5 replies to this topic

[twohearted]

Hi everyone! First, I would just like to say I appreciate this community and all the information that has come out of it. After dealing with acne for going on 10 years, I am in a stage now where things are not nearly as severe as they once were. I learned a lot from this site that I am sure has contributed to where I am today.

That being said, I was wondering if anyone in this community would have suggestions for my body acne. There still is a little acne left in a few spots, but for the most part my back is covered with hyperpigmentation.

I'm thankful that it is not nearly as bad as it used to be. Should I just wait it out and see if things get better on their own, or are there people who have been in the "recovery" stage of body acne that found a product to help even out skin tone?

Right now, all I use for my back is the Neutrogena Body Clear Body Scrub and I try to keep my skin moisturized (especially in the winter) with plain Aveeno lotion. I don't use too much on my back though since I do have a few spots with acne still present.

Thanks everyone.

[edited to remove pic]

Edited by twohearted, 13 February 2012 - 06:07 PM.

[whatthekell]

Hey,
you definitely want to get Dan's AHA+. I use this twice a day. you can replace your aveeno because it's not only going to fade your hyperpigmentation, but it's going to moisturize your back greatly. Also, cut aveeno out completely. it has isopropyl palmitate in it, which is very pore clogging. I used to use this on my face for years! Wow what an idiot I was! haha. I didn't know.

Anyway. Dan's AHA is amaaaazing! Please try it. You should see results within the first month, but with continued use, it will be almost perfect.

Edited by whatthekell, 11 February 2012 - 07:21 PM.

[HapaMommy]

I suffer from post-inflammatory hyper pigmentation and my dermatologist says my spots (dark spots cause I'm Filipina) will fade in 12-18 months. Not what I wanted to hear. Luckily, she prescribed me Differin 3% and it helps fade them more quickly. I also tried home microdermabrasion (DermaNew) and it helps. You have lighter thinner skin so you'll probably see quicker results from home micro than I did. I don't recommend the micro AND the Differin because it causes irritation. Also, some spas offer chemical body peels but it might be too pricey for such a slight problem. Hope this helps!

[RemovingBlackheads]

If possible you should go regularly to a sauna; sometimes you can do that as part of your gym membership, such as the YMCA. You will also need to make sure you moisturize your skin extra carefully while you do this.

[twohearted]

Thank you very much for the replies.

I will try the AHA+ and probably order it later this week. Like I mentioned in my post I don't put a lot of Aveeno on my back, but I do try to put a little on just to keep my skin from drying out too much. I'll avoid the back and I don't seem to have problems anywhere else on my body (chest, arms/ legs etc...) I'll start looking for another lotion that doesn't contain that ingredient.

@ hapamommy - I had been to a derm before and he gave me the epiduo gel. From what I understand, it is similar to Differin and while that has helped my face out, it didn't seem to be quite as effective on my back. However, my back used to be worse so maybe it did help some with fading older scars. It is winter where I live and other than going to a tanning salon, I won't be getting much sun back there to help tan/fade my skin tone. I will look into the dermanew. I'm patient, but waiting for 18 months for everything to fade would be a bummer.

@ Timehealsall - There isn't really one thing that I could point to and say that cleared my bacne. I had some while I was in high school, but it wasn't bad at all and eventually went away. My back definitely got worse when I hit my late teens/ early 20s. I don't wanna say it was cystic but it was like a mix of deep bumps and I think smaller blackheads that grew. If you saw my pic, you could see where there were a lot of little dark spots and some big ones.

I went to the derm a few years ago and I have been on and off Minocycline. I don't really use Epiduo over my whole back anymore, but I did apply it to some of the areas where I had issues. I also started using acne body scrubs instead of just a wash. Just don't overdo it with the washing so you don't irritate it. After about a year or two it has gradually faded to where it is today - still a few spots but mostly hyperpigmentation. I have been off of Minocycline for about 6 months now and it hasn't stormed back this time. My diet is also substantially better than it was 2-3 years ago so maybe that helped as well? I sleep in thin tshirts that I change appx every 3 days, and I shower after I workout instead of waiting until the end of the day. Hope this helps out some.

Thanks again everyone

Edited by twohearted, 12 February 2012 - 09:43 PM.