If you think pimples appear only on the face, then you’ve never had to deal with body acne. But since you’re reading this article, I’m guessing you are quite troubled with your body acne. And you want to know how to get rid of body acne, correct?

Breakouts on the neck, shoulders, upper arms, chest, and even butt are more common than you think. Ever heard of bacne? It’s acne on the back, another common place that gets affected by pimples.

So let me tell you something before I get into the causes and treatment of body acne. Breakouts on these parts of your body are completely normal. So it’s not like you’re dealing with this condition all by yourself. There are many adults and teens all over the world that want to know how to get rid of body acne. And more often than not, these adults and teens are women.

Causes of Body Acne

I’m sure you have an idea as to what triggers face acne. Acne-causing bacteria, oil glands that are overactive, or too many dead skin cells. When the dead skin cells and oil get trapped inside a follicle or pore, they form a blockage. The blockage turns into a blackhead and then becomes a pimple if there’s any bacteria invasion.

There’s no reason to think that body acne is any different. Mostly, body acne shows up on the neck, shoulders, upper arms, back, and chest. Meaning the lower half of your body isn’t very susceptible to breakouts. And the reason for that is your sebaceous glands.

Your upper half contains more of these glands every square inch in comparison to the other parts of your body. This implies that your follicles have a higher chance of getting plugged or blocked with excess dead skin cells and sebum (oil).

Acne Caused by Sweat, Friction, and Heat

Have you ever considered that maybe your piece of clothing or sports equipment is triggering your breakouts on the body? Did you know that pressure on or rubbing the skin during heat or sweat also inflames follicles? And when that happens, you end up with Acne Mechanica.

So the best thing you can do is make sure you don’t wear such items of clothing or use that kind of sports gear. Some of the equipment I’m talking about includes tight outfits, backpacks, athletic pads, bag straps, etc.

Even the natural process of sweating tends to aggravate body acne. But, obviously, you cannot stop your sweat glands from producing sweat. It’s a very natural process after all. Instead, what you can do is take a shower right when you get home.

When in the shower, keep from aggressively scrubbing your skin since you don’t want to cause any friction. Gentle and thorough cleansing is just what your body demands when dealing with acne.

But you simply cannot expect regular body washes and soaps to provide that much-needed thorough yet gentle cleansing. At such times, your skin is better taken care of by an acne-specific body wash. It’s because such a product is equipped with either benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid that are quite effective at treating body and face breakouts.

How to Get Rid of Body Acne

Like I already told you, body acne is prone to developing just about anywhere as long as that area contains pores. Like your face, neck, shoulders, chest, and back. If you have genetically acne-prone or oily skin, breakouts are only a common occurrence. But that doesn’t mean you cannot do anything about.

Many women and men are also not aware of the fact that even certain hair and skin products trigger pimples. Ever heard of non-comedogenic skincare? It doesn’t have the ability to clog your pores, as opposed to many popular comedogenic i.e. pore-clogging products.

Now let’s talk about the solution a little more!

1. Exfoliate

When your skin is susceptible to acne, it ends up shedding more dead skin cells. That means the chances of pores getting clogged are quite high. So it’s necessary for you to remove these excess dead skin cells. And that best way to do so is exfoliation.

You can use a gentle scrub twice every week for preventing acne. Just make sure this scrub doesn’t contain shells, nuts, or pits since they give rise to tiny skin abrasions.

2. Moisturize

Did you know that your skin moisturizes itself naturally using sebum, which is oil? But sometimes the moisture level goes down due to external factors like over-cleansing the skin or using the wrong kind of body wash. So what happens is your skin ends up overproducing sebum to compensate. All the more to reason to moisturize your skin daily! But with a non-comedogenic body moisturizer.

3. Use a Body Cleanser With Acne-Fighting Ingredients

So what are these acne-fighting ingredients?

• Fruit Acids like citric acid go a long way when it comes to controlling body acne.
• Aloe Vera is the best for moisturizing your skin.
• Tea Tree Oil works much like benzoyl peroxide, which is a very effective thus popular acne-fighting component.

Now please keep in mind that not every ingredient might be suitable for your skin. Any one or all tend to develop a reaction if you have sensitive, excessively dry, or allergy-prone skin. So my advice to you would be to do a patch test before you use the cleanser on your entire body.

4. Wear Only Natural Fibers

Needless to say, tight, itchy, or scratchy fabrics should be avoided when wanting to get rid of body acne. Instead, pick breathable materials such as cotton. You want your skin to be free from the congestion normally caused by dead skin cells, sweat, and excess oil.

At such times, even bacteria play a major role in giving rise to breakouts on the body. If the fabric you’re wearing doesn’t wick away moisture, for example during exercise, you’re only just welcoming more bacteria.

So how about heading home after your run or gym session and taking a shower immediately? There are many antibacterial body washes that also help in such situations. In fact, they are incredibly effective remedies for treating body and face acne caused by bacteria. Apart from opting for breathable, moisture-wicking materials of course!

Conclusion

A breakout on the back or upper arms is just as annoying as a zit on the face. Body acne should not be underestimated. Otherwise, what happens is one pimple between two, two becomes four, and so and so forth. And to be honest, I found it much more difficult to deal with body acne than face acne.

So if you want to know how to get rid of body acne, the answer lies in the article. All you have to do now is put the practices into action.