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

Thanks for your input Barnmom & Lydia, sorry I posted another pimple question, I read down further later and realised that it had already been done. In my search I've found Benzac AC in wash & gel. It is supposed to be the same as Proactiv but 1/3 the price, also taking zinc tablets is supposed to help with pimples and scaring, which has come just in time, I've had a spot burnt off my face and don't like the "volcano look" at all so taking them has become a ritual for us both. As far as the pill goes...I took the pill for many years and it caused terrible headaches for another 10 after I went off it, so its not an option - what cures one thing quite often start another, that's something I don't want my DD to face. I'll give an up date to these products to let anyone that's interested know how they went. Thanks heaps!

DD has been following the regimen on the acne.org site for nearly a month. The CSR 2.5% benzoyl peroxide has really helped her mild acne, and she hardly experienced any irritation, just a lot of dryness at first. We liked the stuff so much I ordered another six tubes to cut down on S/H costs. I thought we would try the CSR before investing in the much pricier ProActiv package. There is also a section on the site where people can rate various products such as moisturizers. Apparently, different people absorb moisturizers differently, and some cause some folks to break out but not others. I also tried some of the suggested products like the Cetaphil cleanser for gentle skin. It made me realize that the harsher oil stripping products I had used for so many years actually made my skin oilier as it tried to compensate.

I just got home from taking my son to SFO to fly to Spain for a year of study abroad, and on the way home I stopped in Berkeley to see an old school friend who I have recently reconnected with via Facebook. She and her husband make organic skin care products and it was fascinating to see all the natural ingredients that go into them. They had pots of things bubbling away that will eventually be distilled and incorporated into their products. She sent me home with some products and I will report back on how I like them.