How Do You Treat Back and Body Acne?

If you’ve ever dealt with back, arm, or body acne, you’ve probably noticed that it’s much different than face acne. You may have your face skincare routine totally under control only to find that you’re still suffering from major “bacne” breakouts.

This can not only be a major back-baring buzzkill, but also a total confidence killer and source of physical discomfort.

Here’s what you should know about body acne and how to deal with it for good.

What Causes Body Acne

More often than not, back and body acne is actually caused by folliculitis or hair follicles that are clogged by bacteria, dirt, or sebum. Folliculitis is more likely to happen on your body because your body pores are larger than those on your face, so grime and oil can be more easily trapped inside.

Although this can happen pretty much anywhere on the body, folliculitis is most likely to occur on the back or chest because these areas of the body have more oil-producing glands.

Many contributing factors can make body acne more pronounced, including:

• Tight-fitting clothes: When tight-fitting clothes rub on the skin, it can push dead cells or bacteria into the pores, causing skin irritation and bacne symptoms.
• Weather: Warmer, humid weather means more sweat, oil, and sebum production - which, in turn, encourages more acne development.
• Chemicals: Harsh chemicals - like synthetic fragrances, allergens, or skin irritants - can sneak their way into products you use every day, including laundry detergents, perfumes, lotions - you name it. This, in turn, can exacerbate any follicle damage and clogged pores.
• Unwashed sheets:If you don’t wash your sheets and towels very regularly - at least every day or two - these items can start to collect dead skin cells, bacteria, dust mites, and more grossness.

How to Treat Body Acne

1. Exfoliate Regularly

Consistent exfoliation can help slough off dead skin cells and draw out pore-clogging impurities. That said, there are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Avoid harsh exfoliators:Harsh or scratchy ingredients like walnut shells, apricot pits, or microbeads are super jagged and sharp, and they can actually cause microtears in the skin. Over time, bacteria can get into these tears and they can cause redness, irritation, and worse body acne. That’s why we recommend that you stick to chemical exfoliants or gentle, effective physically exfoliating ingredients like bamboo fibers or jojoba esters.
• Stick to a schedule:Like all skincare, exfoliation won’t work as it should if it’s a “once in a blue moon” venture. Instead, you have to stick to a schedule and exfoliate at least once a week if you want to see real results (and more often once your skin is used to it).
• Consider using physical andchemical products:While physical exfoliants can effectively slough off dead cells, chemical exfoliants are more effective at getting deep in those pores and killing acne-causing bacteria. Use a combination - including a gentle, bamboo fiber detox scrub followed by an effective, glycolic-based serum - for maximum results.

2. Use Spot Treatments

Sometimes you just need a little extra something to help you banish a particularly stubborn spot. That’s where a great spot treatment comes into play. Look, specifically, for ingredients like:

• Botanical salicylic acid: Botanically-derived salicylic acid breaks down the connections between skin cells to quickly and deeply penetrate the surface and dissolve pore-clogging debris.
• Witch Hazel:A powerful antioxidant, witch hazel acts as an anti-inflammatory with astringent properties that dry out your acne blemishes.
• Cloves:Clove oil contains a compound called as eugenol that helps to naturally banish bacteria and reduce swelling.

Find these ingredients and more in Quality Control spot treatment.

3. Do More Laundry

Wash your sheets, workout gear, and other tight-fitting clothes more regularly. Here, it’s better to over-do it that find you’re missing something.

Similarly, make sure you always shower right after a workout. Again, acne really loves sweaty skin, so letting that sweat sit on your skin - particularly if you’re wearing tight workout clothes - is a recipe for a breakout.

4. Restore Your Natural Barrier

Your skin’s natural barrier is super important to healthy function (and no out-of-control bacne). But things like overly hot water, stripping body washes, synthetic chemicals, and harsh scrubbing can strip away natural oils and compromise your barrier, making body acne that much more likely.

Make sure that you include ingredients and practices that restore your barrier, including:

• Probiotics
• Humectants and moisturizers
• Occlusive oils

5. Consider Professional Help

Sometimes your body needs a little extra TLC - and that’s where a back facial can come into play. Consider booking a treatment with your dermatologist or with an esthetician to get some professional extractions and deep cleaning.

6. Don’t Forget Sunscreen

It may seemlike sunburns and acne are two separate issues, but the reality is that sun exposure can actually make acne worse (and make post-acne hyperpigmentation even more noticeable). That’s why it’s important to regularly apply sunscreen as part of your acne-fighting regimen.

Look, in particular, for sunscreen formulations that were:

• Broad-spectrum
• Non-comedogenic and oil-free
• Free of harmful ingredients like oxybenzone, octinoxate, avobenzone, and retinyl palmitate

Ready to get started? You can find the AHAs and exfoliants you need to get rid of body acne in the Exfoliation Heroes Routine.