Back Acne – all you need to know 

All about Back Acne

Back acne – something that you will find is pretty hard to see, but should you be affected by it - then you will most certainly be able to feel it.

Even though only a smaller percentage will contract back acne it is common enough to have earned itself a nickname – and that is 'bacne'. It’s easy to see how it came by that name.

The back area is another ideal location for acne to breed. It is the home to thousands of sebaceous glands and each one is busy producing a lot of oil.

Tight-fitting clothing and clothes made from fabrics that don't allow the skin to breathe are two of the biggest causes of back acne. You might even find that wearing a backpack, especially when conditions are hot and steamy, will trigger a case of back acne.

Clothing and accessories of this nature tend to trap the oil that's being constantly produced by the sebaceous glands on the back.

And just like the acne that appears on other parts of the body, when the sebaceous gland gets clogged, dead skin cells become trapped inside the hair follicles and the next thing you know, the bacteria is on its way, inflaming the tissues surrounding the affected areas and causing an acne condition.

Unfortunately, just about any type of acne can infect the back and this includes whiteheads and blackheads, pustules – they are the surface type, papules – which are a bit deeper, or alternatively the acne can form deep under the skin and cause acne cysts.

Back acne doesn't seem to be triggered by hereditary, stress or a poor diet, but long hair is well known to aggravate the pores on your back. If you have long hair and back acne then it is probably a good idea to wear your hair up for a while and keep it off your back.

Some treatments for Back Acne.

On your back the skin is much thicker than other parts of the body where acne is most likely to appear. Because of this difference in the thickness of the skin the treatment for back acne is also different.

As with the facial acne condition skin care treatment is of utmost importance.

Keep the back clean by showering regularly - especially after strenuous exercise or working in hot and sweaty conditions – if there is a lot of dust around this can make conditions for back acne even worse.

Use a cleanser that contains salicylic or glycolic acid. The best thing to add to your cleansing toolkit is a loofah. Use it gently rather than rubbing vigorously – it is ideal for removing those dead skin cells – this is also known as exfoliating.

After washing and gently drying the skin with a soft clean towel, apply a topical cream product that contains benzoyl peroxide to the areas on the back that are affected by acne.

Make sure you allow the cream or lotion to fully absorb into the skin as it may happen to stain your clothing.

Only apply the acne medication to those areas that require treatment rather than slathering it all over your back as you don't want your skin to become excessively dry.

If you happen to dry out the skin too much you will end up having to apply a moisturizer and that could cause even more acne.

Really that’s pretty much all you need to know about treating back acne.

Because the back is hard to get at for most people it is the main reason why it doesn’t get washed properly – hence the problem of back acne.

If you aren’t lucky enough to have someone who will wash your back each time you have a shower then think about buying a soft bristle back brush – one of those with a long handle.

Proper back cleansing usually shows immediate results – this is great news as you don’t want your back acne spreading upwards resulting in scalp acne.