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Advice for clearing up pregnancy-related back acne?

g33

Posted : 4/20/2007 10:00:56 AM

I know this sounds really gross, but I need some help.

We're going to Florida in a couple weeks and I just bought the CUTEST little babydoll dress to wear while we're down there, Plus I have a really cute swimsuit and some other warm weather tops that expose my whole upper back. Problem is, I have some acne on my chest/breasts but it's also horrible all over my upper back, pregnancy related. I have very short hair so that isn't causing the problem. It looks so bad I'm too embarrassed to expose my back right now. I probably have a hundred pimples, maybe 10 or so that are really big ones. I am really looking forward to walking around in the warm weather, but really embarrassed. And no, they can't possibly be mistaken for freckles. You can see them a mile away. I was changing the other day and my 8 year old stepdaughter asked me why I have dots all over my back, and so I know they must be really noticeable if a little kid is going to say something. [

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I use an exfoliator scrub every day on my back, but that hasn't helped. I also use a loofah. If I work out, I show right away afterwards and always keep my skin clean. I don't moisturize my back at all. These pimples are more like cysts and don't really come to a head - they don't pop like "regular" zits. They are really painful, so I thought if I exfoliated every day maybe it would help keep my pores from getting clogged in the first place, but that hasn't helped.

Obviously I'm pregnant so there isn't anything I can take to make them go away. Does anyone have any topical remedies that worked if you got pregnancy related acne? I'm supposed to stay away from anything that has salycylic acid in it.

Firestorm

Posted : 4/20/2007 10:08:07 AM

Have you called your OB? Maybe they would have tips.

I had acne issues while prego and well I had to change to Ivory soap.

g33

Posted : 4/20/2007 10:16:39 AM

No suggestions from the OB. A few suggestions I'd heard about and asked him about, he dismissed as not being able to have an effect.

I'm using Lever 2000 for now and just bought some Aveeno body wash for dry/sensitive skin that is fragrance free. Everywhere else on my body, my skin is itchy and dry.

dlg81

Posted : 4/20/2007 10:23:38 AM

Have you tried any over the counter stuff for acne that doesn't contain salycylic acid? If I ever get acne anywhere on my body I just use the same products that I would normally use on my face on my body. Is pregnancy related body acne very different from other types of body acne?

Ashley

Posted : 4/20/2007 10:40:21 AM

You might need some help with this, but it really works. Break up the yolk of an egg...just the yolk, and use that as a mask. There is a ton of vitamin E in it, and it always works for me.

jjsmom06

Posted : 4/20/2007 10:41:30 AM

According to the ingredients, the below product doesn#%92t contain salycylic acid. I use it when I get premenstrual acne and it works REALLY WELL…..

[linkroductpos=170]http://www.cleanandclear.com/productDetail.do?productid=34&

roductpos=170[/link]>http://www.cleanandclear.com/productDetail.do?productid=34&

roductpos=170]http://www.cleanandclear.com/productDetail.do?productid=34&

roductpos=170[/link]

huskymom

Posted : 4/20/2007 10:51:03 AM

BF has terrible back acne too. We've found that it actually gets worse when he doesn't moisturize. Also sun seems to help.

jjsmom06

Posted : 4/20/2007 10:54:28 AM

Also sun seems to help.

yes, sun will help it out... it is one of the things that dermatologists don't like to tell you because of the potential for sun damage... a little sun might help a bit though Gina..

g33

Posted : 4/20/2007 11:03:31 AM

Well, I tend to struggle with face acne too around the time of my period - and have a bit with this pregnancy - but this stuff on my back is a whole 'nother ball of wax. It's cystic acne. It's due to the massive "progesterone poisoning" my body is undergoing right now, which I can also thank for the facial discoloration I am experiencing. Yee hah.

I wonder if I should get some of those oxyclean or stridex pads or something like that? I've tried the same soaps I use on my face and it just doesn't help. I will try the egg yolk thing, but I am almost too embarrassed to ask anyone to help me.

jjsmom06

Posted : 4/20/2007 11:08:03 AM

I wonder if I should get some of those oxyclean or stridex pads or something like that? I've tried the same soaps I use on my face and it just doesn't help. I will try the egg yolk thing, but I am almost too embarrassed to ask anyone to help me.

Gina.. do yourself a favor and try the clean and clear stuff on the link I gave you BEFORE trying things like stridex... they can actually irritate your skin more. Use a fluffy bath ball and rub in what you can into your back while in the shower and let it sit for a minute before washing off... do that for 3 or 4 days in a row and I bet you will see some pretty good results... [

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g33

Posted : 4/20/2007 11:20:49 AM

OK, I'll do that and let you know if it helps! Thanks.

DumDog

Posted : 4/20/2007 11:47:24 AM

i dont know, i was the lucky one in my family, my half-sisters had some issues with acne, on their upper arms, and my mom had issues with it in highschool.... but somehow i escape unscathed. but then again i never did anything like wear make up or use any chemicals to cure the few bumps i got. i just used regular soap and hot water. i also didnt have any issues while i was pregnant both times. if anything, my stress level would make me break out, you could tell how complicated by life was by the number of bumps on my face, and no they werent regular pimples, they were bumps and they hurt!

i think sunlight is the best answer too. not too much of course. if its pregnancy related then you might have to steel yourself to the fact that it isnt going to go away until you have the baby.
and honestly, i live in florida, pretty darn close to the beach(i grew up in Wakulla County and where i live now Panama City is just a stone's throw away) no one is going to pay much attention to the state of your back. if they do notice they wont say anything so dont be too upset over it.
I'm not sure where in florida you are vacationing, but if its in the north west region i know some VERY secluded and VERY beautiful spots that i am willing to tell only a small handfull of people about. Because of certain rules about dogs on beaches i take my bulldogs there so they can play in the surf without getting me in trouble.

Liesje

Posted : 4/20/2007 5:56:26 PM

I don't know about pregnancy acne, but I sometimes get mild acne on my face and backne. The backne seems to clear the fastest simply by drying it out, and the best way for me is sun. I just sit with my shoulders in the sun while I read outside, even just 10-15 minutes at a time. I never use products with salicylic acid because it makes my skin turn red and get flaky and then I get even more oily b/c my body is trying to overcompensate.

huskymom

Posted : 4/20/2007 11:43:49 PM

If you don't want to go out in the sun, you could always go to the tanning booth for a couple minutes every couple days. Just make sure you get a package that charges by the minute and not the session. I asked my doctor about tanning when I was pregnant and she told me it was ok as far as the sun part was concerned, if that was what I wanted to do. It wouldn't hurt the baby in any event. The only thing she said to watch out for was getting too hot in there. But 2 or 3 minutes and you probably wouldn't overheat.

Bullymom

Posted : 4/20/2007 11:53:48 PM

Have you tried that Proactive Solution? It worked miracles on my little sis. That's all I really know of. Sorry!