The face picture was back in 2020 when I tried going off benzyl peroxide for a couple weeks and trying natural topical treatments instead. The redness and inflammation got worse. It looked worse than what the camera captured.
The second picture of my nose is what it sometimes looks like while using benzoyl peroxide (it looks better rn since I'm taking zinc and Betaine HCL, and my gut is in a bit better condition). The redness and number of breakouts go way down, but I still get these pustules mainly on the nose area.
The last picture is what my back looks like most of the time.
~Some helpful notes~
- I've been eating a super clean diet since a few months before that first photo in 2020
- Benzyl Peroxide is by far the topical treatment that helps the most (I've also tried azelaic acid, which helps a little bit, salicylic acid, tee tree oil, various washes, topical Ivermectin, topical antibiotics, and more). Nothing really compares to BP for me.
- I've tested positive for SIBO (methane) and Candida overgrowth
- Zinc and Betaine HCL are probably the supplements that help the most
- Clearing my SIBO and Candida the first time (it came back) did seem to improve the face acne quite a bit, but didn't resolve it completely. I can't remember how it affected my back acne
- Probiotics help my back acne significantly but make my face acne worse, especially around the nose if I'm remembering correctly
- A few other things that make the face acne worse are: Pepsid, any amount of sweat, sugar and alcohol and stress
I've had this acne since I was about 15 years old, so for around 13-14 years. Do you guys think this looks like a form of folliculitis, or is it more likely to be plain acne vulgaris or something else?