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I seem to get acne just around my mouth. I can’t see any blackheads but get lots of spots. The rest of my face is clear - why is this?

This is a pattern called perioral dermatitis. It just means ’skin inflammation around the mouth’, and that gives a clue that the cause wasn’t known when it was first described so Latin was used to make it sound better! It can happen in teenage girls and young women, and sometimes follows on from the inappropriate use of steroidal creams but other causes are still not clear. You get papules and pustules but, as you have found, no comedones. If you have been using bacterial creams, stopping will help but it often needs a course of antibiotics or one of the OTC best acne treatments as well.

I’m black with tight curly hair and get lumps on the back of my neck. Is this acne?

If the rest of your skin is clear you probably have a condition that is quite common in black people. Tight curly hair can grow back into the skin and cause irritation. Firm lumps develop which look like raised scars (keloids). Its name is acne keloidalis nuchae - another descriptive term, as nuchae means ‘on the neck’. Treatment can be difficult, so you should see your doctor and perhaps ask for referral to a dermatologist. In the meantime don’t have your hair cut close or shaved, as this can encourage the hairs to grow inwards.

A similar problem can occur on the face after shaving too closely. Lumps and spots develop and keep getting cut or grazed with the next shave.