Butt Acne/Folluculitis. Help me please!

[potatopanda]

Hey!

I'm a 22 yr old guy, healthy weight for my height. For the past 5+ years I've really struggled with butt acne... which, as you can imagine, is pretty embarrassing. I'm not talking a couple pimples, it covers a lot of my cheeks and I have some scars from previous pimples. I've tried cleansing, glycolic acid and moisturiser. I've tried cleansing, retinol and moisturiser. I've tried a butt acne cream from amazon. I've tried spf to fade scars. I've tried sudocrem and E45 cream. Nothing is working! I've tried my best to be as consistent as possible with each of these options but as you can imagine it can be draining and expensive spending months following a routine and seeing no change.

My butt is hairless, i've never shaved it or waxed it. The only time I've messed with hair in that area is when I apply veet hair removal cream to my hole. I only started using veet this year as I wanted to be cleaner. This acne issue has been happening for many years so I doubt veet has caused this. I've been putting off having sex as it's pretty embarrassing and I don't want the other person to be disgusted. Acne on the face and back seems more normal but on the butt it's not really talked about or normalised. I really want this gone, for peace of mind, improved confidence and so I can sit normally without it being painful. I would visit a dermatologist but as I have pretty bad social anxiety, getting my ass out and having my cheeks examined is a literal nightmare! I'm not sure if this is the best place to talk about it but I took to reddit and received no responses and I'm in a really desperate position lol.

Has anyone else experienced this? If so, do you have any tips on how I can get rid of it?

Also, out of curiosity have you ever had sex with someone who's had this problem and if so what were your thoughts?

 

[Grubbyhubby]

You might be doing too much there. Scale it back, benzoyl peroxide wash or gel cleanser followed by salicylic acid medicated pads. Moisturize with lactic acid lotion. As always, a little goes a long way. I would really look into the type of laundry detergent to see if there may be some chemicals you might have an aversion to.

What type of fabric is your underwear? Synthetics and harsh blends irritate my skin. I'm either in silks or kinds of cotton. Also, I wash my underwear separately with a gentle laundry detergent and rinse rinse rinse.

 

[Grubbyhubby]

ps I have two dermatologists in the family

 

[ron88]

use a body scrub 2 times a week - gently scrub your butt cheeks
can only recommend doing so

 

[potatopanda]

You might be doing too much there. Scale it back, benzoyl peroxide wash or gel cleanser followed by salicylic acid medicated pads. Moisturize with lactic acid lotion. As always, a little goes a long way. I would really look into the type of laundry detergent to see if there may be some chemicals you might have an aversion to.

What type of fabric is your underwear? Synthetics and harsh blends irritate my skin. I'm either in silks or kinds of cotton. Also, I wash my underwear separately with a gentle laundry detergent and rinse rinse rinse.

I forgot to mention... for the past 2 months I've switched to acnecide (5% benzoyl peroxide). So my current routine has been showering, acnecide and then before I go to bed I put spf on to hopefully fade the scars. I think i'm going to try Panoxyl (10% benzoyl peroxide) but it's pretty difficult to get in the UK. So far I haven't really noticed a difference with acnecide . I'll definitely try this routine though. Sorry for the naivety but do I: 1. benzoyl peroxide while in the shower 2. dry myself and use salycylic acid pads, and then 3. Moisturize with lactic acid lotion, in that order? I wanna make sure i'm doing it correctly, i'm getting so impatient with this stubborn acne lol. Also, do I need to wait between applying things or can I just do it back to back?

In terms of the laundry detergent, is there any chemicals I should look for specifically? Or is it the case of just trying different ones to see if there's any change? Also, I think a lot of my underwear are a mixture of materials. I recently got some cotton calvins so maybe it's time to invest in some more and throw away my cheaper ones. I appreciate the help btw!!

 

[Dave NoCal]

I had folliculities on my back for years and tried many remedies, including things obtained through a dermatologist. Then I changed dermatologists and the new one recommended Seventh Generation laundry detergent. OVer sever months, the problem disappeared. Hey, it worked for me. Mosst detergents are full of gragranced and chemicals. Also, he had me stop using dryer sheets as they basically coat yur clothing with parafin. Good luck. The way I see it, any health problem that persists for five years is worth a doctor visit.

 

[Dogg69]

Someone i knew had this on his back for years. In the end antibiotics sorted it out.

 

[lex22]

Stop with the SPF as this will not fade scars. It will only prevent the scars getting darker if you are exposing your bottom to the sun! Keep it out of the sun. The SPF may in fact be making your acne worse, as often they are thick in consistency and will clog your pores and cause acne.

Avoid any physical, gritty exfoliants/scrub as this aggrevates acne.

I would suggest the following:

1.) Wash your buttocks with a salicyclic cleanser such as the one from Inkey List.

2.) Rinse thoroughly, pat dry with a clean towel. Do not rub.

3.) Apply The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% solution to the affected area and allow to dry.

4. ) Apply a light moisturiser, my go to is Cera Pep Moisturiser by Dr V. It is expensive, so a cheaper option would be Cerave Smoothing cream 10% Urea. Allow to dry.

5.) Finally you could use Salicylic Acid 2% Masque which is a charcoal mask once a week, perhaps on the weekend. Apply to buttocks and allow to dry for 10 mins then wash off, following steps 1-4. This will dry excess oil and remove impurities from pores.

Salicylic acid and niacinimide are miracle ingredients for stubborn acne.

Avoid anything with fragrance or alcohol on the area.

Make sure your fabric softener/washing detergent is a gentle one with little fragrance.

I wish you well, I know personally how frustrating acne and the scars can be.

Do message me if you have any further questions.

​

 

[danake1]

Your last choice/option is always to get Accutane (isotretinoin). A full course of this will rid you of acne and actually lessen your scars to a great degree. The medicine is awful when you’re on it as it will dry out everything on you (eyelids, nasal passages, etc.). It is considered the “big gun” by dermatologists. Also you absolutely cannot get pregnant or get anyone pregnant while on the medication (massive birth defects). I would recommend other treatment options, but in the end, this will essentially prevent your body from forming acne in the future. It’s a rough, rough ~3 months though. Best of luck.

 

[CUBE]

Most guys think they need to dry the skin down with acne but many times they need the opposite. I’d try just a few days of just Avenno skin cream.

 

[potatopanda]

Stop with the SPF as this will not fade scars. It will only prevent the scars getting darker if you are exposing your bottom to the sun! Keep it out of the sun. The SPF may in fact be making your acne worse, as often they are thick in consistency and will clog your pores and cause acne.

Avoid any physical, gritty exfoliants/scrub as this aggrevates acne.

I would suggest the following:

1.) Wash your buttocks with a salicyclic cleanser such as the one from Inkey List.

2.) Rinse thoroughly, pat dry with a clean towel. Do not rub.

3.) Apply The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% solution to the affected area and allow to dry.

4. ) Apply a light moisturiser, my go to is Cera Pep Moisturiser by Dr V. It is expensive, so a cheaper option would be Cerave Smoothing cream 10% Urea. Allow to dry.

5.) Finally you could use Salicylic Acid 2% Masque which is a charcoal mask once a week, perhaps on the weekend. Apply to buttocks and allow to dry for 10 mins then wash off, following steps 1-4. This will dry excess oil and remove impurities from pores.

Salicylic acid and niacinimide are miracle ingredients for stubborn acne.

Avoid anything with fragrance or alcohol on the area.

Make sure your fabric softener/washing detergent is a gentle one with little fragrance.

I wish you well, I know personally how frustrating acne and the scars can be.

Do message me if you have any further questions.

​

I'll give this a try thanks. And then If that doesn't work I'll try other people's recommendations. My new laundry detergent arrived today so i'm hoping it will make a difference. It just seems like there are so many different factors and I have to rule them out one by one lol. Like it could be due to hormones, shampoo/shower gel chemicals, sweat, laundry detergent, clothes fabrics, diet, etc. So frustrating.

 

[oregonfella]

This is odd but i wash my body(i get acne everywhere i have hair follicles and I'm a hairy boy) with Seltzen Blue, the dandruff shampoo. It has antifungal ingredients. Maybe try it once a week since it can be very drying. As some people have mentioned, sometimes acne is exacerbated by stressing the skin out. I've also read that the ph of your skin can also be a factor. The shampoo will leave a sulfury smell so you may want you use it before sleeping rather than before you go out into the world.

Black African soap is theoretically antifungal so i wash with that on days i don't use the shampoo or don't want to smell like a fart.

I also use a brush to exfoliate my skin but you may prefer a less aggressive method. Most of my acne is caused by the build up of skin and dirt so exfoliation is important to me but may not be to you.

I hope maybe this helps.

 

[oregonfella]

For scaring, maybe stay more hydrated, biotin, and a healthy amount of sun. My scars are harder to see when a have a tan.

 

[danake1]

This is odd but i wash my body(i get acne everywhere i have hair follicles and I'm a hairy boy) with Seltzen Blue, the dandruff shampoo. It has antifungal ingredients. Maybe try it once a week since it can be very drying. As some people have mentioned, sometimes acne is exacerbated by stressing the skin out. I've also read that the ph of your skin can also be a factor. The shampoo will leave a sulfury smell so you may want you use it before sleeping rather than before you go out into the world.

Black African soap is theoretically antifungal so i wash with that on days i don't use the shampoo or don't want to smell like a fart.

I also use a brush to exfoliate my skin but you may prefer a less aggressive method. Most of my acne is caused by the build up of skin and dirt so exfoliation is important to me but may not be to you.

I hope maybe this helps.

That’s not crazy at all. Head and shoulders or Seltzen Blue are known to help prevent acne. There were TikTok vids that went viral about this as well using it as a face wash. According to those videos it’s really the zinc that helps I think, but regardless of mechanism if it works, who cares how!

 

[deleted15329811]

Ok heres what you do STOP WITH ALL THE CRAP YOURE USING! Get these things Neutrogena acne body wash (They also have a scrub but if you get this use it 2 x a week the rest of the week use their acne shower gel) and MAX strength OXY pads it will do wonders!
Now wash underwear seperately according to manufacturer instructions use WOOLITE (I use Woolite dark for everything).
Do you go to the gym? SHOWER! SHOWER! SHOWER! and Do not put on wet underwear!
If you sleep naked wash sheets every week!
Depending on what kind of underwear you wear you might need to switch to regular boxer shorts to get air flow going so you arent stewing in sweat.

 

[michael_3165]

Stop w veeting your butthole! It's not designed for that! Jesus god!

 

[potatopanda]

Ok heres what you do STOP WITH ALL THE CRAP YOURE USING! Get these things Neutrogena acne body wash (They also have a scrub but if you get this use it 2 x a week the rest of the week use their acne shower gel) and MAX strength OXY pads it will do wonders!
Now wash underwear seperately according to manufacturer instructions use WOOLITE (I use Woolite dark for everything).
Do you go to the gym? SHOWER! SHOWER! SHOWER! and Do not put on wet underwear!
If you sleep naked wash sheets every week!
Depending on what kind of underwear you wear you might need to switch to regular boxer shorts to get air flow going so you arent stewing in sweat.

It seems like the thing everyone is recommending is salicylic acid or products that contain salicylic acid. Is this the body wash you mean?

Also, the UK doesn't have OXY pads. Would you recommend stridex pads?

 

[potatopanda]

Stop w veeting your butthole! It's not designed for that! Jesus god!

This made me chuckle haha. How do you deal with the hair down there? It feels cleaner with it gone and there is no way i'm risking shaving my arse

 

[deleted15329811]

It seems like the thing everyone is recommending is salicylic acid or products that contain salicylic acid. Is this the body wash you mean?

View attachment 97072741

Also, the UK doesn't have OXY pads. Would you recommend stridex pads?

Yeah thats the one I was talking about! See I used to use stridex pads but they changed them and I then started using Oxy the best thing I could say is try and get them off amazon someone that sells in the us and wil, ship to the uk! They realky worked well!

 

[GS_PL]

If you don't want to "risk" shaving your hole, go somewhere to have it professionally waxed. Professional places that perform that task also have treatments for your butt bumps.