17 replies to this topic

[mrsfthechef]

I've been searching the boards for specifics on neck acne. (The ideas on bacne are awesome, btw), but I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to deal with this sensitive area?

Background - female, 28 years old, acne started around 13 and was on Accutane at 17 for about 2 months before I got so severely depressed my mom took me off of it. Entered late teens and mom got me ProActiv which I used religiously for 3 years. I was also on birth control at 17 to help control the hormonal imbalance. I was clear through my early twenties until I went off bcp about 9 months ago. It has gotten progressively worse so I went back on ProActiv. That was just fuel for the fire!

I'm going to see my doc on Thursday to get back on bcp. That is the only huge difference for me that I can think of that would cause such an outbreak. It's on my cheeks, jawline, neck and behind the ears. A few pop up on my chest, back, and shoulders.

Also, one last question. What's the easiest way to get product on your back? An old towel?

Thanks everyone!

P.S. I will have to give the sea salt baths a try...

[Helio]

Wow, the neck and behind the ears area is also where I have stubborn acne.

I don't have any advice, though. I still have acne there

[juin]

I've been searching the boards for specifics on neck acne. (The ideas on bacne are awesome, btw), but I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to deal with this sensitive area?

Background - female, 28 years old, acne started around 13 and was on Accutane at 17 for about 2 months before I got so severely depressed my mom took me off of it. Entered late teens and mom got me ProActiv which I used religiously for 3 years. I was also on birth control at 17 to help control the hormonal imbalance. I was clear through my early twenties until I went off bcp about 9 months ago. It has gotten progressively worse so I went back on ProActiv. That was just fuel for the fire!

I'm going to see my doc on Thursday to get back on bcp. That is the only huge difference for me that I can think of that would cause such an outbreak. It's on my cheeks, jawline, neck and behind the ears. A few pop up on my chest, back, and shoulders.

Also, one last question. What's the easiest way to get product on your back? An old towel?

Thanks everyone!

P.S. I will have to give the sea salt baths a try...

Maybe you should suspect your shampoo for aggravating your acne. I know those areas are hormonal areas but it's also where your shampoo hits the most beside your scalp.

[Helio]

Maybe you should suspect your shampoo for aggravating your acne. I know those areas are hormonal areas but it's also where your shampoo hits the most beside your scalp.

That's what I suspected too, but I wash my hair first, so it doesn't make sense that the shampoo would still affect the skin.

[mrsfthechef]

It may be my shampoo...I do have a bad habit of trying new ones every couple weeks. What can I say? I'm a haircare freak. But I do my facial/ body washing after the shampoo, so wouldn't it wash everything away?

Sulfur....how do you like the soap? Does it try your skin out horribly? Also, do you use a different lotion on your face than on your body?

Thanks!

[Helio]

Sulfur....how do you like the soap? Does it try your skin out horribly? Also, do you use a different lotion on your face than on your body?

Thanks!

It's the best soap I've tried, but it's inconsistent for me. My skin looks overall better, but I still get pimples. A couple days ago, my neck and behind the ears area were completely clear, then pimples popped up.

It's really helped with redmarks and scars though, they faded a lot.

It doesn't seem to dry out my skin too badly, but when I tried it on my face, it made it super dry. And I mean super dry - there was just no sign of oil.

I use the same lotion on my face and body, because body lotions aren't non-comedogenic (unless specified so).

[mrsfthechef]

Thanks for the info. My mom uses glycerin soap. I tried it once and it left me super dry and tight - felt like saran wrap on my face. If sulfur soap is anything like glycerin soap, I think I'll stay away. But I'm glad it works for you!

[STLkid335]

I've been searching the boards for specifics on neck acne. (The ideas on bacne are awesome, btw), but I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to deal with this sensitive area?

Background - female, 28 years old, acne started around 13 and was on Accutane at 17 for about 2 months before I got so severely depressed my mom took me off of it. Entered late teens and mom got me ProActiv which I used religiously for 3 years. I was also on birth control at 17 to help control the hormonal imbalance. I was clear through my early twenties until I went off bcp about 9 months ago. It has gotten progressively worse so I went back on ProActiv. That was just fuel for the fire!

I'm going to see my doc on Thursday to get back on bcp. That is the only huge difference for me that I can think of that would cause such an outbreak. It's on my cheeks, jawline, neck and behind the ears. A few pop up on my chest, back, and shoulders.

Also, one last question. What's the easiest way to get product on your back? An old towel?

Thanks everyone!

P.S. I will have to give the sea salt baths a try...

I had problems with acne and some cyst behind my ears. I noticed that head and shoulders has helped alot with it. I hardly get anything behind my ears anymore. You could maybe try that if you wanted.

[kintara]

In the past few years I've had an increasing amount of acne behind the neck and ears, and only in the last 3 or so days have I finally found something that seemed to be helping. I discovered that marvelous sea salt thread and started doing sea salt soaks and making sure my neck and back of my ears were definitely in the water, and now my bumpy cysts and pimples on the back of my neck are actually flattening down!!!

[Jules.]

I've been searching the boards for specifics on neck acne. (The ideas on bacne are awesome, btw), but I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to deal with this sensitive area?

Background - female, 28 years old, acne started around 13 and was on Accutane at 17 for about 2 months before I got so severely depressed my mom took me off of it. Entered late teens and mom got me ProActiv which I used religiously for 3 years. I was also on birth control at 17 to help control the hormonal imbalance. I was clear through my early twenties until I went off bcp about 9 months ago. It has gotten progressively worse so I went back on ProActiv. That was just fuel for the fire!

I'm going to see my doc on Thursday to get back on bcp. That is the only huge difference for me that I can think of that would cause such an outbreak. It's on my cheeks, jawline, neck and behind the ears. A few pop up on my chest, back, and shoulders.

Also, one last question. What's the easiest way to get product on your back? An old towel?

Thanks everyone!

P.S. I will have to give the sea salt baths a try...

Acne on neck = hormonal. Keeping my weight down and staying away from all sugar and bad carbs helps mine + tons of water + exercise + sleep. I'm also on a mother-load of supplements (I have PCOS) I also breakout on cheeks, jawline, neck, and behind ears, with some on chest, back, and occassionally shoulders. I, for a period of time, also had a few on my arms.

You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but where is your weight at? Do you struggle with keeping it down, or have no problem with it? We have similar stories, though I've never been on accutane. All the hormonal stuff, however, seems quite alike. Diet and weight, aside from supplements + exercise + vitamin injections are very important factors in keeping acne under control in hormonal situations like mine.

[mole3691]

I agree. The best way for me to get rid of neck acne is through exercise. I just started training again for the upcoming track season about a weak ago, and my neck is all cleared up now. Any form of exercise is the key....well for me at least.

[EddieE]

Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night.. lack of rest can cause your skin to break out



I saw that in proactiv solution guide.

and is true i should sleep alot =\\

now i sleep 7-8 hours everyday and is kinda helping ^^


I did get like 3-4 acne same time!! on the neck don't know what is that.
it came out of no where.

could be allergic ? don't know lol but it never happened to me^^

[Addie]

I get acne behind my ears and on my neck, too. (And on my scalp. ) I try to put my facial topicals on them if possible. I also rotate using Nizoral and using a very non-emollient shampoo (Cetaphil Normal to Oily and Dan's cleanser are the best I've come across). Paula Begoun lists these as emollient or thickening ingredients from you shampoo that could cause issues for acne-prone people: proteins, silicones, quaternium, or polyquaternium, cetyl alcohol, or stearyl alcohol. Nizoral just has polyquaternium towards the end; Dan's has quaternium towards the end; and Cetaphil has nothing, but doesn't seem to clean up oil as well.

[The Refugee]

Acne on the neck = hormonal?

what does acne every where else mean?

Sounds interesting, anyone got a link.

[Sean123]

I get acne right below the ear on my cheek, my upper neck back and chest. Im on accutane and its starting to clear up.

[bizzyskin]

I use a Pendo Pad for my back/body/neck. I don't get acne behind the ears. I recommend trying everything suggested on the boards from most gentle to harshest, so first try things like H&S, etc., and if those don't work, move up until you get to the PP (lol that's my body acne treatment history in a nutshell)

[innerbeauty888]

Hi [quote name='mrsfthechef' date='Jan 1 2008, 11:59 PM' post='2146544']

There are a lot of different stories going on with all of us and mine is eriel-ly similiar to yours. What happened to you? Im curious.....our conditions are similiar as you describe.

From acne starting at 13, trying Accutane when eventually birth control seemed to do the trick. I was on BC for YEARS. About 11 months ago I stopped because my skin seemed to be doing better when I was on the placebo (water)pills. 3-4 months later it started coming back...Proactive didn't help, it only stalled and seemed to make my oil glands rebel in the long run. I even tried Minocycline. That seemed to totally change the texture of my skin all over. I have these small raised flesh colored bumps on my temples and ithcy acne bumps on below my ears. Plenty of small acne bumps, red, on my upper back and big hormonal ones on my neck and jawline even on my cheeks. They can even be nodular and really hurt. I tried the shampoo switcheroo, to Burts Bees, and that actually cleared up my dry scalp problem but had no affect on my acne rash whatever it is. I started back on birth control because the acne is becoming unmanageable and I'm almost 30. This needs to stop. I am curious to hear what worked or didn't work for you since I really relate to your description/experience (acne in all the same spots..! It's on my cheeks, jawline, neck and behind the ears. A few pop up on my chest, back, and shoulders.)

I started on Ortho tri cyclen Lo and I'm starting the 3rd week. I am hoping you have good news...let me know what kind you are on. Hope you are doing well.... I appreciate your feedback...truth is if you're all clear and happy, you're probably not home blogging on acne.org anymore, but out enjoying life? right? ha ha. Looking forward to your reply. Thanks a bunch!

[holisticgirl]

the most important things to be taking for acne sufferers are:

probiotics if you have acne on your temples and/or forehead
allicin(garlic extract) for EVERY kind of acne (its gods gift to people with acne)
Maca for hormonal acne

It is also important to stop eating everything that may contain a hormone: Milk (that isnt hormone free), cheese, eggs, soy ( which is also in many processed foods), and meat (that is not hormone free).

Do all this and your acne will go away SIGNIFICANTLY. I swear you'll be amazed. Especially if you also try to stick to a healthier diet. (However it still works pretty well if you don't)

Taking these supplements help reverse the damage most of us have done by taking antibiotics, birth control and by using products that kill bacteria topically.

you can find all 3 of these supplements at the vitamin shoppe or at other supplement stores.