Say goodbye to body acne
Those who have acne will know that the annoying little whiteheads, cystic spot eruptions and blackheads aren't usually contained to your face. From bacne (acne on your back) to buttne (acne on your backside - yep, it's a thing) body spots can be pretty troublesome to deal with. Body acne can be difficult to heal, since only the double-jointed among us can easily apply a cream to their left shoulder blade. (And don't even get us started on the difficulties of treating butt acne without the ointment rubbing off on clothes as you sit through yet another Zoom meeting.) The acne on your face seems like child's play in comparison—more visible, o doubt, but at least you can reach it.
Yet body acne can be impossible to avoid, especially in the summer. Heat and sweat converge to clog pores all over your body, though breakouts tend to appear most on your chest, back, and butt—basically, anywhere that a sweat stain might appear on your clothes. (Similar to maskne, but everywhere.) And while some of it can be blamed on sweat alone, there's more to it than that.
We all have problems with acne skin on our face, but we all know the general reasons for having them. Acne is normally caused by excess oil (sebum) production, hair follicles clogged by oil and dead skin cells, bacteria and Inflammation. Acne can also be caused by hormonal imbalance, stress, crash diet and certain medications.
Types of Body Acne
Like the acne on our faces, there are many different stressors that can give rise to acne on the body. It can appear almost anywhere on your body, there are a few common types of body acne, such as:
Neck Acne
Shoulder & Back Acne
Chest Acne
Genital Area Acne
Butt Acne
Causes & Ways to Treat Body Acne
Neck Acne
Acne that forms around the neck is very common. Possible causes is not washing your neck thoroughly, especially after exercising or sweating. Pores and skin cells around your neck may be clogged if it is not cleaned properly. As a result, acne may appear.
Another possible reason that causes acne to form on your neck is using products that might have blocked the oil on your skin. When we apply skincare products like moisturizer or sunscreen, we tend to apply them on our neck too. However, these products might cause blockage on our skin. Therefore, the oil could not be discharged.
Friction can also cause acne to be formed on your neck. Wearing clothes, accessories that rubbed your neck aggressively or even having long hair especially unwashed hair can cause acne formation.
How to treat it?
There are a lot of ways to treat mild acne, and it should be able to clear out within a few days. However, you could try some home remedies to speed up the healing process, you can try:
Washing the area with soap and warm water twice a day
Apply a heated cloth on the area for 10-15 minutes a few times a day (This can help to open blocked pores and discharge oil)
Minimizing exposure to sun, wink or humidity
Avoid touching or scratching
Avoid wearing tight clothes or accessories that could put pressure on the area
As for severe acne problems, it would be best to seek expert doctors.
Shoulder Acne and Back Acne
Shoulder and back acne can occur for a number of reasons, some things might worsen it. This part of the body is often exposed, UV radiation causes skin to dry out, causing our skin over-producing oil and UVB rays cause sunburn which leads to generating excess of dead skin cells. Both of this will clog pores, increasing the chances of forming acne.
The most common cause is friction and pressure on the skin. Friction from tight or rough clothing and also repeated pressure from backpack or purse straps can cause acne breakout. This can happen when the skin is rubbed, squeezed, or stretched.
Poor hygiene and dirty skin can highly increase acne breakout. The excess sebum, dead skin cells, and other debris can be trapped in a pore and block it. That leads to acne lesions like whiteheads and blackheads.
How to treat it?
Dealing with acne can be really frustrating, especially acne that is formed at our shoulder and back. This condition might make you feel unconfident when you’re wearing tank tops or sleeveless and open back clothing. Here is how to get rid of shoulder and back acne:
Soak a clean cloth in hot water, apply it on to the are for 15 mins, repeat this for at least 3 times a day until liquid or pus release
Mix 1 part of apple cider vinegar and 3 parts of water, apply it on the area. Apple cider vinegar can help to fight bacteria that causes acne
Wearing loose and breathable clothing
Apply sunscreen to protect your skin from over-exposure to sun
If you don’t see improvement with home treatment, reach out to a dermatologist for help.
Chest Acne
Chest acne is often caused by hormonal change, overproduction of sebum oil and other factors. Certain types of clothing can trap oil and moisture against the body, leading to clogged pores, and fabric can rub against the skin causing irritation and inflammation. However, having dry skin will increase the production of sebum oil, which will also increase the risk for clogged pores.
Furthermore, excessive sweating will trap moisture against the skin, especially wearing unbreathable clothing causing the sweat to trap in pores. This can increase the chance of acne breakout.
Another factor of chest acne is applying harsh chemicals from soap, laundry detergents, and other hygiene or cleaning products. Products that are not suitable for your skin will also cause irritation to skin.
Diet can certainly affect our skin too. Consuming high sugar of foods or drinks is the common cause of chest acne breakouts. Sugar is high on the glycemic index which is a major contributor to your acne breakouts, it causes your body’s insulin levels to spike. Overdosing insulin increases the production of oils in the skin, which lead to your follicles and pores clogging up with sebum.
How to treat it?
Similarly to shoulder and back acne, you may struggle a lot while wearing certain clothes that expose this part. However, the first step to create an effective treatment is to identify the causes of your chest acne. Once you understand your condition, you can take a step forward to find the best routine to clear them.
Use antibacterial or acne-fighting body wash to clean the area, especially after heavy sweating or exercise
Apply non-comedogenic (non-pore-clogging) lotion to keep your skin moisturized
Take a shower regularly to removed bacteria, sebum oil, dead skin cells and other dirt on your skin
Try a new laundry detergent by looking for “hypoallergenic” detergent
Wear loose and non-irritating clothing, so that your skin can breathe
Limit your intake of high sugar foods
These routines above may take about 10 weeks to take full effect, so you need to be patient. If a long period of time passes without any results, it may be time to see your skin care specialist.
Genital Area Acne
Genital area acne is similar in appearance to pimples that occur in other areas of the body. However they may be painful or painless, burning, flesh-colored or red, pus-filled, in clusters or alone, itchy, or various sizes. One of the common causes is irritation and allergens from some products, like feminine hygiene products, such as lotions, powders, and deodorants, fragranced soaps and shower washes or even laundry detergents.
In addition, infection and inflammation of the hair follicles can cause acne breakout. This can happen when shaving hair at genital area or an infected cut or wound, which lets bacteria spread.
Another very common cause of acne breakout at the genital area is poor hygiene. Sanitary pads or tampons, especially scented, may trap bacteria. Wearing tight clothing may worsen the breakout of acne.
How to treat it?
To remove irritation, you will need to identify the cause of it. Once you have identified the causes, avoid using the products. For instance, if it is because of shaving, then try using a new blade and never dry shave.
Maintaining good hygiene is very important, especially the hygiene of genital area. Wash the area regularly, avoid using fragranced and harsh cleaning products. During menstruation, change sanitary pads or tampons frequently.
Try heat therapy by compressing the area with a warm towel, this can help to reduce itchiness. Remember to dry the area before dressing.
Butt Acne
Butt acne is commonly caused by the pressure when we sit for too long, this normally happens to office workers or car drivers as they often sit for a long time. Our blood circulation will be weaker when we stay on the chair for some time. In addition to that, the skin at that area will rub against the chair or clothing which causes the skin to be dehydrated, and butt acne to form.
Another factor is excessive sweating, especially when you’re wearing tight and unbreathable clothing. Tight clothing restricts airflow and the moisture on your skin traps, causing breakout of butt acne.
Furthermore, hot tubs that do not have the proper chlorine and water balance will let bacteria form in the water. This will cause an acne called Hot-tub folliculitis to form.
Scrubbing hard or using products that are harsh to skin to clean that area could damage the hair follicles.
How to treat it?
Butt acne is a little bit different from facial acne, it could be very itchy and cause discomfort. In most cases they go away on their own with regular at-home care:
Bathe regularly with antibacterial soap to get rid of dirt and bacteria buildup from sweat
Wear loose and breathable bottoms
Apply lotions or cleansers that contains tea tree oil
Avoid using normal fabric softener. Instead of that, try using “hypoallergenic” version of laundry detergent
Mix 1 teaspoon of table salt with 2 cups of water and apply it to the area with a clean washcloth
Most people will be able to get relief from these natural treatments. However, when it’s not turning better or turning worse, you may need to seek your doctors for treatments.
These few types of body acne may be really uncomfortable, but it is not too late to find ways to treat them, and not to worry as there are surely ways to treat them.
Just remember to practice good hygiene for each part of your body or make some adjustments to your personal hygiene routine. Along with that, remember not to pop the acne as it could spread bacteria and lead to infection, you will likely end up making them worse.
All acne is aggravating, both physically and mentally. Do your skin and yourself a favour and take steps to reduce your risk of bodily breakouts and eliminate those pimples that are currently present. There is no sure-fire, one-size-fits-all acne solution, of course, but the experts at Da Vinci Medical can help you find the right products and routine to help you get rid of your body acne once and for all.
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