Successful Back Acne Treatment

Back acne is embarrassing. You have to be careful about the clothes you wear so you don’t display the acne on your back. You cannot go swimming at the beach or you don’t go to the beach at all. Often the problem has lingered for years and you may have given up hope.

What Causes Back Acne?

Back acne, like all other acne is caused by excess sebum, or skin oil. This oil is secreted by the sebaceous glands under the skin into your pores. The oil makes it way to the surface where it encounters tiny dead skin cells and bacteria. This mess can clog up a pore.

Once a pore becomes clogged, newly produced skin oil backs up in the pore swelling the pore. And bacteria start multiplying. The bacterial infection attacks adjacent cells and a red blotch appears. Untreated, this blotch can turn into a cyst.

The skin on your back is thinker than the skin on your face. The sebaceous glands in you back are larger and produce more sebum or skin oil. And, often the pores on your back are larger than those on your face. All this means that there is more opportunity for bacteria to get into your pores and start multiplying. So, often infections on your back are more difficult to deal with than those on your face.

In addition, you back is exposed to harsher treatment than your face. You wear clothing that covers and rubs against your back. This can irritate your back and any pimples already there. Backpacks further irritate and exert pressure on the back and prevent air from getting to the back. Any perspiration on your back that is not rapidly washed off becomes a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

Your hair is exposed to all the dust, grime and bacteria in the air. If you have long hair that can rest on your bare back, additional dirt and bacteria can be deposited on your back. While you shower, dirt, grime and bacteria from your hair can wash off onto your back. If you don’t wash your back after washing your hair, this grime and bacteria can linger and help infect new areas, making matters worse.

How to Get Rid of Back Acne

The best way to treat and prevent acne is to use a three step process. Because the skin on your back is thinker than the skin on your face you can often use a slightly stronger solution on your back.

The first step is to keep your back clean. Cleanse your back to make sure as much skin oil is removed as possible. In a shower, make sure you shampoo your hair and get it cleaned before cleansing your back. You can also help loosen and remove dead skin by gently using a long-handled loofah to gently massage your back in the shower.

During the day, keep hair off your back. Wear light, breathable clothing like cotton. And, avoid using a backpack. Make sure you shower immediately after exercise to remove perspiration that allows bacteria to multiple.

Second, after showering let your skin dry. Then apply an anti-bacterial product. An over-the-counter product such as benzoyl peroxide will help kill surface bacteria as well as bacteria in the pores. This greatly reduces the likelihood of further infections.

Gently smooth the benzoyl peroxide into your skin. Use a generous amount and make sure to cover all areas of your back. Even areas without visible pimples could have blocked pores. It takes a week or more for blocked pores to become infected and swell before they become visible.

Third, when your skin is dry from the benzoyl peroxide smooth on an over-the-counter exfoliant like salicylic acid or  alpha hydroxy acid. This will help remove dead skin cells so they won’t be around to block the pores.

Follow these simple steps for a successful back acne treatment and your back will stay free and clear.

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