My back acne looks identical to yours. The only thing that gives me improvement in my back acne is a change in diet. Topicals don't help me much because it is an internal problem.Cutting out sugar is a must first and foremost. Once I start eating more sugary stuff I notice Acne popping up on my back within a day or so. I also did a food allergy test and have high antibodies in my body against dairy, eggs, and gluten. Have you tried cutting dairy and gluten out of your diet?

On 12/25/2016 at 9:03 PM, Arizona89 said:

My back acne looks identical to yours. The only thing that gives me improvement in my back acne is a change in diet. Topicals don't help me much because it is an internal problem. Cutting out sugar is a must first and foremost. Once I start eating more sugary stuff I notice Acne popping up on my back within a day or so. I also did a food allergy test and have high antibodies in my body against dairy, eggs, and gluten. Have you tried cutting dairy and gluten out of your diet?

Hey, thanks for the post. I got a back scrubber and started bathing daily at night. That has improved things dramatically and a lot of the acne has gone. I still have about 50% of the acne though. During the Christmas period I started eating more junk food. Yesterday I noticed about 5 painful spots appear. I'm going to cut out sugar, continue to wash and moisturise and see if that helps. I compared an image of my back today, compared to the one above and there is noticeable improvement.

The angry red one on the right I was trying to pick just before this photo (I know I need to stop, but they annoy me because they itch)

I'm glad you are seeing improvement. You will definitely see an improvement cutting out sugar. Dairy is a big culprit of acne because of all the hormones in it therefore increasing sebum production so I highly recommend cutting dairy out as well to have clear skin. I indulged over the holidays with too much sweets and dairy and paid the price big time. Had new big zits pop up on my face and back, the painful ones that take forever to go away. Luckily it has cleared up a lot since I've cut those out of my diet, and I'm going to try very hard to stick with it this year. Also limiting coffee intake as well.

They're doing my head in now. If I keep on top of treatment they go away, but when I stop even for a day or so they come right back. It's depressing and frustrating

Topical treatment will only do so much if anything at all. For most adults, topical treatment does nothing and actually makes acne worse because it is disrupting the natural oil balance and ph of our skin. When we clean and scrub too much, we break out even more because the skin produces even more oil to compensate for the oil taken away during cleansing. Adult acne is different than teen acne. It is more of an internal issue than external. I have suffered many years of acne on my body, and I promise you addressing it internally will give you promising results. I know it is a daily emotional battle going through this. You are not alone with your pain.

You can try an alcohol-free SA or Mandelic acid toner to keep your skin fresh and exfoliated. I think Murad sells an anti-acne SA body spray for chest and back acne that you could look into as well. Using an oil-free SA or BP cleanser in the shower is also helpful. I second improving your diet, since having no dairy/man made sugars/bad carbs and a lot of Omega 3s will fight inflammation and make any acne that does appear resolve faster and look less red [from my experience].

Thanks @Arizona89and @cloudydreamer... I've now cut out the majority of sugar. It's early days though. I feel like it's getting better. My skin has naturally always been very oily. I could wash my face in the morning, and by 1pm it's shiny and oily. Same with my back. Only time will tell, but I'm not breaking out with many new "pimples". I dare call them acne, they're more like volcanos ha ha.

My back acne is worse than yours, yours isn't that bad...you just have lots of active acne and red marks.

I got rid of my acne eliminating some foods and supplements:

1) Cut the sugar from your diet. It's so important. For most people (including me) sugar was the biggest culprit when it come to acne break out. You don't have to eliminate it altogether but try to reduce it to the minimum possible. I only eat fruits and honey as sugar for example.

2) Diary: especially milk is so bad. For us acne prone people milk is a no-no. You drink lots of milk or diary and acne is just a natural consequence.

3) Creatine: Oh God. This was by far the biggest culprit in my case and only recently I noticed how bad it is. It raises your testosterone, DHT and IGF-1 levels by a lot and they are all androgenous hormones responsible of acne. Completely stay away from it if you want clear skin.

Once you get on this diet your active acne should stop after a couple of weeks, and then you can use "luce pulsata" (sorry I don't know the english term) to get rid of the red/brown marks.

Good luck and remember that diet is the most important thing

@SimpleMutton Thanks for the reply

It's been a while since I posted. I don't each much sugar ... but I notice if I have a chocolate bar, and sugar in my tea, the next day a breakout is certain. I also notice when I exercise I get a breakout.

Here's where I'm at at the moment. Not sure if it's improvement or got worse.

[Edited image out]

What has helped me a little is not picking or scratching. If I pick/scratch it gets worse so I avoid doing that. Sometimes I forget. I have the odd few appear, but I hope I'm getting a handle on this.

How long does it take for the red/brown marks to go away?

It does appear to me that your problem is active acne and red marks more than true acne scars.
The pic isn't high quality but it looks like you have nodulo-cystic acne that should be treated with Accutane.

The red marks should go away with time but it can take years...if you want faster results you should do some IPL laser treatments or moderate peelings. Of course ask about these things with your dermatologist

After that just treat the acne scars left with microneedling...trust me I have a similar situation and that's what I'm doing

Most of the red marks are old. I have my partner wash my back daily and she comments that most of the red marks are just scars. But I think you're right about cystic acne. This is doing my head in now I've had this all my life and it's frustrating. My back and shoulders are full of scars. I'd love to know why I'm prone to getting this acne.

How are you getting on with your treatment? Is it working?

Mine also looks more or less the same and I have been trying for about 10 years to figure out where it comes from. What I have found is that exfoliatiing is very important. The skin on my back is much thicker and has much larger pores than in my face so I am exfoliating both physically with a loafa and with peeling gel and with salicylic acid 2 % toner. I am doing this as regularly as possible but sometimes not every day. I have been doing the caveman regimen with a change in diet and I found that washing every single day is not needed. Which was a good insight for me. My idea right now is to make sure my skin on my back always feels smooth as it does after proper peeling, then I usually can stay clear. I also eat zinc pills and am trying to stay away from sugar and milk. My back looks better than even and feels very smooth after all the peeling.