Video
Dr Christian:
We’ve been getting hundreds of questions to the Embarrassing Bodies website, and one question that comes up seemingly more than others is home treatments, ‘what can we do at home to help our acne?’ Well, the truth is, an awful lot. Just washing your face in the morning and the evening to help strip away the oils is really important. But nothing too aggressive; don’t wash over the top, otherwise you’re going to dry out your skin and give yourself other problems. The other thing is there are a lot of treatments available over the counter that help to reduce oil, reduce bacteria and remove all the built-up dead cells that block pores, causing you spots in the first place.
The next thing is, when should you visit the doctor? That’s the other question that you guys want to know. I think you need to remember that acne can scar. Bad acne can leave you with holes, pock marks in your face, and those will stay for life. So if you think your acne is severe enough to be doing this, then please, go and see your doctor.
Another very common question, I know that a lot of you do this, is sunbathing and acne. ‘Does sunbathing improve my acne?’ Well, on the surface it covers up your acne, it gives you a tan and so it hides your spots. But actually it’s not a treatment, it doesn’t cure acne, it doesn’t make it better and in fact, all it’ll do in the long term is damage and prematurely age your skin. So, don’t do it.
Another really common question on the site is, what are those little pimples that we get on the back of our arms? Teenage girls get them, boys get them, even adults get them, they’re very very common and they seem to worry you. So, what are they? Well, it’s a condition called keratosis pilaris and it’s got absolutely nothing to do with acne. You can have them and never get a spot on your face at all. The bad news is, there is no known cure. It’s probably related to hormonal changes, which is why teenagers get them so much.
There’s another question that seems to be cropping up an awful lot, and that is what do you do about spotty bottoms? Lots of you seem to get spots on your bum which distress you, how can you get rid of them? Well, it’s not necessarily acne that gives you spots on your bottom. More commonly, it’s because you’re sitting on your bum a lot, so there’s a lot of friction, there’s a lot of rubbing, and you wear tight underwear or you wear tight jeans, which causes you to sweat. And sweat builds up, it blocks pores, bacteria can grow and that’s why you get spots. So, what do you do? You need to wear cotton underwear and loose-fitting clothing, particularly in hot weather.
Doctor Responses: Acne
Dr Christian answers your most frequently asked questions about acne such as: What are the available treatments? What can you do about spots on your bottom? What are the pimply like spots that appear on your upper arms?
With thanks to the Baker Street Medical Centre
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Hi, Im 20 and have had acne for 2 years now its very bad its now scarring.Ive had everything the doctor can prescribe me (in his own words) but nothing works i take 2 treatments cream and tablets for 2 months at a time.its not getting any better infact its getting worse and is now seriously depressing me.What can i do ?
i think i have achne, the spots are all over my back and chest and some of them are really sore and yellow. i also have small spots on my knee, but they are nothing like achne. how can you cover them up, i have tried concelar but it doesnt seem to work. i hate going swimming because im really self concious of my body. PLEASE HELP!
I have lots of little light brown and red marks on my upper arms from acne but i want to wear short sleeved tops. Do you know anything that can cover them up?
what do you do if you have spots that are painful?
Hi im 29 old male i have a combination of acne and acne scars. Can a gp refer me to a dermatologist who can guide me what to do about my scars? I saw a dermatologist recently he told me the nhs dont carry out such procedure. Who can i see about my acne scars? My scars is making me really depressed. Any help on the matter would be helpful.
hi this is really embarassing i have spots and boils on bum they sometimes get quite painfull and i have tried many treatments to try and get rid of them im 19 and a mum of 2 and i find it difficult to be naked in front of my partner of 4 years please help!!
try wearing softer clothes might help and try 2 shower twice a day it probably would help reduce the amount of sweat causing the problem plus it should get rid of some of the dead cells blocking pores
hi every couple of months i end up with a boil on my nose. it goes hard and bright red, i end up looking like rudolph red nose raindeer. i think it starts as a blackhead but not 100% sure. it then takes about 10 days to clear and unless i squeeze it, it stay on the surface. just wondering if there is anything to stop this problem reacurring like it has done for bout 10 years
l get redness on face & nose,look like rudolph,
hello i am female and now aged 20. I have suffered from acne since i was about 13. it has had worse spells when i was younger however can reoccur randomly. i have blackheadsx on my nose, and often break out in whiteheads. I also get sore boils on my back and on my jawline. i feel i have tried almost everything. I have mild scarring which gets me down. i use quinoderm which i consider as a quick fix to kill the size of the boil.. can you recommend anything else please.
Hi i am 21 and before i never suffered from skin conditions, until about 1 year ago when i woke up one day and had spots, the spots are not my biggest concern because they are quite small however the dark marks they leave behind have left my face untidy. how can i get rid of the dark marks where the spots were previously? and if so how can i stop the spots altogether? i havent got acne but i am self concious about the dark blemishes and there are loads, more on my left cheek and right cheek of my face. i havent been to a doctor yet just want to see if there is anything i can do myself. any ideas?
i have dark blemish left by spot scarringing i am brown skin can you suggest what to do to clear up these all over my legs and arm
I have red spots and bumps on my upper arms and I have tried many different creams and I have also been on tablets from my doctor for nearly a year but nothing has worked. I don't feel confident enough to wear short sleeve tops because of this and with summer coming up I would really appreciate some help and advice of how to get rid of these spots and red marks. I used to have bas acne on my face several years ago and I had some laser treatments which really worked and I don't have any acne or marks on my face now. Would laser treatment work for the spots on my upper arms?
