My back acne has been extremely stubborn for years and I've never been able to clear it up! I have had it since I was a teen and now I am in my mid 30s. I grew to accept it as just an aspect of my body. I never got depressed about it, but I knew it was unattractive, so I kept it covered and never went shirtless. But for the past 2 years I decided to get more intentional and strategic about clearing up my back. So I researched evidence-based articles from professional databases, scoured the internet, surfed YouTube, etc... I learned a lot and tried a lot. The severity of my acne break-outs have always fluctuated from severe-moderate-mild. I admit, I don't have the worst case of body acne from what I see on some of these message boards, but as you can see in my pics, the acne was prominent, inflamed, and embarrassing.

Right now, my back is clear and has been clear for several weeks. I have attached some pictures.

I did my best to find a regimen that treated the problem, but I didn't want a complicated time-consuming protocol. I took tips from multiple sources and tried various things...and this is what worked for me.

In short this is my regimen:

1. I use a scrub brush in the shower on my back with PanOxyl body wash (which is 10% benzoyl peroxide). I shower 1-2 times/day.

2. Immediately after showering, I apply a liberal amount of benzoyl peroxide to my back.

Now here's my regimen with pics and further explanation.

• During the shower, I use a body scrub brush to scrub away the dead skin cells and grime on the the surface of the skin. This is 'key' because this layer needs to be removed in order to break the acne cycle of clogging pores. I know this goes against Acne.org's 'Regimen' which promotes minimal to mild touching of acne to prevent aggravating the inflamed acne...but I have found this not to be effective for my acne. I base this off of research evidence taught by board certified dermatologist Dr. Neal Schwartz who is an acne specialist in California. Thus, I use the scrub brush on my back.

• I don't just scrub my back with just water. I wet my back, then I place PanOxyl (10% Benzoyl Peroxide) body wash on the bristles of the brush and scrub my back thoroughly; creating a foamy lather. Once I have scrubbed up a good lather, I let sit for 1 minute, then I rinse off. Then I do this a second time...scrub with brush and PanOxyl on my back. I let sit for 2-3 minutes and rinse. off.

• After I dry off from the shower, I immediately use a BodyBuddy lotion applicator to apply Benzoyl Peroxide.

• The Body Buddy is awesome...very easy and simple to use. I recommend it for anyone needing to apply lotion, sunscreen, medication, ointment, etc...
• Anyhow, right after the shower, I lay the body-buddy down and I apply a very liberal amount of benzoyl peroxide. I do a mix of 2 different benzoyl peroxide lotions.
• I put several squirts of Acne.org 2.5% BP...

and I add about 3-6 squirts of Dr. Song's 10% Benzoyl Peroxide. (yes this is strong and will lead to more drying and flaking...so I adjust the amount of the 10% I apply pending the dryness and oiliness of my skin.)

• The key for me was to be very liberal with the lotion. In fact, I don't think you can put on too much. Applying Benzoyl Peroxide to a clean, scrubbed skin is very therapeutic for treating acne.
• After applying the lotions, I let the rest of it dry on my back, which can take 10-30 minutes, pending on how much you applied. I would warn you not to put on a shirt for 10-30 minutes while this dries...it will stain any fabric.

Back acne is very stubborn and does not clear up as fast as facial acne, so the ABSOLUTE CRITICAL KEY TO CLEARING UP BACK ACNE IS CONSISTENCY! You have to give it time. If I skip a day or two, I will almost always have new bumps. This has to be done consistently at 1-2 times a day.

SIDE TIP: 1

If my back acne starts to show some aggressive and stubborn spots, then I add a 10% sulphur based/oil absorbing topical to use when I shower. I only add this after my PanOxyl scrub when I have a stubborn breakout or oily back. The sulphur will help dry it out. Here is an example

SIDE TIP: 2

Popping pimples, when done right, can expedite the healing process. Just don't be tempted to continually scratch, pop, and 'mess with' pimples...this is will aggravate the inflammation and prolong healing. A pimple 'popping' should be done strategically, one time, when the pimple has formed to a head.

Thanks for reading my regimen. I wish the best acne-healing for all of you!

"Life Doesn't Have To Be Perfect To Be Wonderful".

Randy