well ive been lurking trying to get as much info as possible and finally decided to join. My acne like most others started up around 12 or 13. Today, i have many many blackheads on my back and shoulders, and i get frequent large red bumps on my back. I am 23 now. I have many blackheads on my face but not the 'visible' kind, you can only see them close but there are a lot of them (in fact i bet every pore on my face can be sqeezed and have something some out, same with my back) I have went through 2 bottles of BP 5% and i didnt notice much difference, and recently i have been using SA body wash but still no effect. I have tried dandruff shampoos, and many differens soaps. The problem persists. In the summer i have been trying to get decent amount of sun but no change. I notice it gets worse if i scrub or over-wash. Recently i have been not using any soap on my back in the shower and that seems to help. I have been diabetic since 1998 but its well controlled. Any tips on clearing this up, its quite bad and hasn't gotten any better over the years.

thanks

accutane

i did in fact have the exact same problem as you have regarding blackheads; they were everywhere!
literally, they would just be covering every inch of my upper chest (probably my back too, but that is less visible and accessible).
I have found that the best way to get rid of blackheads on the chest is to simply squeeze them out.
yes it is a very lengthy process, but the final product looks a hell of a lot better than before.
I still get them to date, but now my primary concern is spots.
as with your back, i suggest scrubbing thoroughly once/twice daily (depending on if you do sports/sweat a lot).
As for your face, i think i have the same problem (up close sort of tiny white-ish bumps with the same properties of blacheads). These have proven nasty little b*tches for me and i try to squeeze those out too, because blackhead removing liquids and such do not work.
sorry i cannot be of further assistance.
Regards,
toomanyman