How to Get Rid of Body Acne

The truth about acne is that it can develop anywhere on the body where there are sebaceous glands. While the most common (and visible!) area affected by acne is the face, some of us know by personal experience where else acne can erupt—like the shoulders, back, chest, and even on your backside. Yes, for real—that’s not a joke! Back acne is so common it even has its own terminology, bacne.

That aside, we all know the feeling of wanting to hide parts of our body because of body acne—but that’s sometimes better said than done, especially in the hotter months. So what can you do when you don’t want to be embarrassed by how your back, chest, or shoulders look?

The thing is, getting rid of body acne no matter where it is can be far more difficult to banish than face acne. Body acne tends to be deeper set, more inflamed, and more prone to leaving behind pigmentation and scarring, so any treatment plan needs to be long-term. It can take up to 12 weeks! However, that doesn't mean it's untreatable. Here are five good habits to minimize body acne—and some other tips to get rid of it for good with AcnEase.

Always shower after a workout

There’s almost nothing that beats that post-workout feeling—whether it’s a runner’s high or a feeling of accomplishment just for getting through it, working out is just plain good for you.

But is it good for your skin?

Here’s the deal—if you’re not taking care of your skin properly afterwards, working out could be doing your skin some harm. Not showering after exercising potentially contributes to your body acne by allowing the skin, sweat, and sebum to settle into and clog pores. Not to mention that if you’re using shared machines at the gym, it might not just be your own sweat that’s causing the acne. Ew!

Proper body exfoliation to remove dead skin cells

Sometimes, good old fashioned exfoliation is just what skin needs. Exfoliation helps to remove excess skin cells that might be contributing to clogged pores, resulting in deep blackheads and inflammatory acne. There are two different ways to exfoliate the body—with chemical exfoliation and physical exfoliation.

Chemical exfoliation refers to using products that contain salicylic or glycolic acid to dissolve the dead skin cells—these can appear as dedicated body washes or lotions that are applied to affected areas.

Physical exfoliation refers to using an exfoliating towel, body brush, body scrub, or exfoliating gloves to literally remove the dead skin cells from the body in the shower, for baby-soft skin. The skin on the body can typically handle a little more strength than on the face, so physical exfoliation is well-tolerated by most.

Use medicated body products

There are medicated body washes, sprays, and lotions on the market that all claim to target body acne. Sometimes they’re chemical exfoliation products like the ones mentioned above, or they’re formulated with ingredients such as Benzoyl Peroxide to kill the acne-causing bacteria. The sprays are especially designed to be able to treat hard to reach areas to ensure that every part of your back is covered with acne-treating ingredients.

There’s a catch, though—Benzoyl Peroxide infamously bleaches clothes, towels, and bedsheets, so even if it is good at eliminating acne, is it worth the stains? While a treatment like this works in a pinch, it’s not necessarily a long-term solution.

Too tight clothes + hot day = sweaty body acne

So, there’s actually a specific type of acne called acne mechanica, which is basically the result of the constant rubbing of sweaty clothes on skin. Ew, right?

For the everyday person, it’s usually caused by backpacks trapping sweat in between your shirt and back, plus the constant rubbing really drives down the sweat, grime and irritation into your pores—the perfect recipe for back and shoulder acne.

FYI, Backpacks aren’t the only contributor to this. Sports bras and other types of athletic equipment and straps are culprits for causing this too. Basically, anywhere you might have constant pressure from a strap or clothing that’s too tight could contribute to acne—so avoid super tight clothes and give your backpack a break. This kind of body acne commonly affects athletes and spikes in the summertime thanks to the heat.

Shampoo and conditioner residue

This issue is more common for the ladies than for men, especially if you have long hair. Ask yourself this—in the shower when conditioning hair, do you just let your hair rest on your back, while it’s full of conditioner?

If you do, this could be contributing to your body acne. After all, conditioners are supposed to moisturize your hair—but leaving the residue from these rich, moisturizing components could be exacerbating any skin issues you already have. Gross, right?

The solution? After applying conditioner to your hair, use an alligator clip to keep it off your back, and ensure all conditioner residue is rinsed away to avoid leaving pore-clogging ingredients on your skin.

While all these are great tips to help minimize body acne—they wouldn’t be recommended if they weren’t—I know what you’re thinking.

“But, how do I permanently get rid of back and chest acne?”

The truth is that these are all band-aid solutions that only affect the physical appearance of acne—not the true, internal cause of it.

Factors such as diet, hormones, and medications can cause acne—no matter what topical ‘remedies’ are used. AcnEase is the only product that naturally treats the cause of acne from within, without causing skin sensitivity or harmful side effects over time.

Because body acne can be more stubborn to get rid of than facial acne—the inflammation is deeper and it tends to cover a larger part of the body—treatment can take longer than it would for facial acne. That’s why it can take up to 12 weeks to completely clear body acne with AcnEase’s proven herbal supplement. Patience is key to having a completely clear chest, shoulders, and back, but the wait is worth it for flawless, acne-free skin.