Acne.org Products
On 3/12/09 thursday I used Nizoral shampoo 1%. On 3/15/09 sunday I used selsun blue shampoo selenium sulfide 1%. So far the over the counter dandruff shampoos are keeping me relatively clear on my chest and back with a few red spots popping up under my arm pit and my upper back. But overall the otc dandruff shampoos seems to be keeping pf in check.
Should I still ask for the ketoconazole 2% cream?
I showered with nizoral on my chest and back tonight. So far doing this twice a week is keeping me mostly clear with a few pimples popping up here and there. No big deal. I'm hoping I can gradually cut down to once a week with the nizoral and hopefully twice a month. If I can manage to do this I probably won't bother asking for ketoconazole 2% cream prescription from a doctor.
Hey guys,
I need your help! I'm new to the site but this crap has been bothering me for some time and I saw the pinned thread on folliculitis so I figured I've give it a try haha. My problem is this: I'm a 20 yr old male and I've had these small white bumps on my shoulders and upper back for several years now and I just can't seem to get rid of em 
I'm also not even sure what they are - they're whitish/skin colored, they don't itch, and they vary in size (usually about the size of an average whitehead) but have no head or red center - they're just kinda there. They're not inflamed and they don't spread when itched or seem to follow any regular patterns of folliculitis. Some are focused around hair follicles but others are not, and they also can't be popped - they look too far underneath the skin. I've seen multiple dermatologists about it and each time they've briefly dismissed it as folliculitis, but didn't mention any treatments or cures or anything. The thing is I've researched a million different types of folliculitis and in every case I've seen, they've all been red or pink in color- I haven't seen any pics that remotely resemble what I have, which causes me to question whether or not its actually folliculitis. It's incredibly exhausting and I'm extremely self-conscious about it. My question is this: has anyone else out there had this or anything similar to it? I've been on accutane several years ago and I was on doxycycline afterwards - not sure if that has any bearing on this but I thought its worth mentioning. I've tried salicylic acid and other acne washes to no avail If anyone has had this or knows how to treat it I would appreciate your help cause this is driving me crazy!!!
Thanks in advance!
Hey guys,
I need your help! I'm new to the site but this crap has been bothering me for some time and I saw the pinned thread on folliculitis so I figured I've give it a try haha. My problem is this: I'm a 20 yr old male and I've had these small white bumps on my shoulders and upper back for several years now and I just can't seem to get rid of em
Thanks in advance!
Can you post a pic? And did Accutane clear it up temporarily?
Hey guys,
I need your help! I'm new to the site but this crap has been bothering me for some time and I saw the pinned thread on folliculitis so I figured I've give it a try haha. My problem is this: I'm a 20 yr old male and I've had these small white bumps on my shoulders and upper back for several years now and I just can't seem to get rid of em
Thanks in advance!
Can you post a pic? And did Accutane clear it up temporarily?
If I had a working digital camera I'd post a pic haha I know its hard to get an accurate rendering just from a description. Basically picture a small blemish but completely white with no red center or anything - and slightly raised above the skin. I took accutane about 4 years ago and I began noticing the spots about 2 1/2 to 3 years ago. I was on doxycycline when I first noticed them. I don't know if there's any correlation between all that, but i wouldn't be surprised because i've heard of people experiencing folliculitis after certain antibiotics
eskye said:White Fox said:eskye said:Hey guys,I need your help! I'm new to the site but this crap has been bothering me for some time and I saw the pinned thread on folliculitis so I figured I've give it a try haha. My problem is this: I'm a 20 yr old male and I've had these small white bumps on my shoulders and upper back for several years now and I just can't seem to get rid of em
Thanks in advance!
Can you post a pic? And did Accutane clear it up temporarily?
If I had a working digital camera I'd post a pic haha
Yes, especially Pityrosporum folliculitis occurs during or after the use of antibiotics. Does the stuff you have look something like this: [Edited link out] ??
You might just try some Ketoconazole 2% cream for a couple of weeks if you think it might be PF.
Hello everyone, I have finally figured out the type of "acne" I have is not actually acne, it is folliculitis. From searching this site it seems Folliculitis usually affects people on their back/chest, however mine is across my forehead and around my hairline. This picture [Edited link out] is almost IDENTICAL to what I have. I can't tell you how relieved I am to FINALLY know what the hell is wrong with me. I have always had clear skin, and literally overnight all of these bumps appeared, they are very itchy and look horrible! I did not get this diagnosis from a doctor or dermatologist, as they couldn't see my until mid April...and over the phone they told me I needed to use BP for acne, even though I knew this was NOT acne. Anyways, I am posting in this forum because I have read Head and Shoulders is effective in treating follicultis. Does anyone have these bumps similar to the picture I posted, or has anyone been diagnosed with folliculitis (especially interested in those who have it on their face) It seems a lot of people on here are using Nizoral, I tried it and it is just way too drying for my face. However, Head & Shoulders Classic Clean as the active ingredient Zinc....the link that I posted says to treat folliculitis with Selenium Sulfide...which is the active ingredient in Head & Shoulders Intensive Treatment, and Selsun Blue. So it seems I should just go buy the Intensive Treatment, but someone posted on here not to use it because it turns your face red...? Sorry this post is so long, I am just so frustrated and want my life back...I have been totally reclusive because of this, I know it's not the end of the world to have this on my face...but I just need this painful episode to pass!!! My dad had some Head & Shoulders Classic Clean so I'm going to use that tonight, and maybe I'll call the advice nurse and ask their opinion...even though she will probably tell me to use BP again...urgh! Any help/comments is greatly appreciated! This has been hell, at least I know what I have..now I just need to find the cure! Thanks everyone.
P.S. To read further about folliculitis visit this site [Edited link out] scroll down to folliculitis and it talks about using selenium sulfide. What do you guys think I should do??? Does anyone have this on their face??
Hi Plainjane,
I have it (had it) on my face, and funnily enough it's also when I found that picture that I knew I had it- mine looked almost exactly like that too. It's too bad Nizoral was too drying- It's what's been keeping me clear for a yar and a half. But you can also get a ketoconazol cream from your dermatologist. I found Head and shoulders classic clean more drying than Nizoral and more irritating if I left it on for long, but everyone's different, so give it a try.
Check out this thread:
It mostly talks about body folliculitis, but it has loads of info.
PlainJane22 said:Hello everyone, I have finally figured out the type of "acne" I have is not actually acne, it is folliculitis. From searching this site it seems Folliculitis usually affects people on their back/chest, however mine is across my forehead and around my hairline. This picture [Edited link out] is almost IDENTICAL to what I have. I can't tell you how relieved I am to FINALLY know what the hell is wrong with me. I have always had clear skin, and literally overnight all of these bumps appeared, they are very itchy and look horrible! I did not get this diagnosis from a doctor or dermatologist, as they couldn't see my until mid April...and over the phone they told me I needed to use BP for acne, even though I knew this was NOT acne. Anyways, I am posting in this forum because I have read Head and Shoulders is effective in treating follicultis. Does anyone have these bumps similar to the picture I posted, or has anyone been diagnosed with folliculitis (especially interested in those who have it on their face) It seems a lot of people on here are using Nizoral, I tried it and it is just way too drying for my face. However, Head & Shoulders Classic Clean as the active ingredient Zinc....the link that I posted says to treat folliculitis with Selenium Sulfide...which is the active ingredient in Head & Shoulders Intensive Treatment, and Selsun Blue. So it seems I should just go buy the Intensive Treatment, but someone posted on here not to use it because it turns your face red...? Sorry this post is so long, I am just so frustrated and want my life back...I have been totally reclusive because of this, I know it's not the end of the world to have this on my face...but I just need this painful episode to pass!!! My dad had some Head & Shoulders Classic Clean so I'm going to use that tonight, and maybe I'll call the advice nurse and ask their opinion...even though she will probably tell me to use BP again...urgh! Any help/comments is greatly appreciated! This has been hell, at least I know what I have..now I just need to find the cure! Thanks everyone.P.S. To read further about folliculitis visit this site [Edited link out] scroll down to folliculitis and it talks about using selenium sulfide. What do you guys think I should do??? Does anyone have this on their face??
Yes, it's very likely that you have folliculitis since it itches, it appeared basicly over night and it's primarily on the forehead/hairline. However, Nizoral won't do anything if it's bacterial folliculitis because it is only effective against fungi/yeast, not bacteria.
However, I would buy either the ZNP bar or the Dermadoctor Born to Be Mild medicated face and body cleanser if you want to use Zinc Pyrithione. Both of these products has 2% Zinc in them(h&S has 1%) and they are designed for skin use.
Good luck!
Hi Plainjane,
I have it (had it) on my face, and funnily enough it's also when I found that picture that I knew I had it- mine looked almost exactly like that too. It's too bad Nizoral was too drying- It's what's been keeping me clear for a yar and a half. But you can also get a ketoconazol cream from your dermatologist. I found Head and shoulders classic clean more drying than Nizoral and more irritating if I left it on for long, but everyone's different, so give it a try.
Check out this thread:
It mostly talks about body folliculitis, but it has loads of info.
How funny is it that we both used the same photo to identify our skin condition?? You know I don't think it was the Nizoral that was too drying, I was actually putting tea tree oil straight on my face undiluted...I was just so fed up i slapped it on!! bad idea! haha. So I used Head and Shoulders last night and wow!! What a notice improvement already. Then this morning I used Nizoral and tonight I used Head and shoulders. Things definitely seem to be improving, but how can I get rid of these red marks that seem to be left behind? I have heard an egg white mask mixed with a little lemon is good for red marks. Anyone have any good tips? I'm more into home remedies than chemicals. I still can't believe I'm using shampoo on my face..eek! But hey if it gets rid of it, who cares!! Thank you so much everyone for all of your help, it's so refreshing to hear I can get rid of this. Are you using regular Head and Shoulders or Intensive treatment? What about a moisturizer?
guys, how long does it take for ketoconazole to work?? i've been reading up on a lot of websites and it seems that the result is supposed to be immediate. i was on ketoconazole for about two weeks (take every other day), but my pf didn't seem to go away. i went back to my derm, she prescribed me another set of ketoconazole, but this time i'm supposed to take it everyday for a week. however, i've been taking it for three days now, and the red dots are even more noticeable than before!! i'm positive i have pf, as i've been researching and looking at a lot of different photos. i mean, red dots, white/yellow pustules, itchy... so i'm REALLY baffled by this.. why am i the only one that ketoconazole is not working on??? GOSHHHHH...
so please tell me: how long did it take for ketoconazole to work for you?? please reply...
Plainjane: I use classic clean H&S and I usually always skip the moisturizer- unfortunately, if I don't keep my forehead really dry, the pf seems to start coming back. That's why I'm thinking of asking my doctor for a ketoconazole cream.
supatrab: Are you taking it orally? I've only ever taken it topically- maybe orally takes longer. Have you tried the shampoo yet? Ask your doc first, but maybe you could use the shampoo as well. And like White Fox said, make sure it's fungal folliculitis (did your derm do a test?)- if it's bacterial folliculitis, you'll need antibiotics.
Akko: Wow, my face is soooooooooo much better!! And it's only been a couple of days, this is amazing!! Did you have a lot of red marks left over once your face completely cleared? I'm worried I am going to... 
It does not seem like I need a moisturizer right now, but I was curious if you used one. So you say you have been clear for a year? Has it crept back a little bit at all? I am also working on Candida, I'm 100% positive I have an overgrowth of it, so I have really altered my diet lately. Last night I ate three cloves of garlic.........ya, I'll NEVER be doing that again.. ehh it hurt my stomach so bad!! I'll stick to Coconut oil as an anti-fungal for now!
WhiteFox: Thanks for the helpful information, I am pretty sure it's fungal and not bacteria because it first appeared when I put a ton of BP on my face, which I read clears the bacteria for the fungal yeast to take over. The ZNP bar seems to have a lot of added ingredients I don't really want on my skin...but the Born to be Mild stuff looks awesome, a little spendy though. Eventually I will purchase it! Have you tried either of them?
Supatrab07: I agree with what akko advised to make sure this is fungal and not bacterial. Also try using it topically, I saw results in 2 days!!!! I am using Nizoral in the AM and Head And Shoulders in the PM. My face looks amazingly better in 2 days.
Thank you everyone for your help, I LOVE this site!
Akko: Wow, my face is soooooooooo much better!! And it's only been a couple of days, this is amazing!! Did you have a lot of red marks left over once your face completely cleared? I'm worried I am going to...
WhiteFox: Thanks for the helpful information, I am pretty sure it's fungal and not bacteria because it first appeared when I put a ton of BP on my face, which I read clears the bacteria for the fungal yeast to take over. The ZNP bar seems to have a lot of added ingredients I don't really want on my skin...but the Born to be Mild stuff looks awesome, a little spendy though. Eventually I will purchase it! Have you tried either of them?
Supatrab07: I agree with what akko advised to make sure this is fungal and not bacterial. Also try using it topically, I saw results in 2 days!!!! I am using Nizoral in the AM and Head And Shoulders in the PM. My face looks amazingly better in 2 days.
Thank you everyone for your help, I LOVE this site!
I just recieved the Born to be Mild cleanser yesterday and will be giving an update as soon as I have started using it.
I used nizoral today after a six day layoff. It seems to be doing the trick for me, and I'm even more happier now that I might only have to use it once a week. I'm still wondering if pf will even come back if I quit using it altogether. But as of now I'm afraid to find out. So I'll still be using it once or twice a week. I'm still mostly clear with a few spots popping up every once in a while.
As far as skin irritation, nizoral seems to not irritate my skin as much as head & shoulders with selenium sulfide and selsun blue with selenium sulfide. But it seems like the selsun blue with the aloe moisturizer in it is a little less irritating than the head & shoulders intensive treatment, probably cause the head & shoulders doesn't have any moisturizer in it. But either way the nizoral seems to be the better choice for me. When I do alter the shampoos, it seems like the selsun blue with the aloe in it is a better choice than head & shoulders intensive treatment. Both shampoos have 1% selenium sulfide. I have yet to use the h & s and sb with the pyrithione zinc in it, so I can't judge how those kinds work.
Whitefox please keep us updated on how the born to be mild works for you. I almost ordered it last night, but chose not to because of the mixed reviews on makeupalley.com....I am still tempted to buy it, but I'll let you be the guinea pig first! haha. I never thought I would be using an anti-dandruff shampoo to wash my face. Previous to this PF I was trying to steer away from all chemicals, and actually used extra virgin coconut oil for quite some time to wash my face. Who knows, maybe that contributed to this problem. Oh well....do you guys know if SLS is really bad for the skin? It's in so many products...even cetaphil which is suppose to be so "mild". Does anyone here occasionally use a moisturizer? My face is feeling a little tight and I would love to put some lotion on it, but I'm scared to! haha. I have curel frangrance free lotion and I have used it for ages, but since this PF I'm scared to put anything on my face.
Mr PF. I haven't tried using selenium sulfide yet....do you think it's more effective than nizoral? I have been switching off between head and shoulders classic clean and nizoral...things seem to be improving each day. I am also experimenting with using 50% ACV and 50% water as a toner...anyone have experience doing this? I really don't want a dreaded outbreak of PF to occur again. Spring and Summer are on the way so I guess I'll just ride it out and try not to get too sweaty!!
Whitefox please keep us updated on how the born to be mild works for you. I almost ordered it last night, but chose not to because of the mixed reviews on makeupalley.com....I am still tempted to buy it, but I'll let you be the guinea pig first! haha. I never thought I would be using an anti-dandruff shampoo to wash my face. Previous to this PF I was trying to steer away from all chemicals, and actually used extra virgin coconut oil for quite some time to wash my face. Who knows, maybe that contributed to this problem. Oh well....do you guys know if SLS is really bad for the skin? It's in so many products...even cetaphil which is suppose to be so "mild". Does anyone here occasionally use a moisturizer? My face is feeling a little tight and I would love to put some lotion on it, but I'm scared to! haha. I have curel frangrance free lotion and I have used it for ages, but since this PF I'm scared to put anything on my face.
Mr PF. I haven't tried using selenium sulfide yet....do you think it's more effective than nizoral? I have been switching off between head and shoulders classic clean and nizoral...things seem to be improving each day. I am also experimenting with using 50% ACV and 50% water as a toner...anyone have experience doing this? I really don't want a dreaded outbreak of PF to occur again. Spring and Summer are on the way so I guess I'll just ride it out and try not to get too sweaty!!
Hi PlainJane22. If it's fungal pf, I think selenium sulfide will work also, but not any better than nizoral. But if you're that curious about selenium sulfide, you may as well give it a try. H & S intensive treatment has 1% selenium sulfide in it as well as some selsun blues. When I use selenium sulfide 1%, I prefer the selsun blue with the aloe vera moisturizor. For that reason. Cause it already has the moisturizor in it. But I'm not sure it makes a difference if it's h & s or selsun blue.
As far as your usage, if it's working, then don't change it too much. But at the same time you must ask yourself if your usage is sustainable. If these shampoos are beating the crap out of your skin, you might want to gradually cut back some to see if you can keep clear by using less. As a matter of fact, the research I've done says to use these shampoos once or twice a week, with three days in between. It's possible you might keep pf under control by using these over the counter shampoos once or twice a week.
OTC shampoos is the route I would try first. If it's beating the crap out of your skin, then I would try using it twice a week, three days in between. You could use nizoral on one day, then selenium sulfide 1% on the other day. Or use nizoral on both days. Work up a soapy lather, let it sit on your skin for five minutes, then rinse. This is currently the route I'm doing, and it seems to be working. Mainly for me now it's nizoral once or twice a week on my chest/back/shoulders.
If this route doesn't work for you, or you have to use it more often in order to stay clear, but at the same time it's beating the crap out of your skin, then I would try getting a prescription of ketoconazole cream 2%. Keep in mind that otc nizoral shampoo has 1% ketoconazole in it. So you would be getting double the strength with the cream, preferably without the skin irritation. I haven't tried the 2% cream yet, so I cannot judge. But from what I hear it's the way to go if the otc shampoos aren't keeping you clear or if it's irritating your skin too much. The only reason why I haven't tried the cream yet is cause otc nizoral seems to be working for me. Plus why should I spend all this extra money on another prescription if otc shampoo is doing the trick?
I am so glad I found this info. This is what has happened with me:
went to derm about 2 months ago with mild acne on face and back. Was told is was hormonal. Sent home with prescriptions for doxycycline, clindamyacin, & differin
After 2 weeks I got a terrible rash/pimple like reaction on chest. I decided to wait it out the rest of the month. When I was nearly done with the doxy, I called Dr and let them know, they said give it more time. Well, I wasn't so sure, so I made an appt. Dr. thought my chest reaction was not a big deal, and definitely not from Doxy. I was told to get Panoxyl (bp wash for body). Meanwhile by the time I make it to the appt, my face is starting to break out bad, same type of whitehead like tiny bumps, all over. WAY worse than I've ever had, and WAY worse than the initial acne for which I was trying to treat. Dr. told me that this on my face was "purging" and that it meant the Differin was working. Great!
Fast forward 2 weeks, still on Clinda & Differin and now using Panoxyl for body. Face is now OUT OF CONTROL. They're literally multiplying by the minute. Face starting to feel like sandpaper and so bumpy. gross. So yesterday I called the Dr, and she told me to stop the Differin and get ZNP. I'm like what the heck is ZNP?? I didn't get the chance to ask many questions, so I google it and I'm like OMG. The more research I do, the more I realize that PF is most likely what I have. I had to order the ZNP from Walgreens, but I can pick it up today.
I am just so bummed about this. I feel like an idiot for trying to fix something that wasn't even that bad to begin with and now look where I am. I really hope that the ZNP works for me. I don't even want to leave the house now.
I have also started BCP's to help as they have always kept any acne in control in the past. Now I am questioning that. Anyone know if they are going to make PF worse?
Sorry for the long post. I have found that hearing the background from others has helped me to this point. So, hopefully I can help someone with mine. 
I have heard that BCP can make someone more prone to fungal infection which is what PF is, but try the topicals for now- chances are that will be all you'll need to control it. And you might want to start taking pro-biotics to try to get your bacteria/yeast balanced again.
I am angry for you- your Doc let you down, they should've known better. 
Clearly the doctor made a mistake in not recognizing the problem sooner ... but overall, this derm did better than most, imo. The Doxy prescription was only for a month, in conjunction with topicals, which is a responsible way to use antibiotics against acne. And the derm did eventually figure out that it was probably a fungal problem, although that could've been handled better.
Docs don't have any way of knowing who is going to have this kind of reaction to antibiotics.
Clearly the doctor made a mistake in not recognizing the problem sooner ... but overall, this derm did better than most, imo. The Doxy prescription was only for a month, in conjunction with topicals, which is a responsible way to use antibiotics against acne. And the derm did eventually figure out that it was probably a fungal problem, although that could've been handled better.
Docs don't have any way of knowing who is going to have this kind of reaction to antibiotics.
I agree. While I am angry, it is more with myself. The only issue with the derm is that she had a nurse call me and tell me get the znp, and then didn't tell me why. That is why I was furiously googling znp....and this is where it lead me. I feel that sometimes dr's don't want to reveal why they are giving you a certain med (and the risks) b/c they think you won't be able to handle it. It pays to be an informed patient. 
I said I would get back to you guys regarding the "Dermadoctor born to be mild medicated face and body cleanser". I had really high hopes for this cleanser when I saw it online because:
1) It can be used for body, face and hair
2) It says non-comodogenic
3) It's pH balanced which ZNP bar, dermazinc etc. isn't.
4) It contains Zinc Pyrithione
5) It's said to lather up well.
As you can see I had high hopes for the cleanser, but I have to say it didn't deliver. The problem with most ph-balanced cleansers is that they get very creamy and it's impossible to get a good lather. Dan's cleanser is the only pH-balanced cleanser that does give a pretty good lather, not as good as the castile soaps and soap bars, but still good.
When I used the dermdoctor cleanser I really didn't feel clean afterwards since it didn't rinse off the skin very good and it felt and smelled like it left a film on my skin.
So, if you want to use Zinc Pyrithione, go for ZNP bar or dermazinc bar even though they have a high pH.