Back acne help ?!

[mrssunshinexxx]

Hello, does any one else suffer from back acne or has done in the past if so what got rid of it or even helped they are so red and painful I am using some 11% cream from over the counter twice a day to be honest it's not doing anything !
I have had many courses of tablets for 6 month periods before which does get rid of it but only for about 3 months then it's back I am trying for a baby so that is no longer safe ..

Have you considered making changes to your diet to see whether any particular food/drink affects it? Do you smoke or drink(alcohol)? My brother had awful back acne until he gave up processed foods, and smoking!

@KellyHall thanks for your reply
I don't drink at all or smoke
I do have quite a sweet tooth and eat dairy but I asked the doctor about dairy and she said it wouldn't help :/

Anyone else? X

I use Avene wash on face and back every morning in the shower. It reduces it.

Be warned...the first time I was pregnant my back was particularly bad throughout. Second time (both boys) was fine. Hope that doesn’t happen to you.

If you can ever source a spray bottle of Clinique Back Spray, it was the holy grail of acne. It was taken out of production in the UK, but I last got a friend in Canada to post me some!

Otherwise, dairy and acne can be linked. Same for sugar.

Thank you @DelurkingAJ will look into that and I hope not too I was hoping it might help it !

@TwattingDog ooh I wonder why it's discontinued if it's so good how annoying

I went and got a few aloe Vera products from body shop this morning going to try them also going to drastically reduce sugar intake- don't eat much diary

I have it but not as severe, i was told it was mainly due to when i was using conditioner/shampoo and leaving my hair to drain at the back of me it was clogging all my pores up! After a hair wash i scrub my back now! It is a bit better but not perfect

Thanks @basicwitches I appreciate all messages truly- but I use a bath robe not a towel so my wet hair doesn't touch the skin and I rinse my back off before I get out the shower
Wish I knew what it was it gets me down

Google fungal acne. Could it be that? I wash my chest and back with head and shoulders and it gets rid of the spots. Leave it on for a few minutes then rinse. Humidity triggers mine and I have to shower immediately after a workout. Also yeasty foods. I can’t eat marmite or drink beer. It’s worth looking into it just in case this is the issue.

Pityrosporum folliculitis is the fancy name for fungal acne

@CaveyWavey interesting will take a look

There is little evidence that any particular foods such as chocolate or fast foods can cause acne.

I am wondering if the root cause of this problem is hormonal in nature. A condition called polycystic ovaries can indeed put adult onset acne into overdrive. Were you given birth control pills originally because of this problem?.

Hi @AttilaTheMeerkat thanks for your message no I wasn't .. I have t been on the pill for years I was on the patch

I'm 44 and had back acne since I was around 13, it's not as bad as it was but nothing on prescription or otc has worked fully for me.

At the moment I use Paula's Choice body spray (pricey) alternating with Superdrug Spot Cleaning Body Spriz (cheaper) it makes my skin feel fresher, less oily and spots seem to heal faster. I also like to use an antibac bar soap in the shower (detol make one) and also like to wash my back with Original Source Mint and Tea Tree shower gel.

I used to take a classy Omega3 suppliment and I think that also helped (think it was called Lionheart?) but it was expensive and I've not been able to bring myself to reorder yet

@MrsWednesdayteatime thanks for your message it's so difficult isn't it it really affects my confidence and the clothes I wear

I'm currently using benzoyl acid 11% cream from chemist and tea tree oil from body shop and a tee tree wash for in the shower religiously using all of it twice a day

The tablets I get from the doctors that I have to take for 6 months work butnonly for about 3/4 months then they come back
I think after I have first baby I may try roaccutane x

I second an exfoliating spray like Paula’s Choice but they are expensive. If it’s an area you can reach then The Ordinary do a glycolic acid toner which does the same thing using AHAs instead of BHAs, which is about £8 for a big bottle. So more cost effective than Paula’s choice, but you have to wipe it on with a cotton pad. However now I am writing this actually there’s no reason you couldn’t decant it into a spray bottle which is something I may now try!

I will definitely look into this Paula's choice spray I don't care how much it costs if it gets rid it gets me so down x

I would buy the full range of Paula's Choice if I could afford it, but the body spray lasts ages so I don't mind getting that.

It does really mess with your self esteem Mrs Sunshine some Gps have been less than sympathetic over the years, my skin is a bit better now and I've sort of made peace with it.

But over the years it's stopped me:

• Going for bra fittings *Swimming *Wearing evening wear *Getting a free pregnancy message *Wearing thin white tops incase I bleed

And makes me feel really bad when:
*Changing at the gym
*Choosing summer clothes
*Sleeping in hotel sheets (some spots always bleed)
*Visiting the osteopath

I swim now, but would still never wear a spaghetti strap top in the summer.

Just keep on trying, there's bound to be something out there that works, it's just finding it x

*pregnancy message = pregnancy massage

@MrsWednesdayteatime your post resonates with me so much I'm so conscious of people seeing them including my husband it's very sad :( x

Oh dear god I feel your pain. I have suffered from back acne since my teens and I’m 46 now. I’ve had a lifetime of Wearing high neck tops and dresses to cover my skin. I was so fed up one evening I was searching Online as I have done many times to try and find something to help when I found an article mentioning both the paulas choice product and the super drugs Product. It was a Thursday evening and I got in the car and drove to Superdrug and bought 4 bottles of the stuff, It’s usually buy one, get one half price. It’s amazing stuff and I have tried everything including medication. It’s called Superdrug Deep Action Back Spray It’s £3.50 for 150ml . I have been using it for about 8 months now and I wish I had come across it years ago.

Oh should have mentioned it’s quite smelly when you are spraying it so hold you breath but it dries quickly and I would happily deal with a few seconds of that for the results .