Sudden acne, and long term extreme dandruff?

I moved from Arizona to northern California, and when I did, acne suddenly appeared on my chest, shoulders, and back, and it's been this way for two years. The water seems to have a lot of minerals and chlorine, could that be it? Is it the humidity or pollution? What can I do? It's happened to my wife too, so it must be something in the environment.

Also, for many years, I've had the worst drandruff. I've tried every shampoo, and nothing seems to fix it. If I go too long without a shower, my head itches fiercly. I keep my hair very short, less than 1 inch. I didn't have this problem when I was younger. Is it because I'm older? fatter? What can I do?

Oh, I don't have acne on my face; I get a zit once in while, but nothing unusual. It's just the chest and shoulders that are really bad. We've changed beds/furniture, use anti-bacterial soap, and I've stopped using deodorants (no one complains, and I don't seem to smell). My skin used to be drier in Arizona, but it's way more humid here. I've been looking for a filter to put in line with the shower head.

As for the head, my wife is a cosmetologist, and she says my scalp looks perfectly healthy, except for the dry patches. So, I've used tea-tree, and various other shampoo's according to her expertise.

I would knuckle down and go to a dermatologist, but I'm too poor to afford that kind of health care. I don't even have a regular doctor. I just feel like it's some simple thing that should be easily treatable, but I just can't seem to figure out what it is.

Try using a shampoo that strips the hair and try not to use conditioner. As for the acne? Try to use a face wash every night& morning. Also I love to use target liquid body soap, its smells good and feel really clean afterwards, I dont know what is necessarily causing the acne, but if you shower twice a day there will be less stuff in yuor pores. Use a spray deoderant over most of the skin where the acne is, it sounds gross, but with less sweat means less bacteria in the pores!

i dont know about the acne but it sounds like you have eczema on your scalp.

You poor dears! I sure can feel your frustration. I used to live in California and now live deep in the south, so I know how climate can affect your skin. What I know about dandruff is that although some may be from super dry skin, some severe cases are caused by microscopic parasites on the scalp. Have you tried a shampoo with tea-tree? Also, are you convinced that you don't a mite problem in your carpet/sofa or mattress? I would break out after laying on the carpet for an evening of watching TV, and I found out I was sensitive to the cleaning fluid left on the carpet. It seems odd that the acne is only on the areas that your shampoo or body wash would touch.... I don't have any difinitive answer for you, but if it happens to both you and your wife, you are probably being effected by the same irritants. If you think it's your water, perhaps you might want to have your water tested for excessive chemicals, also you can put an in-line water purifier for not too much money that would be worth the try. You can also treat your acne with a natural blemish cream I love at jeunepeau.com . Oh and by the way, I am older and fatter..... no spots.. ;^) wishing you both the best.