After having great success with Sea Salt baths (see other thread).......I noticed the following:

Observation:
Remaining occasional blemishes were focused on borders of hair......on face, back of neck, underarm, and inner thigh.....first thing came to mind is longtime assumption that I had some sort of folliculitis.

Next Step:
Researched the subject.....and found a medical paper on eMedicine.com (http://www.emedicine.com/DERM/topic338.htm) that said "Pityrosforum Folliculitis" is regularly misdiagnosed as acne......and is successfully treated with a chemical known as "Ketoconazole", the main ingredient in a dandruff shampoo called "Nizoral". Over-the-Counter is 1% strength and sold at Target, Walgreens, etc....it comes stronger with a prescription.

Bought it and have been using as a shower gel.....letting it sit on my body for 5 minutes before washing off.

As of the date of this post it has only been one week, but I have never seen my quality of my skin improve so much so quickly.....

Does anyone know anything about this beyond what little I have found?

Thanks.

-RBS

Nutritional and Holistic tips for combatting Body acne
CAN BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH DAN'S BP/AHA REGIMEN!

After several instances of repeating myself in other threads, I decided to make a definitive thread of my advice for body acne sufferers - the following tips have helped me considerably with my body acne, and hopefully some of you may find they help, too.
Just to clarify - you don't need to do all the things I recommend at once! You could just try each thing for a few weeks to see if there is any improvement.

Disclaimer: Acne.org does not endorse any of the following products or regimens

Dietary and internal cleansing advice

- Cut out dairy and red meat - this really helped with my body acne. I'd recommend you try avoiding all forms of dairy completely for at least 3 weeks to see if there is an improvement. You can replace dairy milk with rice milk in cereals and drinks.

- Drink warm water with lemon juice added throughout the day. Try using up the juice of one whole lemon each day, in about 10 glasses of water. This will help cleanse your liver of skin-harming toxins, as well as helping to reduce inflammation.

- Cut out all wheat products - this can be more difficult. You could try and avoid all forms of wheat pasta, wheat bread, pizza, biscuits etc, anything containing wheat, for 3 weeks again, to see if there is any improvement. It IS difficult, but there are alternatives, and it would only be for 3 weeks, unless you do find it has an effect, in which case I don't think cutting those things out would be too much of a sacrifice.

-Cut out refined sugar. This isn't too difficult if you avoid chocolate, sweets, soft drinks etc. If you don't want to do this, then taking a supplement of chromium GTF can help, if sensitivity to sugar is the thing that's affecting you.

-Try some of the following supplements. They can be effective in combatting acne and increasing your healing capacities:
-Zinc[ (75mg/day),
- Vitamin C (2000mg/day),
- B complex (100mg/day),
-Beta Carotene (15,000ug/day),
-vitamin E (400IU/day),
-propolis (1000mg/day),
-acidophilus/probiotics (1 capsule containing 5+billion/day)
(I've put the ones in bold that I think would be most helpful)

I recommend searching the catalogues at www.iherb.com, Victoria Health and/or Biocarefor your supplements - they are usually reasonably cheap and excellent quality.

Taking essential fatty acids such as Flax oil or fish oil may have a balancing effect on your hormones, also. Healthyandessential.com do a great range of these.

If none of the above help, at all, you could possibly look into undergoing colonic hydrotherapy at a naturopathy clinic - this is extremely cleansing to your digestive system, which can have dramatic effects on your acne.


Topicals advice

CleanserYou could try washing with a very mild cleansing bar, as soap and supposed 'acne cleansers' can sometimes aggravate the skin further. Puredeming's castille bar is very good.

Antibacterial agent If BP is not working particularly well for you, you might like to look into the Manuka oil and honey antiseptic gel that Living Nature do - manuka oil is a strong antibacterial agent, and can be even more potent against p.acnes bacteria than tea tree oil. I find the gel to be very soothing to the skin.

Moisturiser Nature's Gift do an EXCELLENT essential oil mix, called clarifying synergy, which you can combine with hazelnut oil to make a calming antibacterial moisturiser.

Using a body-beautifying oil such as hazelnut, emu, jojoba or coconut will help moisturise your skin without clogging pores, and will help to reduce redness.

Other treatments

Try bathing every other day in a bath to which you have added a few drops of manuka/tea tree oil, a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of unrefined sea salt. This will help to soothe your acne and will ensure maximum absorption.

You may want to look into weekly lactic acid peels. This can help to remove dead skin cells, dirt, and other factors that may clog pores. It can also help fade red marks and shallow scarring. Good suppliers include: Puredeming and Loganwood skincare


I hope some of this may be helpful. Good luck and just PM me if you need any info or advice on anything I've suggested or anything else!

Best Wishes,
Paul

I didn't know if you all saw this yet or not, but Dan is now selling a cool product that allows you to get topicals onto the back and shoulder area easier.
http://www.dankernsregimen.com/cart.php?ta...=bodybuddy_info

http://www.acne.org/backacne.html

Please give it a try and post here how it works.

-Dan

INFORMATION ON BODY SCARRING

DISCLAIMER: ACNE.ORG DOES NOT ENDORSE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS OR BRAND NAMES. THE PRODUCTS CITED ARE SIMPLY THOSE THAT I HAVE PERSONALLY FOUND EFFECTIVE AND WHICH HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED BY OTHER MEMBERS ON THESE MESSAGE BOARDS.


Unfortunately, due to the fact that body acne is often more severe than facial acne, scarring is more likely, and the scarring is likely to be more significant. Sadly, there has been less research carried out into scarring on the body, and therefore many of the recommended treatments for facial scars that are cited on the scar treatments section of the board are not suitable for body scars. Therefore, I am attempting in this thread to provide information and links for treatments that may be effective in helping to reduce or fade body scarring.
Please be aware that it is likely that no treatments will actually rid you of your body scarring, but also keep in mind that the scarring will probably fade considerably over time.

There are three stages in body scarring.

Open wound stage
- this is the stage following the bursting of a cyst. The cyst can be likely to bleed and then leave a very sore and painful wound. Traditional antiseptics such as savlon and sudocrem are not, in my experience, gentle enough for dealing with these types of wounds, and they also contain lanolin, which can worsen the situation by encouraging more active acne.
These are my healing recommendations at the open wound stage.

1)Cleanse lightly with mildest cleanser you can. The one I recommend is the pure olive oil castile bar available from http://www.puredeming.com/products/
2) Apply an antiseptic, but gentle gel – preferably manuka oil and honey antiseptic gel available from https://www.livingnature.com/catalog/main.c...id=102&cid=1932 This will encourage healing whilst preventing infection and reducing active acne. It is very soothing see THIS linkhttp://www.acne.org/messageboard/forums.html...+nature++living
3) Apply 100% pure manuka honey to the inside of a plaster, then apply over the wound, to reduce pain and infection. Manuka honey is available from health stores, or fromwww.comvita.com Try and get honey with a UMF of 10+ (this is the antibacterial rating) This will help with the healing of the wound. See this link:http://www.acne.org/messageboard/forums.html...l=manuka++honey
Change the plaster regularly and repeat the regimen above.

Try taking 400 IU Vitamin E, 50mg Zinc and 2 grams Vitamin C every day at this stage.
See this thread for more info on vitamins:http://www.acne.org/messageboard/-t31390.html
Propolis capsules may also be beneficial. (see this link: http://www.acne.org/messageboard/forums.html...862)

Scabbing stage: gradually, a scab will form over the wound. The scab may come off easily, in the shower for instance, but it is best to try and allow the scab to remain on for as long as possible.
Healing recommendations:
Cleanse again with a gentle cleanser, ideally puredeming castile bar.
Apply manuka oil and honey antiseptic gel
Apply emu oil to encourage moist healing. ( and possible reduction in scarring) available here: http://search.ebay.com/emu-oil_W0QQsokeywo...rectZ1QQfromZR8 SEE THIS LINK:http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Recommended-Products-R-t14887.html


Red Mark stage: At this stage, the scar will have fully healed, but it may leave indented or raised scar tissue that will initially be red or purple, and inflamed. This redness will fade naturally within a year or so, but the healing may be accelerated by following the following regimen.

Cleanse with puredeming castile bar
Apply manuka oil and honey gel (although less important at this stage)
Apply amino plex spray (available by e-mail from Loganwood skincare) or copper peptides. Both are quite expensive, and some members feel they are not worth the money. However, they can help somewhat. SEE THESE LINKS: amino-plex, Copper peptides

Moisturise with emu oil/ rotate every few weeks with a week of bio oil (see this link: http://www.acne.org/messageboard/forums.html...topic=19108) to see if this gives any better improvement for you.
Apply some form of silicon pad over scar and wear continuously for at least 12 hours a day– reduces redness significantly. I would HIGHLY recommend these for reducing redness. They are available in Chemists. The elastoplast ones are particularly good. SEE THIS LINK:http://www.acne.org/messageboard/forums.html...topic=25216

Twice weekly lactic acid peels.available here:Loganwood skincare or here (puredeming) SEE THIS LINK: http://www.acne.org/messageboard/forums.html...19370(however, DO NOT follow Laet's advice and leave the lactic on for 30 minutes! This can be quite dangerous - Laet only did this because she had built up her skin to tolerate lactic acid)

Look into microdermabrasion. SEE THIS LINK:http://www.acne.org/messageboard/forums.html...crodermabrasion


Final scar stage: By this point the redness in the scars should have completely faded, but the scars may remain as white, possibly shiny and hairless areas of skin. These are known as atrophic macules, and are different to the type of scarring on the face. Over time, they will fade considerably, usually ending as a pale-ivory colour that should blend in with your skin. They should not be too noticeable, but for people who feel self-conscious about their scars, there are a number of options. Treatments such as dermabrasion and TCA CROSS are NOT recommended for body scarring.
The following have been used on body scarring with some reported success:

Course of microdermabrasions (see link above) - quite a few may be needed to make any significant difference to body scarring.
Skin needling. A procedure whereby the scar is 'tatooed' without any ink. This damages the scar tissue underneath the dermis, causing it to restructure and possibly rise to the surface. This is good for deep rolling scars. SEE THIS LINK:http://www.acne.org/messageboard/forums.html...354
Subcision. This procedure involves the scar tissue being cut away from the healthy skin in an attempt to rise it to the surface. It can theoretically raise round, 'crater' like scars significantly although it is not always successful and can cause significant bruising. SEE THIS LINK:http://www.acne.org/messageboard/forums.html...32
Scalpel Excision - This involves a crater like atrophic scar being stitched up to form a thin, thread-like linear scar. However, excisions on the back can be problematic - due to the amount of movement the back and shoulders carry out in daily life, the excisions can be easily torn apart, leaving you back at square one. if successful, though, this is probably the best option for atrophic macules on the back and shoulders. The chest area is usually too tight to have successful excisions performed.
Smoothbeam This is a type of non-ablative laser, which can stimulate collagen production. It may also help with active acne. It could be used in conjunction with subcision or needling. You may need several smoothbeams to see any results. SEE THIS LINK: http://www.acne.org/messageboard/forums.html...0
IsolagenA procedure where skin cells are extracted from a part of your body such as the backs of your ears and then grown in a lab, before being injected into the scar tissue. It is a relatively new procedure but there is reported success with indented scars. SEE THIS LINK: http://www.acne.org/messageboard/forums.html...506
Micropigmentation - This involves artificial pigments being injected into the macular area to help blend in the colour of the scars with the surrounding skin colour. This can be successful in camouflaging scars, but the scars will become more noticeable again if the surrounding area becomes tanned.

Hope this is helpful. Remember that helpful information on all forms of scarring and treatments can be found over in the 'scar treatments' section of the message boards.
Good luck to everyone treating their body scarring.

Rossignol.

I have arm acne or ingrown hairs on my arms for 3 years now and its embarrising. If anyone knows any good regimens to clear this up please share them with me.

hi,

i have been concentrating on fixing scars and acne on my face for the past few years as seen here CLICK, and i have had good results, currently face is clear and i have better texture on areas of scarring on face. i had this problem since 19 now in 24 so i hope can find help.

now to turn my attention to the bacne problem, You know something im not that bothered with the bacne because no one sees it. Although i have not been able to go swimming for about 4 years or something. sometimes it hurts when im trying to sleep or if i sit back on chair , but other than that
im just grateful its not on my face

i dont think my bacne is caused by bad hygiene , im a really clean guy. 2 showers a day and change bedsheets frequently.

i used to get chest acne too but thats away

here is pics of my back after morning shower today,
it was hard trying to photo my back with mobile phone but i did my best.
[attachment=12132:Untitled2.jpg][attachment=12133:backs.jpg][attachment=12137:Un
titled5.jpg]
[attachment=12134:Untitled3.jpg][attachment=12135:Untitled24.jpg]

and face and chest picture today after shower,

[attachment=12136:front.jpg]

i heard some people use head & shoulders i might try that too, any other suggestion ?
i will try something new and take pics to see progression. i really want to have rid of the active bacne for summer, i dont mind the scars that are there.

bye

HELP ME

**WARNING THIS IS NASTY ON MY SKIN**

http://i33.tinypic.com/euipp3.jpg

http://i36.tinypic.com/2w5njnb.jpg

http://i35.tinypic.com/2crr5vp.jpg

*************************************

ive tried everything antibiotics, benzol peroxide,
sulfur soap, all kinda creams
i think i really have skin cancer

it aint acne on my back
there bumps that pop them selfs leaving really ugly scars
im at the point of gettin a knife and cuttin thru them all
my fuckin skin is eating me
FUCK I HATE THIS SHIT

Sorry, i'm sure there's been thousands of threads about this but i'm new here.

Does accutane work on acne scars on back, chest and arms aswell? And if anyone here as razor bumps or ingrown hair scars-does anyone know of anything that could potientally sort it out?

So weeks ago I got horrible breakouts on my shoulders from using my backpack. I applied Tazorac to make the acne go away/prevent scarring and I've been applying Tazorac to the areas ever since to make the remaining redness go away. Well, several days ago, I woke up in the morning and those same areas looked like a rash and were very itchy. Also, I saw that I had light-red marks (rash?) all under my underarms. For months now I've been applying Tazorac to some stretch marks located near my underarms... it's the area on my torso, right before my chest reaches my underarm, yet it's not under my arm.

Well those areas were super itchy and I couldn't sleep. Since then I've stopped applying Taz to those areas and have instead been applying Hydrocoritsone for the insane itching. Now, the redness under my arms is fading (still itches, not as much), the itching has gone from my shoulder areas, but now yesterday an itch developed on my anus, and today it's more so on the sides of my scrotum.

This rash/itch could be a result of something else, yes, but one theory of mine is that using too much Taz on the body caused a reaction. So, I'm wondering, has this happened to anyone else? Or do you know what this bodily itch is? Thank you.

I have suffered bad body acne on my chest and back. It's almost gone. I truly believe the number 1 thing for this disease is acupressure on a regular basis! It's expensive, I know.
I truly believe this procedure has helped my body acne more than anything else. Look into it.
Peace and love.

Okay, so here goes. This is my as yet UNTESTED combination plan for getting rid of bacne, based on the methods pinched from other posts on this site.

I’ve scoured this site many times looking for solutions for this dreaded bacne, and I’ve noticed some positive results, if a little varied. Perhaps it was my lack of commitment to the suggested regimens, not allowing enough time to see full effects, or perhaps they simply didn’t work for me as well as they have for others. These different methods I have tried are:

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)/Tea Tree Oil (TTO) – mix together, apply, leave for 15 minutes, rinse off
ACV/TTO – after shower, apply and leave on
ACV/TTO/water – after shower, apply and leave on (1:1 ratio ACV/water, i.e. 50% each and a couple drops TTO)
Head and Shoulders for Men (I’ve since read on this site that H&S Classic is the one to go for) – wash with and rinse
Head and Shoulders for Men – wash with, rinse, reapply and leave on
Lemon juice – leave on for ten minutes, rinse in shower
Lemon juice – leave on
Neutrogena body clear body wash – err… just use it
Panoxyl – as directed
Aloe vera gel – can’t remember . . . this was a long time ago. Think it was just apply after shower and leave on.
2 teaspoons of ACV in water, drank 3 times a day
Take Zinc supplements
Generally drink loads of water
Bicarbonate of Soda (called Baking Soda in the U.S. – I think)

So, I had a brainwave yesterday. Probably not the biggest brainwave in the world, but it was one that hit my small brain nonetheless. Why not combine the things that work the best and do them at the same time and see what happens?

The truth is, I’m lazy. I yearn for a ‘normal’ life where I don’t have to mess around with my skin. I want results without worrying about what greasy food I eat, or how much I drink or smoke. As hassle free as possible. I generally lack the discipline of a proper regimen. Perhaps this is why I don’t stick to some of the suggestions I’ve read, or even attempted the others. And this is the reason why I haven’t tried Dan’s bacne regimen – which, judging from the feedback from other posters, works really well. But I don’t want to have to wear a white T-shirt everyday and sleep in a bed with white sheets because the peroxide will bleach my clothes. That’s too much hassle for me – I’m lazy. Similarly, I read on another post that Epsom salt baths work wonders – but I don’t want to bathe every morning, I want to shower. That’s too much hassle for me – I’m lazy. Is there a pattern emerging here?

So, I’m trying a regimen in order to nuke my bacne as fast and as successfully as possible, without the hassle of changing my life too much. I’m combining the several approaches that don’t take long to do, and I’m going to post updates here so those who are interested can see how it goes.

Here is my plan – remember, it’s not a recommendation yet, it’s still just a theory.
Regimen preparation: mix ACV and water in a spray mist bottle, 50:50. Add a couple of drops of TTO. This bottle of solution should last a while and not mess with my daily routine too much.

Morning –
Mix some Bicarbonate of Soda/Baking Soda with some H&S Classic and a drop of water and put to one side. This takes like 30 seconds, and therefore doesn’t mess with my day.
In shower, gently wash with H&S classic on a body puff and rinse
Still in shower, apply the H&S/Bicarb/Water mix with hands. Give it a bit of a gentle wash and leave on while I take care of washing hair etc.
Rinse. Shower shouldn’t take any longer than usual…
Pat dry – would’ve done this anyway!
Spray on ACV/water/TTO solution – takes no time at all. If I’m feeling I need to get a shirt on asap, I can always rub it in until dry and wash my hands. . . still no real time delay.
So I’ve added about a minute to my daily routine so far. Not bad.

Make up a litre bottle of orange cordial/squash (sorry, I don’t know what you call this in the states – it’s that orange drink you dilute with water and drink). Add 6 teaspoons of ACV. Drink throughout day, whenever I can. Would’ve drank this orange drink anyway, so still not messing with my day.

Take a Zinc supplement with one of my meals.

Evening
Bicarb mixed with a bit of water. Gentle wash, rinse.
ACV solution spray.
Bed.

Added about 2 minutes to my normal daily routine. I’ll let you know how it goes, thanks for being patient with reading this far. Hope you understand where I’m coming from with this “hassle” business I keep harping on about. Hope all of you are well, and good luck with your own plans for clearing up your body acne.

Be well,
Down in Albion

Hi guys, I'm new here so take it easy on me

Not long ago I've had a blind date with this girl.
We had a great night, went out for dinner, cinema etc.
Just a fantastic night.

We decided to go to my home together and started kissing and stuff.
Then it happend, we had sex. Not protected (yeah yeah I know lol)

I pretty much dumped her afterwards and forgot about her.

Now after a few days I started to get acne on my peewee
Strange this is, I've never had any acne on my body anywhere..

I'm 31 and I have a healthy diet.

Any ideas from you pimpleheads? (that was a joke mkay)

Does anyone know what it feels like to never wear a tank top in your mid teens or adulthood

Ok so basically had a large pimple on the shaft of my penis, looked gross so I squeezed the puss out of it then it healed. But now I have a small cord like lump under the skin of the shaft about 1 cm in diameter. Doesn't hurt or anything and is hard to see almost looks like a vein.

Just wonder what it is a scar I guess?

I realize there's already a board on hormonal treatments but I wanted to put this somewhere I knew females with body acne would look. This is probably a common solution but I just want to give it a "shout out" because I am beyond happy with the results BC has had on my back. It feels SO good to finally wear w/e I want w/o worrying what others will think of my skin and to run my hands over it and feel nothing but smooth, soft skin! I've had acne on my face since I was 11 or 12 and I began getting it on my back (and my chest at times) when I was 15 or 16 (I'm 21 now). I know how much of a drag it can be... I didn't want to wear tank tops in summer no matter how hot it was cause I was afraid of what people would think and it's really difficult finding pretty sleeveless shirts that weren't too low cut IMO. This would then just perpetuate the problem because it would trap heat, humidity, sweat and oils but I couldn't bring myself to wear tank tops that would let my skin breathe...

I was on erythromycin for a while and all that did was give me constant hunger pains. I tried differin gel...didn't work. Panoxyl body wash? Nope...Head & Shoulders? Nothing. The thing that helped most prior to BC was DKR's BP and even that didn't clear everything, and a few bumps are all that's needed for red marks that last well over half a year on my skin.

Anyway, earlier this year I made a doctors appointment to try and get Yaz because it claims to help with the symptoms of PMDD (the reason I made the appointment) and mild-moderate acne, win-win! So, since february I've been using it religiously and around 3 mos. I saw clear results on my back all I was getting was a one or two of those deep, painful kind a month. This was a vast improvement! I added BP again, once a day, to my problem spots and now (6.5 mos. in) my back is absolutely clear. I admit I have one tiny one near my shoulder but I'm certain it's from a highly comedogenic lotion I used.

Basically, if you haven't considered using BC to treat acne you should look into it even on the hormonal treatment boards I know some people hate Yaz but it personally took me a good 4-5 mos to see definite results on my back and as of a month ago I'm began to see it work on my face, the only thing I'm battling now is occasional comedones and redmarks.

Okay I am 17, I have had bacne for about a year now. It is all over my back. I fucking hate it. Every time I wake up and see it in the mirror I dont feel human. I never go to the beach anymore =(

Anyway... Lately it seems to have died down a lot because I have been very careful with shirts, sheets, washing my back, taking minocycline, except every once a week i get like 5 when i wake up (it seems to happen in some pattern or somethign).
I have so many questions but first I'll just tell you what I do.

Im paranoid lately so I have two long showers every day scrubbing with loafer then using this clay cleanser really vigourously followed by turning my jet shower full blast. This has done a lot for me lately but still not good enough.

Long summer holidays are coming up and I'm at the beach for a while. I have various questions:
Do you think I should make the risk of being seen at the beach without a shirt?
Or would I get the same effects from salt water wearing a wetsuit?
Is this acne (moderate strain but quite dense, literally one mark in every square cm) just a teen thing?
If so, how old until it goes, if anyone has stories of how old till it goes?
Um... I have high hopes in going to the beach everyday but i dont know if it will do the trick... Thanks... Any input regardless of topic would be greatly appreciated!

Mine are ; elbow, knee, forearm, my knuckle (which really just made me laugh) , and my thigh.
Hahaha. I'm sure I might be missing a few...

Yours? ;D

I've had acne for about 5-6 years now. I'm currently 18 and recently my face cleared up. However, the body is a whole different story. I've been using H&S, have completeley revamped my lifestyle to include lots of excercise (running) and healthy eating, and have tried Benzac and Tretinoin. Been on them for about 4 years. I'm also taking doxiciline as an antibioitc. Yet I can't get rid of some really big red masses (I believe them to be cysts). Can any of you identify these? And how can I get rid of them? Is accutane my only option? My derm has been insisting on it, but im not sure how it'll impact my running or wether it'll clear me up definitively.

Chest


Shoulder

I'm sure millions have tried it, but I don't often see it mentioned. Buy yourself a plastic loufa and a Purpose bar or Dove sensitive skin bar. 1) Wet the loufa 2) Wet the bar 3) Rub the bar into the loufa for a few seconds. Voila! A foamy body wash that's cheap and is the exact same product you use on your face.

I had this checked out with a derm, but she didnt really seem to want to check it out much (one of those in/out derm ppl) and just pushed for roaccutane (which im thinking about).

I have read up on Pityrosporum Folliculitis. It seems the same but im not sure.

Mine, as u can see in the pictures, are not really inflamed atm (maybe one if anything, but when it does, it sometimes comes to a head). Under light, I can see the black folicals of my hair (as if they were ingrown). Some of them have sitting there for over 4-5 years. Some of them eventually come up. When they do, its like a little strand of hair is rolled up in the puss.

Also, I have a big cyst on my face.

I heard im supposed to use Head & Shoulders if it is PF?

Hey,
So I have mainly moderate bacne centered around the shoulder area. Over the last couple months I've been breaking out pretty badly and wanted to try new things. I started the complete Acne.org regimen about a week ago, and it's working fine for my face, but the bacne seems to be stuck where it is. I'm using the cleanser, BP, and AHA, that's all. I've also heard that irritation really influences acne, but it's kind of hard having to wear clothes and a backpack basically every day.
I would just like to know if what i'm doing is ok (or wrong), or what else I can do to clear it up.

Thanks!

i have had bacne and chest acne for about two 2 years and the kind of acne on my chest is blackheads and the acne on my back is also blackheads and whiteheads too. im a girl 14 nearing 15 years old about 5'7ish and 108 last time i checked. Im eating pretty normally i dont drink soda and suagry stuff is not really to my liking so does anyone have any suggestions to how to get rids of them especially the blackheads on my body. Also, when i shower i use a dove soap bar i also wash the acne areas with it. also my face had moderate acne mostly blackheads btw i use proactive on my face (gentle formula). i want to get rid of them as soon as possible because i just found out that for PE we have to swim and i feel embarrassed by the bacne. so please help with any suggestions if you can. Thanks (:

Seirously, my severe acne is mostly gone, but the past few years I keep getting huge cysts/nodules behind my ears and they look ghastly, and stay for along time. I barely dare mention the 'godzilla zit thread' I made a year or so ago, that zit freaked out a lot of people...

I am wondering why this is?

Its not about washing, nodules don't come from infection anyway, they develop deep inside the skin.

Why am I getting huge zits behind my ears (behing ear lobe etc), does anyone else get them too?

Pityrosporum Folliculitis - FAQ


Introduction
A lot of people are struggling with that they think are acne primarily on their chest, shoulders and back. It may also develop on the face(primarily the forehead). After trying countless acne medications or simply by trying to wait it out the condition still persists. The fact is that many "body acne" sufferers got some sort of folliculitis and when the lesions develope on the upper body it's often Pityrosporum Folliculitis they got.
The same questions pop up under the body acne section, and by creating this thread I'm hoping to answer some of this questions. However, be advised that I'm not a dermatologist or expert on the field. The information I'm providing is mostly from what I've read(countless hours of reading up on the subject online) and from what I have experienced.

This thread is a working progress and I hope others also will participate with information they have on the subject. Questions regarding this FAQ or contributions can be done by replying in this thread, but general questions regarding Pityrosporum Folliculitis can be asked in this thread. It has a lot of great information and users own experiences with PF.


What is Pityrosporum Folliculitis?
The first thing you should do is research the subject on your own. There's a lot of information found on the net and here are some good links:
http://www.emedicine.com/DERM/topic338.htm
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/16713
http://www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_dise...orum_folli.html
http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/159/1/64.pdf
http://dermatology.cdlib.org/rxderm-archiv...um-folliculitis
http://www.vgrd.org/archive/cases/2005/pit/pit.htm


Do i have Body acne or Pityrosporum Folliculitis?
This is the first question that people with "Body Acne" ask themselves when they are confronted with the term Pityrosporum Folliculitis. However this is often the hardest one to answer since "Body Acne" and Pityrosporum Folliculitis look a lot alike. Also a lot of people have them both at the same time since both acne and Pityrosporum Folliculitis thrive on oily skin.
Some things you should consider to find out if it's acne or Pityrosporum Folliculitis:
- Go to a dermatologist(This is the safest thing you can do to find out if it's body acne or Pityrosporum Folliculitis). Be sure to contact the derm before you schedule an appointment to be sure that he can do a biopsy or something like that to find out what your condition is.
- Have you tried acne medication without success? If you have it's more likely that you got Pityrosporum Folliculitis
- Have you used antibiotics previously. If this made the condition worse or if you got the spots on your body after the use of Antibiotics it's most likely Pityrosporum Folliculitis you got.
- Does it sometimes itch. If it does it's probably Pityrosporum Folliculitis
- Do you got Acne on your face too? If your face it's pretty much clear, but your body breaks out it's more likely that Pityrosporum Folliculitis is what you got. Pityrosporum Folliculitis can develop on the face to, but it's much less frequent.
- Does it get worse in hot, humid or sweaty environments or in periods where you don't shower much. If it does it's more likely Pityrosporum Folliculitis you got.
- There is no comodones or cysts associated with PF. It's Papules and Pastules and the material expressed from pustules is white to yellow
- Try some sort of medication against Pityrosporum Folliculitis(see treatments below) and see if this improve your condition. A safe bet is to buy a cream containing 2% ketoconazole(Nizoral, Daktarin Gold or something like that), and try it for a couple of weeks to see if it improves the condition.
- Check out the pictures of Pityrosporum Folliculitis below to see if it looks like what you got.


What does Pityrosporum Folliculitis look like?
http://www.aocd.org/images_ddd/Pityrosporu...itis_1_high.jpg
http://www.aocd.org/images_ddd/Pityrosporu...itis_2_high.jpg
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/reprint/171/8/851.pdf
http://www.skinatlas.com/pityrosporum.jpg
http://dermnetnz.org/common/image.php?path...img/pitfol1.jpg
http://dermnetnz.org/common/image.php?path...img/pitfol2.jpg
http://dermnetnz.org/common/image.php?path...img/pitfol3.jpg
http://162.129.70.33/images/folliculitis_1_010901.jpg
http://162.129.70.33/images/folliculitis_2_010907.jpg
http://162.129.70.33/images/pityrosporum_f...is_1_040505.jpg
http://www.acne.org/messageboard/forums.html...st


What kind of treatments are there?

Topical

Most popular on acne.org:

Ketoconazole

• Description: Widely used chemical for PF and can be used topically either as a shampoo(leave on for about 5 min in shower before washing of) or as a cream. It's usually available in 1 or 2% concentrations in various products.
• Research/information:
  - The in vitro antifungal activity of ketoconazole, zinc pyrithione, and selenium sulfide against Pityrosporum
  - Dandruff and Seborrheic Dermatitis
• Products:
  - Cleanser/wash: Nizoral, Fungoral
  - Leave on product: Nizoral, Daktarin Gold, Fungoral

Zinc Pyrithione

• Description: Not as effective against Pityrosporum ovale as Ketoconazole, but used with great success by a lot of members on acne.org. Head & Shoulders has 1% Zinc Pyrithione in it and that is probably why it works so good for a lot of people. Zinc Pyrithione is both antifungal and antibacterial. However, I recommend trying something like ZNP bar since it has 2% Zinc Pyrithione in it and is designed for use on the skin, not specially for the hair.
• Research/information:
  - How I got rid of my bacne - Using only Head & Shoulders
  - i'm clear using head and shoulder shampoo
  - The in vitro antifungal activity of ketoconazole, zinc pyrithione, and selenium sulfide against Pityrosporum
  - Dandruff and Seborrheic Dermatitis
• Products:
  - Cleanser/wash: Head & Shoulders, ZNP bar

Propylene Glycol

• Description: Used by a lot of members on acne.org with great success. Very easy to use since one option is to just spray it on using a spray bottle. It's fast, cheap and easy to apply to f.ex your entire upper body. With a cream it's hard to apply it to f.ex your entire upper body and it's therefore likely that the PF might spread.
  Propylene Glycol is often used in a concentration with water(50/50 of each). Sometimes you can buy 100% percent Propylene Glycol, but then you should dilute it with water before applying. If you look at the ingredients list on a lot of cosmetics you can see that Propylene Glycol is almost always on it. However, don't expect that your regular acne medication might work since it has Propylene Glycol in it. It's often a very low percentage of actual Propylene Glycol in the product.
• Research/information:
  - Pityrosporum folliculitis: a common disease of the young and middle-aged
• Products:
  - Leave on product: PG from chemistrystore.com, 50/50 PG/Water from Cubancrafters.com

Mandelic Acid

• Description: There is very little research on the antifungal effect of Mandelic Acid, but it's a popular product on this board against Pityrosporum Folliculitis. It's claimed to be both antifungal and antibacterial and exfoliates the skin. Therefore it's also good against red marks left from acne/PF. I personally receommend the product from Vivant for Pityrosporum Folliculitis on the body since it's a strong product(15% Mandelic + 2% lactic), it has very little ingredients besides the Mandelic and has some Propylene Glycol in it. However, the serum is very expensive and therefore it might be wise to buy the toner(9% mandelic) if your economy is tight.
• Research/information:
  - Mandelic acid is amazing against blackheads and acne ...
  - Nucelle changed my life
• Products:
  - Cleanser/wash: Vivant Mandelic Acid Cleanser
  - Leave on product: Vivant Mandelic Acid serum, Vivant Mandelic Acid toner, Nucelle Mandelic Acid

Other treatments:

Salicylic Acid

• Description: Used against both acne and Pityrosporum Folliculitis and is always a safe bet if you aren't 100% sure what you got. Mostly used in a concentration from 1,5% to 3% and either as a cleanser or a leave on product. A leave on product is nearly always the best bet since the Salicylic acid in cleansers doesn't sit on the skin long enough to do anything. Also, a Salicylic Acid product has to have a low pH to work(no higher than pH 4 is recommended). Most if not all cleansers has a higher pH than that and therefore the Salicylic Acid is pretty much ineffective.
• Research/information:
  - The antifungal activity of Salicylic Acid
  - Dandruff and Seborrheic Dermatitis
• Products:
  - Leave on product: Dan's Salicylic Acid, Paula's Choice Liquid BHA, Salicylic Acid from dianayvonne.com

Sulfur

• Description: Isn't the most known chemical against Pityrosproum Folliculitis, but has has antifungal, antibacterial, and keratolytic activity. Very drying when used as a leave on product and is therefore often used as a cleanser/wash and washed of after 5-10 min.
• Research/information:
  - The use of Sulfur in dermatology
  - Dandruff and Seborrheic Dermatitis
  - Topical Sulfur Products - Increase cell turnover (dead skin cant harden to create sebum)
• Products:
  - Cleanser/wash: Sulphur Soap(10% Sulphur), Sulphur(10%)/Salicylic Acid(3%), Grandpa's Thylox Soap

Selenium Sulfide

• Description: Selenium sulfide is highly active in inhibiting the growth of P. ovale. It's usually used in shampoos and is washed of after about 5 min on the skin.
• Research/information:
  - Pityrosporum folliculitis: a common disease of the young and middle-aged
  - Dandruff and Seborrheic Dermatitis
• Products:
  - Cleanser/wash: Selsun Blue, Selseb shampoo, Head & Shoulders Intensive Treatment

Tea Tree Oil

• Description: Both antibacterial and antifungal and effective against Malassezia furfur(the same as P. Ovale) Should be diluted with f.ex another oil like emu or jojoba. You can also find it as a shampoo. Never buy Tea Tree Oil in plastic bottles. Also it's best if it's stored in dark glas bottles.
• Research/information:
  - Tea Trees and Their Therapeutic Properties
• Products:
  - Leave on product: Desert Essence Organic Tea Tree Oil

Manuka Oil/honey

• Description: Manuka Oil is 20-30 times more active than Australian Tea Tree Oil
  for gram positive bacteria, and 5-10 times more active for fungi. However, there's a lot more research on Tea Tree Oil and it's effect on the Pityrosporum yeast.
• Research/information:
  - East Cape Manuka Oil, Manuka Cream and Manuka Soap
  - Tea Trees and Their Therapeutic Properties
• Products:
  - Leave on product: Living Nature Manuka oil and honey gel, Manuka oil from http://manukaoil.net/

Ciclopirox olamine cream

• Description: Antifungal often used to treat Pityrosporum folliculitis
• Research/information:
  - Monograph - Ciclopirox Olamine
• Products:
  - Leave on product: Can be bought from drugstore.com

Econazole cream

• Description: Treats fungus infections
• Research/information:
  - Pityrosporum folliculitis: a common disease of the young and middle-aged
• Products:
  - Leave on product: Can be bought from drugstore.com

Oil of Oregano

• Description: Antifungal
• Research/information:
  - More information on this
• Products:
  Leave on product: Oil of Oregano from North American Herb and Spice

Apple Cider Vinegar

• Description: Malic Acid is found in Apple Cider Vinegar and is antifungal. It can be used directly on the skin, but should be diluted first.
• Research/information:
  - Apple Cider Vinegar Cures
  - Apple Cider Vinegar* Pictures On First Page, Reduces Oil, Red Marks, Acne, Dry Skin, Regulates pH levels & More
• Products:
  Leave on product: Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

Oral

Azole antifungal agents

• Description: The two most used are Ketoconazole and Itraconazole. It's very effective, and if it is indeed PF you got these mediacations should make a remarkable clearing. However, you are lucky if the results are permanent and one should continue topical medication afterwards.
• Research/information:
  - Short term treatment of pityrosporum folliculitis with itraconazole
• Products: You need a prescription to get this medication legally, and therefore you have to contact your doctor to get this stuff.

Isotretinoin

• Description: A lot of people try Accutane after years of struggling. In a lot of cases it's effective against Pityrorsporum Folliculitis since the yeast thrive on oily skin. However, it's not always effective and some people on this board has experinced that their Pityrosporum Folliculitis has come back after the course of Accutane.
• Research/information:
• Products: Ask your dermatologist if you want this drug.

Does diet, hygiene or physical activity affect Pityrosporum Folliculitis?

When it comes to diet and Pityrosporum Folliculitis I'm not an expert. It's always hard to know if something is breaking you out or not. Some people say the fungus feed on sugar, but I have yet to see any hard evidence supporting this. So when it comes to general diet guidelines to help treat Pityrosporum Folliculitis there is a long way to go.
However, there are several things that you can eat which should help to treat the condition from inside. This is a great list of natural antifungals

Pityrosporum Folliculitis often affects athletes. This could be due to the sweating, rubbing from clothes etc. However I don't think working out and sweating makes PF worse if you take a cool shower right after you sweat using a medicated cleanser.
Some people on this board feel that the Pityrosporum Folliculitis/acne increases due to bodybuilding. . I'm not sure about the direct connection between working out and Pityrosporum Folliculitis. The reason people feel that they get PF due to bodybuilding could simple be that they sweat a lot, wear to tight clothing or experience rubbing from weight bars or machines. I work out a lot myself an for a long time I tought Pityrorsporum Folliculitis were a result of that, but I have now realised that I manage to keep it under control by taking a cool shower right afterwards and use a medicated cleanser. However, I will break out if I go days with physical activity and no showering.


What is your experience with Pityrosporum Folliculitis?
Started getting what I tought was acne on my forehead around december/january 2006/2007. I used hair care products full of shitty ingredients and had long hair that touched my forehead. This caused several papules/pastules. However, the damage was done, and now I didn't want to cut my hair to reveal my shitty forehead. After a while I cut my hair and stopped using any products in it, but the problem persisted and got worse.
During the following months I tried Dan's regimen, several diet changes, washes and more. However nothing seemed to do any good for my forehead.

Summer 2007 I went on vacation and was in the sun for hours each day. I got a nice tan and all my acne on my forehead "cleared up". What I actually was doing was damaging my skin and disguising all the red marks behind a nice tan. I still regret this to the very day since it made my red marks stay for ages. At that time I hadn't acne on my body at all(just some spots on the top of my back). However, I got a pretty severe sunburn, and a lot of dead skin on my shoulders and upper back. A couple of weeks later I started getting "acne" on my shoulders, upper back and chest. Mostly I got Pastules and what looked like whitehead on my chest(see the last picture under pictures) and the little deeper kind of pastules/papules on my shoulders/upper back. Mostly it only itched on the upper back and sometimes on the chest. However the itch was far from irritating and was never really a problem.

Through the winter(2007(September)-2008(January)) I didn't do much to the problem. I was hoping it would go away on it's own, and it was winter so I didn't have to reveal my upper body. When the summer got nearer I realised this shit wasn't going away, and I started trying different kind of products. After a while I started vitamin B5. It worked well on my forehead, but didn't do much for my upper body. Read my progress on this in my log

Around april 2008 I started reading about Pityrosporum Folliculitis, and I soon realised this was what I had. Since then I've spent countless hours researching the subject. Started using Head & Shoulders, but without great results. After a while I also started using Mandelic Acid and it began to clear up. However it didn't hold the folliculitis in check and soon I satrted a new topical regimen including a Sulphur/Salicylic Acid soap(sal3.com) and Daktarin Gold(Ketoconazole 2%) cream. it worked well for a while, but the PF soon started to occur again.
The next thing on the agenda was Propylene Glycol which seemed to work great for the first couple of days/the first week, but as I had previously experienced PF is a bitch and after 3 weeks I still got spots on my chest and shoulders/upper back.

September 11th I started Itraconazole 200 mg/day and a new chapter in my treatment history is about to begin.



Without this forum I would have never realised that it's Pityrosporum Folliculitis I have, and I would probably still be struggling with different kind of acne treatments. It's about time I give something back to this community, and I hope this post will help other members.
If I can help one person to get clear by creating this FAQ it's all worth it.

Good luck!

i'm thinking of going tanning, since the sun seems to help, but now that its winter, my summer skin has faded away

has anyone had good results with this?