I used to suffer from severe back-acne... What helped... 1. Use plain head and shoulders on it daily as you would a body wash in the shower -- also use on hair - I'd typically lather my back with it first and let it sit while washing everything else and try not to rinse it off too soon. I wouldn't let it sit lathered for more than 5 minutes though as, with any product, can cause irritation which is what were trying to avoid. The active ingredient - Zinc pyrithione - works as both as an antibacterial and as an anti-fungal. My sister and many friends all swear by it now after I told them. I literally tried everything - over the counter and prescription topical applications. I even went so far as to get a chemical peal done on my back... I don't recommend that. 2. Get rid of any fabric softeners - period (besides being terrible for fabrics, they wreak havoc on skin), scented detergent, and switch to free and gentle detergent. Get unscented dryer sheets or switch to Woolzies (wool dryer balls - I switched to them recently, and they're the best thing I've ever bought ever in regard to doing laundry). If you still want. - just re-read your post and see you do your laundry green too. Yay. 3. Avoid irritating foods - over consumption of iodine has been shown to cause acne outbreaks - soy sauce, mangoes, sea vegetables, yogurt. Irritating foods include those with high glycemic index, processed/junk foods, for some people certain spices can be triggers. 4. Check your bathroom and home for potential fungal issues - can have a huge impact on acne. May want to try also a more vigorous/hotter/disinfecting method of cleaning bath towels. 5. Don't... don't... don't pop them, scratch them, pick at them and don't applying irritating products - acids, drying type products and oh dear god... Benzoyl peroxide, arbonne, mary kay, etc are just crap products where the cost comes from the marketing and not from quality. 6. The skin still needs to be hydrated - she should be drinking plenty of water and I recommend using a very very simple moisturizer after bathing. Vanicream lite is a personal favorite - It's Fragrance-free, lanolin-free, paraben-free, formaldehyde-free Gluten-free Sulfate-free Phosphate-free No formaldehyde releasers Non-staining Non-irritating It's the best moisturizer. Period. End of story. It's what you use to moisturize severe burns without irritating the skin. I use it daily... once you try it, there is no going back. Generally you have to ask the pharmacy to get it for you or they sometimes carry it. It's an over-the-counter product. Very economically priced and little goes a long way. 7. Clothing should be lightweight and breathable and preferably little to no synthetics present - they can be irritating. 8. When and if the acne heads do pop - on their own or what have you - I usually would do a band-aid with triple antibiotic ointment - band-aid mostly to prevent staining on clothing. 9. When the acne starts improving, I recommend switching to a moisturizer/product called cerave (again, can get it through the pharmacy) It uses a moisturizing acid (Hyaluronic Acid) and ceramides to help the skin to rebuild itself - it's ridiculous how much, over time, it can help with the resultant scarring from back-acne and other skin issues. 10. Try going on an allergy medicine. Personally, it never fails - when I run out of my Zyrtec... I have an acne outbreak. Keep us posted! -Jordan

My daughter has had the same struggle. Starting in 9th grade, constantly going to the dermatologist. Every antibiotic and prescription cream you can think of. They all worked, for awhile, then bad breakouts again. Acutane was the final option after nothing else continuously worked. It's usually a 6 month run. 4 months into it, I was stunned at how clear she was, BUT, big problem. Made her liver enzymes plummet. To the point where the nurse was panicked on the phone and said DO NOT let her take one more pill. While on acutane, you have to have blood work done every month. That was 2-3 years ago. Since then, more antibiotics, creams, etc. We finally quit going. Then, a new store opened in our area. Called Ulta. They have a facial cleansing kit by MD Formulation. It's the adult anti-acne kit. She's been using it for 2 months, along with changing make-up brand to Bare Escentuals. I am amazed at the difference. All those years, and drugs and creams, and tears. At least so far, this is working. They also have teen anti-acne kit, anti-aging kits, etc. I would give this a try before antibiotics. I hated that she was on constant antibiotics for a couple of years. Well, anyhow, I hope this helps some. Ulta.com is the web address if you want to check them out. I had never heard of them til they opened up last fall so I don't know if they're new, or just new to our area. Good luck. Katlan

I am new here, but I found this site after one of my items was removed from my ArtFire shop. After doing some research and reading their patent, these are the e-mails I sent and received from Taggies. From: Kristina Steffen [mailto:kaotickrafter@hotmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2010 10:55 PM To: Cristi Navickas; mid@artfire.com Subject: RE: Intellectual Properety Infringment Notice from Taggies Inc. Ms. Navickas, I apologize for any harm I may have caused. I had no prior knowledge of this patent. I have a question. If my item does not have loops, is that considered an infringement? I read through the patent but I did not see any reference to un-looped ribbons. If you could please let me know, I would greatly appreciate it. Sincerely, Kristina http://www.kaotickrafter.blogspot.com http://www.jetisteffen.blogspot.com http://www.kaotickrafter.artfire.com http://www.craft4emma.etsy.com RE: Intellectual Properety Infringment Notice from Taggies Inc.â From: Cristi Navickas (cnavickas@taggies.com) Sent: Thu 3/04/10 8:11 AM To: Kristina Steffen (kaotickrafter@hotmail.com) Attachments: 1 attachment image001.png (7.7 KB) If there are no loops there is no infringement. Thank you, Cristi Navickas cnavickas@taggies.com If anyone would like to see the entire e-mail thread, or would like the patent, feel free to e-mail me kaotickrafter@hotmail.com Here is a link that might be useful: KaoticKrafter

Well, I guess my concern that my son would be upset is gone. I just got an email where he says: "hey mom so i found out i cant file for divorce here so if u could do it for me and go for custody too if u can" and THAT will be much easier than asking for guardianship. and no, I don't think she's pregnant anymore but I do think she was. I think she "took care of it" like she told my daughter but as upsetting as that is to me (I am very opposed to abortion), the thought of another child being brought into the situation, only to suffer with a mentally ill, drug abusing mother... well, I'm just sad about the whole situation. I just pray my son does not change his mind before it's a done deal. I've been listening to them both talk of divorcing each other from the day they told me they were married... like teenagers in high school that break up and get back together. She actually told me that my son is over in Afghanistan talking to other girls... and got angry when she found out he has an ATM card where he can use some of his own money to buy things he needs over there. I assume that is her mental illness talking if she really believes that, but that is what makes dealing with her so difficult. She is NOT at all rational or reasonable, whether she is on drugs or not. It is funny that since I have been having to deal with DIL, dealing with BM has become a cakewalk. The last two weeks, my dad has picked up SD because he was visiting a friend in the same town BM lives in & brought her back for us. Last week we got 8 inches of snow (in an area where we NEVER get snow) so he went to get her... BM didn't have any opportunity to make a production with us. We went to get SD last night and BM waits until we are pulling into the driveway, looks right at us, jumps in her truck and drives off without saying anything to us, like we can't see her. DH gets a text that BM needs to go pick up SD from a play she's at... she'll be right back. Then SD calls DH from BM's phone (which tells us BM has arrived where SD is) and says she's on her way back home. Then they get there, everyone ushers inside... I guess to change her into 'our' clothes & get her backpack. BM's mother arrives (I hope she doesn't come ask us for 'those damn pants' again, lol) & my DD19 says she's been driving up & down the street since BM left when we got there. So, they all finally come out and walk SD to the car... then make a big production in the driveway. (am I the only one that thinks it's ridiculous for everyone there to walk SD out and stand in the driveway in front of our car, hugging & saying goodbye for 5 minutes?) But, they do this every time. Whatever, it took us over 30 minutes to do what should take 5 minutes... but it IS BM's last opportunity to try to irritate us until January. We have SD until after Christmas & when they come to get her, we say goodbye in the house & send her out alone... she runs, gets in her grandma's car and they leave. So, wasting an extra 30 minutes on her stupidity when we have a 3 hour drive ahead of us (after 3 hours to get there) would normally irritate the heck out of me, but I laughed because if she wants to irritate or piss us off, she's going to have to step it up... now that I have a drug abusing, mentally ill, doesn't want to be a mother to her 9 month old baby and probably aborted my grandchild, DIL that I'm now going to be involved in a divorce/custody case with... and worrying about my son; BM's antics are actually so predictable, they are humorous. I even feel silly that any of the stuff she's done over the last three years had even bothered me at all, which was my reason for finding GW. It's funny how, since my grandson has been with me, I finally told SD that I have bigger things to deal with than worrying about her trying to fail so she can go live with her mom. I told her that her mom has been telling her for 3 years she is going to live over there but she is still here and I am going to be sorry for her if she has to repeat the 5th grade next year but it's not my problem... SHE is choosing to fail and if she fails, she will be in 5th grade again WHEREVER she lives. Miraculously, since then her grades are back up. She has 1-A, 3-C's & 1-D. (before she had 2-F's & 3-D's) Thank you to whoever said, "NOT MY KID, NOT MY PROBLEM"