By Wendy Larson
This is embarrassing and a little gross. I have cystic acne…on my boobs. I understand it’s a completely normal thing, that when TaTa’s sweat and are trapped by a bra- pores get clogged…you know what happens then. I know better than to pick at them, but sometimes they just hurt like crazy and are asking to be popped. Sometimes they take forever to heal and I have a bunch of scars. I have tried EVERYTHING to get rid of them, and not much has worked.
I was recently sent the Clinique Acne Solutions Clear Skin System Starter Kit (say it 10 times fast!) the Clinique answer to ProActiv and thought I’d give it a shot on both my face and my jubbily bits.
My face has gotten more oily than the deep fryer at McDonalds since I’ve gone off the pill and I was in the middle of a stress-related breakout. The 3 step system cleared up my face almost immediately, but horribly dried out my cheeks. They were flakey and painful and no moisturizer (not even Aquaphor) would heal it. It DID shrink my pores quite a bit and the oil in my forehead was reduced greatly, because of the 2nd step, the Clarifying Lotion. It barely touched the acne on my chest. I did find that the recent ones had scabbed over, but the marks were still there and I’m still dealing with clogged pores.
It didn’t do what I hoped it would, but it’s not a bad product. I would purchase the Clarifying Lotion again (you can get the steps separately) because as long as I keep it away from my cheeks it does a great job of balancing oil.
I’m currently trying swabbing the area with StriDex pads twice a day, so we’ll see how well it works. Does anybody have any ideas for how to get rid of body acne?
*Products provided for consideration.
Uug, I hear you girl. I had cystic acne on my face for about 8 years. I tried everything out there. I took antibiotics for years. They worked but it’s not healthy. I tried different soaps, serums, prescriptions etc. Finally I gave in and took Accutane. It worked beautifully and I rarely get zits now.
LOL very transparent. It happens to all of us. Maybe not the boobs but can you say hair bumps on the inner thigh? Ewww but It happens! Especially when you sweat like you mentioned.
Thanks for sharing.
Wendy – these can be caused by the animal products in things you are using such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash/lotion. If you would like some information on some alternative products that may work for you please ask Sheila for my contact information. I have had clients have great success with bacne issues after switching. Good luck!
OMG, I’ve been dealing with this for over a year, only on my back! It sucks!
What has been working for me is Neutrogena Body Clear Body Wash (containing salicylic acid) in the morning (and again in the evening, if I can) then a salicylic acid spot treatment before bed. I started drinking spearmint tea (World Classics Spearmint & Peppermint Herbal Tea Blend to be exact) because of Sheila’s article a few weeks ago and I think that’s been helping too. I also tried Retin A (ow!) and benzoyl peroxide and neither of them worked well for me.
I use a Neutrogena bar on my chest with an acne cream, but I don’t get cystic acne there. I do however sometimes get these on my jawline and the only thing that works to make them go down is the Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask used as an overnight spot treatment, used properly and it makes me breakout like crazy, but it may be worth a shot for $5.00!
Accutane! I know it has a bad rap, but it changed my life. I had average teenage skin, but when I turned 24, my face started breaking out like a 13 year old boy. And it didn’t stop there, I started getting it on my throat, neck, shoulders, chest and back. I tried evrything, going on the pill, using an antiobiotic regimen (that did more damage than good). After 2 years of trying everything, I was so down in the dumps over my appearance, I gave in to Accutane. In 1 month, it changed everything. My dermatologist made me go back to the basics, no salicylic acid, no anti-aging, no retinols. I was using only Cetaphil face wash and lotion with Aquaphor for chapstick. I’ve been off it for about 2 years and I never breakout or even get pimples. A couple months for a lifetime of clear skin…worth it!