How to treat back acne and get the color even afterwards?

Hi, I just love your blog and I follow it religiously. I use your suggested products and I had great results with retionols. I had some acne on my back and have some brown spots as a result, do you think it makes sense to use the SkinMedica retionols on those? I also have a lot of moles so wondered if I got to be careful with retionols or not? Thanks

Thank you!    Back acne can be a probem for many.   You can use the same products on your back as you do on your face.   It’s just a little harder to reach some of the areas.  Some drugstores sell long handled applicators for this purpose.

One difference is that the skin on the back is a lot thicker than skin on the face – and usually tougher.   It’s possible to exfoliate more aggressively on your back with a long handled, natural bristle brush to help keep the pores unclogged.   This also has the added advantage of speeding up cell turnover a little which helps that “post inflammatory” brown spot fade faster.

Also the retinols (vitamin A cousins) or other acne products,  won’t harm moles (nevi).

For  products for the face and back,  here are some suggestions.

Hope this helps,  Dr. I

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

Ask me your skincare question!

Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

  • All our content is written and researched by myself.
  • My medical office in Seattle has treated thousands of patients for 15+ years.
  • This site is not affiliated or financially tied to any product, treatment or device.
Ask Me Something
SkinTour Skincare
One of the best investments in your skin is your daily skincare. Why? Because you can prevent many problems with blotchy skin color, lack of glow, texture, some types of acne, and fine lines with good skincare products. You can also correct some of these problems with effective skincare products. Great skincare is often more expensive because quality ingredients are expensive. Some companies spend on research/development which benefits all of us and adds to the cost. Are they worth it? In general - yes! I have handpicked some of what I consider to be the best skin care products, and offer them for sale on SkinTour's shop. This is based on my team and I's testing and research at our clinic. Many of the products are in my own regimen. What could be better than using skin care products a dermatologist uses?!