After almost 2 years on T, I'm beginning to develop scarring on my back due to extensive back acne (I have minimal acne everywhere else). I've been using my face wash on my back each time I shower, but it only seems to make my skin tougher and barely reduces the size of the acne. Does anyone know of any home remedies or other solutions that may help?
I'm hoping that I can avoid prescriptions because the acne medication I used early in transition bothered my stomach
Face wash is probably not going to cut it for back acne. I don't know if anything non-prescription is going to help much. If there is something, I have not found it.
I had back acne for several years during puberty v1.0. It was bad enough that my mother was freaking out about how I would 'never be able to wear a backless dress' (LOL, Mom, when did I ever express interest in wearing a dress?). Anyways, the acne was bad enough, but they left dark brown spots of hyperpigmentation. Thankfully, hyperpigmentation isn't actual scarring, though it does take a long time to go away.
I finally conceded to a dermatologist appointment, where I was prescribed TOPICAL Tretinoin 0.1%. I stress topical, because there is an oral form used in treating some forms of cancer which has a nasty list of side effects. About the worst the topical stuff will do, barring an allergic reaction, is over-dry your skin.
The Tretinoin cleared up my back acne and faded the brown spots significantly. My back stayed clear until I started taking T. I'm 26 months on T, and the back acne is not going away on its own, so I've started with the Tretinoin again. It has been a month, and my acne has calmed down a lot. If it goes like before, it'll be another six months before the brown spots have been visibly reduced. YMMV.
I would recommend seeing a dermatologist before you scar further.
Hey, Ive found that tee tree oil does superbly for acne. I use it on my face and back. It's extremely potent stuff though so make sure you get it diluted or in a wash like here:
http://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/TEA.htm (http://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/TEA.htm)