Dermatology Woes

I had the same issue but with acne on my chest. I went to the dermatologist, got medication, but had no luck. I saw online that African black soap works miracles. I bought a bar from Shea Moisture and I couldnt be happier. Theres such a noticeable difference. I also use it on my back for the mild acne I have there.

I don't have any experience with a dermatologist, but I do have a recommendation that I swear by. I never had bad acne as a teenager, but as an adult I've been diagnosed with PCOS and my skin has gone absolutely haywire. I started taking a supplement called Balance by Alani Nu and it has changed my life entirely. There's not many products that I feel strongly enough to recommend to people, but it really is great. It's also helped me more than I can tell you with hormone imbalances. Obviously since you're seeing someone about your breakouts, it would probably be best to clear it with them if you decide to try it, but it's worth a shot! They have tons of reviews and before and after photos on their website.

Also I know I sound like an infomercial, I swear I don't work for them, I just really love this product lol.

I haven't been super lucky with dermatologists. I took accutane when I was 14, and that's the only thing that has actually helped. Prior & after that (I had some acne some back when I turned 22), all the medications & washes & pills haven't done anything. So I just turned to estheticians and started doing my own research. I get WAY better results from facials, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, and microneedling (you can get facials for your back & chest & neck too) and picking toners, exfoliants, cleansers, lotions & night creams myself. Are you sure you can't do microderm or facials now? I've gotten facials & microderm on my face and neck and both times I had break outs. My fiance uses a back loofah that is pretty rough, but it's long and has a handle on either side so it's easy for him to use. Have you tried one of those? I always shower before bed & when I get home from anything where I sweat a lot, I feel like that helps with any back acne. Or anytime my fiance rubs my back with lotion, I wash it after. I also wash my bras frequently (like every 1 or 2 wears). Do you take biotin or b12? That can cause breakouts in some people.

I have some acne on my chest & im going to start putting on apple cider vinegar on it.

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I haven't heard of using ACV, but if that doesn't work I'd try salicylic acid or glycolic acid. Both work really well for me. I think a good overall skin care regiment (toner, cleanser, exfoliant, serum, cream) will help too in addition to whatever acid you use that works.

Teatree oil is my friend! Both my girls use it too. The Body Shop has a good line.

Did you check your hormones recently (thyroid, estrogen etc)? Your primary care doc or ob-gyn can order what’s necessary. Sometimes hormonal disbalance or PCOS are the cause of acne, which might prevent topical retinoids from working.
Another thing that sometimes contributes to stubborn acne is diet high in added/refined sugar. I have a friend who saw a great improvement in her acne after she stopped eating sugary desserts, chocolate etc.

I hope you find a solution soon! Good luck!

I’m not sure if you have already tried it but sometimes cutting out dairy and refined sugars can help cut down on the acne.

I still get acne flares here and there when I am really stressed or not eating well. One thing that does help me is this face wash by Avene. It was recommended by a beauty consultant when I was in Paris a few years ago and I’ve been using it ever since. They do sell it on amazon. They have a few different sizes. I like the big bottle because the pump is easiest for me to use.

Search for Eau Thermale Avène Cleanance Cleansing Gel for Face and Body. I can’t get the link to work.

Try to cut back on sugar, eat a large variety of vegetables, and drink LOTS of water 🙂 I also drink a lot of unsweetened hot tea to switch it up a little bit

View Quoted Comment Just curious, how Long did it take you to have good results with this? I took it for 3 weeks and no change. 😔

I agree with the previous poster sudden bacne to pop up like this could be a hormonal issue.

I’ve had a similar issue only mine was hyperpigmentation and none of the dermatologists I went to could help.

Topically, there is very little you can do besides keep the area clean. Tea tree oil is great, it’s what I use to keep my skin free of bacteria. If you have time, consider getting a jar of bentonite clay—Aztec brand green clay is what I use. Just mix it according to the instructions and slather it on your skin. Let it dry and then just shower it off. This binds with toxins in your skin and pulls them out. You can also do this internally: one tablespoon to a glass of water and it will help pull the harmful stuff out of your digestive system.

Something you might want to also consider: silk sheets—yes the real stuff. I know it’s expensive, I have two silk pillowcases myself, but it’s much better for your skin than cotton.

So a couple of changes to you diet might be worth mentioning:

1. Stinging nettle tea: this can purge you body of impurities. It’s good for just about everything from acne, to toning the reproductive organs, clensing the kidneys to helping grow your hair. Drink it every day like you would ice tea. You can find this on amazon.

2. L-Glutathione supplements. This is your body’s master antioxidant. The spa I go to actually offers this in IV form as part of their “anti-aging cocktail.” But it’s cheaper if you get it on amazon as a drink. It’s not cheap or tasty but it works. It may take a few months but you will see results.

3. Royal Jelly. I love this stuff! It’s excellent for hormonal issues, it’s good for chronic pain, it gives you a lot of energy, it triggers your body to make more adult stem cells so you age slower, it’s also considered to be a nootropic. It’s what makes the queen bee live 50 times longer than her worker sisters. I get this from amazon too, I buy the YS brand that is diluted in honey, not only is it really healthy but in that form it’s delicious. I can go through a whole jar when I’m on my cycle.

4. CoQ10: this is another crucial antioxidant that can help with inflamation. I use the Qunol brand in liquid form. I drink it twice a day and I also use it as a toner. I usually get it from Costco.

This is no guarantee it will cure your acne as I had no guarrantee it would clear up my melasma. For me it was a 10-12 things I had to include in my regime before it began to clear.

But the jmportant thing is that you improve and every day you do is a step in the right direction.

Following this thread because I still get random breakouts at 32! I am definitely going to look into the product someone suggested on here (Balance by Alani Nu) I just googled it and it sounds like what I need!

I am getting monthly facials & microdermabrasion for My hormonal acne/scars and Sun damage

I am looking for a good moisturizer

I have the same problem and I’m still working on it, but having a really good lotion (been using gold bond medicated for the last couple weeks) has already helped. I plan on going to African black soap next, and make sure you’re exfoliation your back! Mario Badescu makes a body wash (called AHA botanical body soap) that helps when used like once or twice a week. It’ll probably be trial and error ngl but I’ve always found dermatologists to be useless tbh. My sensitive skins burns with the stuff they give out. Best of luck girl, hope this helps

Thank you for posting this!! I have had this issue as well since I was about 23 yo and found myself self conscious while trying on wedding dresses (and the dress I did go with is open back). I am unsure of what medication you are currently on but you could ask your derm about Fabior Foam. It comes out almost like shaving cream and you put a thin layer over your acne areas. Also look into your shower routine! Shampoo and conditioner can certainly contribute, wash and condition your hair first and then clip it up. I finish my showers by applying a layer of panoxyl (can buy at drugstores) for 2ish minutes to my problem areas before thoroughly rinsing. Be careful of panoxyl though because it can “bleach” out towels if you don’t rinse it all off. Also, look into back facials to help speed up the cleansing process

No matter what you will look beautiful on your day, and once you’re all dressed and ready to go your worries should minimize (and if all else fails you can get tattoo type cover up which is super transfer resistant and will disguise scars and blemishes)

Tea tree oil and a cotton ball. Drop some in the cotton ball and then wipe it all over your problem areas. I do this morning and night when I have break outs and I see a difference in a couple of days. I don’t recommend this on your face, I think the back and chest skin is stronger since it’s can be harsh

Wow. Let me start off by saying how incredible it is to see everyone coming here and offering suggestions and support. I was honestly so down in the dumps yesterday and on the verge of just quitting all the effort and just REALLY needed to complain but this definitely helps! ladies helping ladies is literally my favorite thing in the world.

I want to clarify that this has been a prolonged issue that I just never addressed on a serious level. Ive had pretty clear skin on my face and chest since I was about 22, but my back never cleared. My bacne has been there through literally all stages of my life haha its not a random thing that popped up!

I will say a lot of the suggestions are things I have tried in the past. Tea Tree Oil was my jam a few years ago and it helped out a lot, but Ive noticed I dont see results with it much anymore. Ill check out the African Black Soap though, I havent tried that before. I also am conscious when I shower about hair and products getting on my back! Curly hair wins so I rarely wash my hair and most of the time its pineappled up into a bun and under a cap in the shower. I also use silk sheets as well that I clean frequently (another curly hair win there).

As far as medically, I had my yearly blood tests done in January and everything came back normal. I always worry about adding new supplements or stuff on, because of some different medical issues I have adding anything new like that requires a run through by my doctors, but I will ask about some of the other things suggested. I do eat relatively healthy (I do drink too much cherry coke and have the occasional greasy burger) but day to day Im eating fresh home cooked meals and drinking water and black tea (which sometimes has a little sugar in it, Im from the south what can I say). Ive also been on elimination diets before (cutting out dairy and gluten and stuff for periods of time) and never saw any change in my skin. Ive been on the same birth control for a long time so Im not sure if that has had much of an impact on it.

I have a cyclic acid prescription, clindamycin phosphate gel, and a benzoyl peroxide wash and creme that were both prescribed as well (I dont use these all at the same time obviously, this has just been everything we've tried in the past few months). Im also on other medication for other issues that reduces inflammation as well so that helps a little. I started on doxycycline hyclate, it didnt do much for me and made me sick frequently. now Im on spironolactone and have not seen much results.

these last few months have been a big work out between three different doctors to see what can be done haha

The dermatologist never helped me very much (cheek acne). I requested to see a physicians assistant instead who actually listened. She recommended Cerave, it's for sensitive skin and doesn't clog your pores. They also didn't tell me peach fuzz and oil can clog your pores like you wouldn't believe, so I started shaving the peach fuzz off with a hair trimmer made for women. Had to figure that one out myself. Cleared my face right up within a week or so, its just healing now after two years if terrible non stop acne. I use an aztec healing clay mask occasionally, its like $8 at target or amazon. Not sure if this is something you can try with your back or not, perhaps you just have an oily acne prone type of skin back there.