said. O

Mine was terrible until I was 30. The only thing that fixed it was sunshine. Until I stopped eating sugar when it miraculously cleared up. Will she consider a sugar-free experiment to see if that helps?

A face wash with salicylic Acid should help

Acnecide is a cream that contains peroxide . It works really well but your DD would want to start using it soon to clear up her back as it can take at least few weeks to work .
i think it’s best used at night as the peroxide fades any top you’re wearing so best use old t shirts at night time .
available in pharmacies, in Ireland it costs around €20

Can the dr not give her any topical medication - I think I had something called zineryt when I was younger that I just dabbed on each spot - dried it all up a treat

Thank you for all the replies. I'm going to show her the thread and we'll decide what to do.

www.superdrug.com/skin/body-care/body-gels/me-salicylic-acid-body-gel-cream-250ml/p/810219

This one is great and such a good price! Unless she has very sensitive skin - it’s fairly strong. Can be a bit too much to use every day at the start, building tolerance helps.

@Boppertini does it bleach stain your sheets?

We've used benzyl peroxide before for back acne which did help but she got fed up of her clothes, bedding, towels getting bleach stained.

No stains as far as I’ve seen, but maybe avoid favourite clothes for a day or two to test it out just to be sure.

Has you dd seen a doctor yet? Might be worthwhile seeing them first for a professional view before embarking on alternatives.

I really suffered with this until well into my 30s. Tried all sorts to little effect. Them, the one thing that completely inadvertently did the trick was Victamin D. I was taking it for energy levels and it magically eradicated the bacne. Worth a try?

I also had a spotty back til I was early 30s. I used niacinamide serum after washing night and morning. It cleared it up completely. I use a niacinamide spray now and occasionally salicylic acid. It’s still nice and clear.

my spotty back cleared up when I started taking silicea supplement.

Acne is mostly hormonal. Go to the GP, lots of things to try these days. I lose a topical antibiotic called Dalacin T.

I've had a spotty back since my 20s. I had an outbreak of adult acne then and antibiotics cleared it up but not my back.

I use a back wash in the shower with one of those brushes on a long stick and it's improved the spots on my back.