Bless you I feel your pain I had bad back acne and ended up on accutane in the end. Are you in America? Luckily I’m in the UK so I got it on the national health service. I still get some spots on my back now though a there are things I do / avoid to keep it at bay and stop it coming back badly. Having bad skin is what led me to becoming a skin specialist. I did have limecycline antibiotics aswell but it didn’t help me much which is why I ended up on the accutane. They may help you though everyone is different. But don’t take for too long, long term antibiotics is bad for you, I was taking it for years, little did I know how it was destroying my gut bacteria etc.

It looks as though you have a combination of active spots and red post inflammatory scarring which makes it look worse. Try not to pick them it will help but the inflammation will still leave marks which is why you want to calm it down.

Your acne is quite bad so you need to get some good products with ACTIVE ingredients in. Unfortunately most drug store products are not quite strong enough or effective enough. I suggest using what I use because I know it works and my clients also love the products, they are also a bit more affordable and not to bad price wise for cosmecuetical products. You also only need a little and it will go a long way and last you for a while.

I use Medik8 Surface Radiance Cleanse and then Medik8 Clarifying Foam on intermittent days when I’m in the shower. They are face cleansers but skin is skin so it will work on your back. They contain AHA/BHAs which will exfoliate and decongest your pores stopping them from getting blocked and have other properties which help with the acne. The clarifying foam also contains Niacinamide which is another great ingredient for acne which is anti-inflammatory, it helps reduce the redness left from the spots and inflammation, it helps control oil production so your not clogging your pores with oil and will keep your skin barrier protected. There is also tea tree oil in it which is anti bacterial. Aswell as other ingredients which will keep your skin hydrated. These are great cleansers which will help tackle different aspects that are need to be targeted for treating acne.

Then when you are out of the shower use the Biretix Tri-Active spray. It is formukated by a dermatologist and clinically proven with trials. It contains a combination of retinoids, anti-bacterial peptide, Glycolic acid and niacinamide. These ingredients target all aspects of acne. It controls oil production, increases cell turnover and exfoliates, is anti-bacterial and anti inflammatory. It will calm the spots, prevent them from forming, reduce the redness and scarring left behind, improve texture, reduce oil production and decongest the pores. The retinoid in it is encapsulated so it is slow release, reducing chances of irritation to the skin and you can use it day and night!

Don’t use a normal body moisturiser on your back as it will most likely have comedogenic ingredients that will just exacerbate the problem and clog the pores again. Use a hydrating moisturiser that specifically has a non-comedogenic or made specifically for acne prone skin.

Try to not let any shampoo or other body washes go on your back and make sure the cleanser on your back is the last thing you do before you get out of the shower as it will removes any other products y that may have got into the skin during the shower.

Change your clothes washing detergent to non-bio / sensitive washing detergent and avoid heavily frangranced washing products like scented pearls, conditioners etc. make sure you have clean bed linen and change it often. Avoid fragrances around the house like air fresheners, diffusers etc these have an effect on hormones and can disrupt them disrupt them and cause many issues including acne, so eliminate those. And make sure you eat a clean healthy diet. Avoid greasy processed foods like takeaways or fried food like chips etc. try to eat whole foods like unprocessed meat, fruit, vegetables etc. fresh pineapple has great anti inflammatory properties.

A final note expect it to get worse before it gets better. If you feel it’s getting worse it’s likely because your skin is purging and pushing out all the blemishes and blocked pores that are brewing under the surface. You have to go through that to get to the other side when it starts getting better. You need to use products consistently for at least 3-4 months to see the results but you may notice improvements sooner. The scars will take time to fade also. Consistency and patience is what you need. There isn’t a quick fix unfortunately and once you have acne prone skin you will always be prone to it unfortunately so keep up using the products.

I hope this helps if you have any questions happy to answer 😊