Laundry Detergents With Dyes Or Perfumes
Wearing clean clothes can typically help prevent acne because they help prevent dirt and other contaminants from getting stuck in the pores. Some people may find that certain laundry detergents, particularly ones with dyes and perfumes, cause an acne breakout. A person who traces their outbreaks to laundry detergent should look for dye and perfume-free detergent.
Tips To Get Rid Of Body Acne
Its safe to say, no one likes acne, but its kind of a rite of passage. As we go through our teenage and young adult years , a zit is to be expected dotting their way across our faces. But for some people, they also have to deal with acne breakouts below their chinon their back and chest.
While we tend to focus on the face, acne can present challenges on your back and chest as well, said Trevor Thompson, MD, a dermatologist with Banner Health Center in Peoria, AZ. More often, we encounter truncal, or body acne, in our younger years and it is slightly more common in males than females.
While it can be extremely bothersome and embarrassing, the good news is that much like face acne, there are ways to get your body acne under control. We spoke with Dr. Thompson to better understand the causes for body acne and ways to combat it.
What Is Back Acne
Back acne is acne that develops on your back. It causes pimples that appear as red bumps, whiteheads or blackheads. These zits can be unsightly, annoying and painful.
Acne happens when oil, dirt, dead skin cells and bacteria clog your skins pores. Back acne usually results when sweat gets trapped under a shirt or athletic gear during exercise or strenuous activity. Clothing rubs against your sweaty skin, which leads to zits or makes them worse.
Several over-the-counter and prescription treatments can clear up back acne. But it may take a few months for skin to clear.
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How Can I Treat Back Acne
You can treat mild back acne at home. You should:
- Avoid popping or squeezing the pimples: You can damage your skin by popping zits. Squeezing or popping them can also lead to acne scars, which can be severe. Picking at a zit can also lead to an infected pimple.
- Keep your skin clean: Use an oil-free body wash thats noncomedogenic, which means it wont clog your pores. Shower and change into clean clothes after exercise. Resist the urge to scrub your skin with harsh cleansers. Scrubbing can make acne worse.
- Try topical creams, gels and cleansers: Benzoyl peroxide products can clear up back acne. When using a benzoyl peroxide cleanser, allow the medicine to stay on the pimples for up to five minutes before rinsing it off. You may also try a retinoid gel or an acne sticker that releases salicylic acid medication into the zit over several hours.
- Use clean linens: Its important to use clean towels, sheets and pillowcases so bacteria dont build up. Try to wash your sheets and towels at least once a week.
If back acne lingers or keeps coming back, see your dermatologist. They may recommend other prescription skin care products to treat severe acne. Or you may need antibiotics or other oral medications.
Your Body Acne Treatment Plan Straight From Dermatologists
Goodbye to buttne and bacne.
Even if youre not shy about showing a little skin, having some body acne can make one hesitate to wear that low-cut top or backless dress. Body breakouts are just as common as the ones you get on your face: Acne affects about 85% of people between the ages of 12 and 24, so if youre dealing with pimples, blackheads, or bumps on places like your back, chest, or shoulders, youre definitely not alone.
With bikini season basically here, however, the skin woe can be more annoying than usual leading you on a quest for the proper body acne treatment to clear things up. If youre nodding your head in agreement, know that Bustle has you covered. Read on for expert intel on the most common causes of body acne, and what three board-certified dermatologists say you can do to help treat and prevent those pesky pimples.
We at Bustle only include products that have been independently selected by our editors. We may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
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Fewer But More Severe Lesions
Because the skin on the trunk contains less pores per square inch than facial skin, we often see fewer lesions on the trunk than on the face. However, pores on the body are larger, which often makes the lesions that develop on the body more severe.4,5
Another reason we might see less acne on the body compared to the face is because skin on the body is more acidic.6 Acne bacteria prefer less acidic environments.
Wear Loose And Breathable Fabrics
Another key to keeping chest acne at bay is to wear clothing that is loose and non-irritating so that your skin can breathe. Tight clothing can trap dirt, bacteria, and oils that can develop into blemishes. Certain fabrics, such as wool, nylon, and spandex, can cause further irritation. Your best bet is to wear cotton clothing.
Read Also: How To Get Acne Off Your Chest
More Remedies To Treat Body Acne
Manuka honey mask
Apply a thin layer of manuka honey for several minutes to reap its amazing anti-inflammatory benefits! You can apply it before a shower on problem areas, and then shower after 3-5 min as it starts to melt .
Honey and oats are very soothing for the skin. If you are regularly taking baths, it can be a good idea to add some ground oats into the water to soothe the skin and prevent it from drying out too much.
Dont use hot water on your skin, try to make it just slightly warm instead. Since manuka honey is quite expensive, it may be better to use clay mask as described below.
Clay mask
Clay is a great natural way to cleanse and purify the skin. It is particularly beneficial for balancing oily and combination skin, as well as eliminating blackheads and congested pores. I recommend getting clay powders, which are quite cheap, so suitable for using on larger areas of the body.
Mix the clay powder with filtered water, raw or manuka honey or DIY hydrating green tea toner . You can even use all of them to make a nice runny paste-like consistency.
Apply on problem areas before you shower, leave for 10 min, then shower with lukewarm to warm water. You can do this about 1-2x per week or so.
Usebentonite clay if your skin is oily to combination, or pink clay if you have sensitive, dry or normal skin on your body.
Hydrating toner with acne-fighting green tea extract
In my FREE online course, I give you the exact recipe you can use to reap the full benefits of the EGCG.
Swap Out Your Current Body Wash
That ultra-creamy, coconut-scented shower gel may feel seriously luxe, but if it doesn’t contain zit-zapping ingredients such as salicylic acid , glycolic acid , and lactic acid , then it might not be doing your body acne any good.
‘Acids like these prevent dead skin cells from building up and blocking your pores,’ explains London-based consultant dermatologist, Dr. Justine Kluk. ‘And remember, cleanse your skin thoroughly in the shower every day.’
Read Also: How To Take Care Of Acne
Habits And Lifestyle Changes
If you only have mild body acne, you might be able to get clearer skin by making some changes to your habits:
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Be careful with backpacks, bra straps and other clothes that put pressure on your skin. These can irritate your skin and worsen acne mechanica, especially if theyre worn for long periods or too tightly.
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Wash your sheets and pillowcases every week. Sebum, dead skin cells and bacteria can all build up on your bedding. Wash your bedsheets and pillowcases weekly to clear away any acne-promoting substances and enjoy a fresher nights sleep.
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Be mindful of excessive sweating. Sweating wont give you acne directly, but it can irritate skin thats already prone to acne and make body acne worse. If you exercise frequently or live in a hot and humid climate, shower often to prevent sweat from affecting your skin.
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Cant shower? Wipe down after sweating. If you dont have the opportunity to shower, carry a pack of oil-free cleansing wipes with you and use them to wipe down acne-prone areas after you sweat.
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Wear loose, breathable fabrics. Loose-fitting clothing made of sweat-wicking polyester or cotton will prevent sweat from sticking to your body and irritating your skin.
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Avoid getting sunburned. Contrary to popular belief, spending time in the sun doesnt get rid of acne. Since sunburn damages your skin and increases your risk of developing skin cancer, its best to limit your UV exposure and use an SPF 15+ sunscreen.
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Why Do I Get Acne
Acne is an inflammatory skin problem caused by one or more of three things:
- Plugging of hair follicles
- Hormonal fluctuations that cause the body to secret excess oil
- Bacterial infection that causes inflammation
Acne severity can range from blackheads and whiteheads to cysts.
Nearly 85 percent of people between the ages of 12 and 24 experience acne. Why some people have severe breakouts while others barely have a pimple is not entirely clear. But genetics and environmental influences clearly play a role.
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How To Make A Honey And Cinnamon Mask
Summary
Honey and cinnamon have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. They may help reduce acne, but more studies are needed.
Tea tree oil is an essential oil thats extracted from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, a small tree native to Australia.
Its well known for its ability to fight bacteria and reduce skin inflammation (
Summary
Tea tree oil has strong anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Applying it to the skin may reduce acne.
Getting Help For Chronic Acne
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Exfoliate Once A Week
Your skin goes through a process of cell turnover, where dead skin cells emerge to the surface to make way for new skin cells. But dead skin cells dont always shed on their own. They can end up staying in your pores and clogging them, leading to acne.
This is where exfoliating can help. The process helps to remove dead skin cells so they dont clog pores and form acne. Youll also reveal noticeably smoother skin. The key, though, is to exfoliate no more than once a week doing this more often will irritate preexisting blemishes.
Try out:
The Best Tools For Body Acne
When it comes to washing body acne,there are a few things to keep in mind. While physical exfoliation is good, itâs important to be gentle with skin thatâs experiencing a breakout. Itâs also important to be sure that you can reach the areas on your body where acne or breakouts are happening. Finally, itâs *extra* important that you donât spread acne-causing bacteria from one area of your body to another and that you donât introduce any new bacteria to your breakouts.
All of these concerns can be handled by using the right tools when washing your body acne and, yes, a lot of them have actual handles.
Another in-shower device thatâs effective and easy to keep clean is this double-sided back scrubber from AQUIS. While it does have two sides â one more textured for exfoliating and one softer for cleansing â neither one is too rough, according to reviews. âMost exfoliating products are too rough. This is a gentle exfoliating cloth, hangs to dry easily, and doesn’t get moldy,â shared one user.
âI have had back acne since I was a teenager,â another reviewer wrote. âThis thing not only cleared away the bumps but now the scarring from my past bumps are going away. The new skin feels like it’s âbreathingâ for the first time in decades.â
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The Main Body Acne Causes
Whether it appears on your body or your face, acne develops when there’s an excess production of oil in a pore, a build-up of dead skin cells in a pore, bacteria growth in a pore , or a combination of any of the three, according to the National Institutes of Health . The result: inflammation, which can lead to the formation of pimples, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association .
That said, there are a few factors that may affect your risk of developing body acne, says Dr. Palm. For example, you may be more likely to experience acne if your parents also dealt with it, according to the NIH. And due to oil’s role in clogging pores, folks who have oily skin are more likely to experience body acne, adds Dr. Palm.
Hormonal changes are also among the most common body acne causes, says Corey L. Hartman, M.D., F.A.A.D., a board-certified dermatologist in Birmingham, Alabama. During puberty, you experience an increase in androgens, male sex hormones that cause your skin’s oil glands to enlarge and produce more sebum , which, in turn, can lead to body acne, according to the NIH. In the days leading up to your period and during pregnancy, levels of hormones that have similar effects to androgens also increase, ramping up the production of sebum that could ultimately clog pores and cause breakouts, according to research published in the journal Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia.
Why Do I Have Back Acne
There are many possible back acne causes, just like all acne: inflammation, hormones, using the wrong products for your skin typeyou probably know the spiel by now, but check out our post on what causes acne for more!
In addition to all the usual causes of acne, microorganisms like the pityrosporum fungus thrive in warm, moist areas, and these guys contribute to inflammation. If you tend to have a sweaty back, for example, that could contribute to bacne. Tight clothing that doesnt let your skin breathe can give acne microbes an even better environment to thrive in. If youre prone to bacne, try switching to clothing made of natural fabrics such as 100% cotton. Opt for clothing with a looser fit that wont trap heat or cause friction on your skin. And most importantly, cleanse your skin ASAP after breaking a sweat to wash away those gnarly microbes.
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Figure Out Whats Causing Your Body Acne
If you have body acne, it can help to identify potential causeswhich can be tricky, because anything that might lead to acne on your face can also lead to acne on your body. Some common causes are:
Not showering after working out. Exercise and sweating dont cause acne, per sebut the moisture of sweat can be a great breeding ground for bacteria, which can lead to breakouts. After youre done exercising, shower and change clothes right away.
Tight clothing. Tight clothes that dont let your skin breathe are another potential trigger. They trap heat and cause friction on your skin, which makes breakouts more likely to occur.
Laundry detergent. It might sound bizarre, but patients sometimes find that their body acne improves when they switch to a detergent without sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate. Theres no proof that this really does make a difference, but it might be something to consider if youre dealing with a particularly stubborn breakout! Look for products labeled as sulfate-free or SLS-free.
…and is it really body acne?
Bumps on some parts of the bodylike the scalp or buttoften arent true acne. Butt acne, for example, is actually often the result of damaged hair follicles or just plain ol genetics. But for all intents and purposes, it may help to treat butt acne as you would regular body acneso using antibacterial soaps or cleansers with salicylic acid may do the trick.
