Bacne, the phrase given to “back acne”, is one of the most frustrating skin concerns there is. As well as being annoying due to its hard-to-reach location, the breakouts here are often painful and larger than the ones you would typically find on the face. If you suffer with bacne, you may find yourself avoiding vest tops and covering up in the summer months, which can just further add to your discomfort. Luckily though, there are a few steps which you can implement to help banish bacne for good…Read on for our expert tips to fight back at bacne!
What is Bacne?
Bacne, aka “back acne”, is a common skin condition that derives from acne. Whilst the majority of acne sufferers find that the face is their main area of concern, for some people, their back, neck and chest is a hot spot for breakouts. This can be due to a few different reasons, however in some cases it is unavoidable.
Shower Straight After Exercise
One of the biggest culprits for bacne, is due to a build-up of excess sweat and bacteria which can clog pores. If you exercise and don’t shower straight after, it allows the sweat and bacteria to re-enter the skin’s pores, ultimately leading to breakouts and skin irritation. This is why it is so important to shower as soon as possible after exercising.
Keep Hair Off Your Back
Much like the tip above, our hair holds a lot of oils and products which can irritate the skin on your back. In order to avoid this, ensure that you are keeping your hair away from your back whenever possible to minimise this risk. Shampoos and conditioners can also be a root cause for bacne flare ups, so when washing your hair, ensure that you prevent the hair products from running down your back as much as possible.
In addition to this, changing your bed sheets and pillowcases at least once a week will reduce the amount of sweat and bacteria that is transferred onto your skin.
Back Sprays
When dealing with aggressive body acne, you need to be using targeted products that can fight the concern from the root cause.
Ingredients such as salicylic acid, retinol and benzoyl peroxide have long been used as a treatment for acne of the face and body. This is because these ingredients work by deeply exfoliating and unclogging the skin’s pores, leading to a reduction in sebum and breakouts.
As the location of bacne can be hard to treat, we recommend choosing products that come in a spray bottle form, for ease of use. This will allow you to treat a larger surface area in one spray and makes it a low effort way to tackle the concern.
Targeted Cleansers
When in the shower, it can be very beneficial to use a cleanser that is specifically formulated to treat acne-prone skin. We are big fans of the Obagi Clenziderm range, which includes the daily care foaming cleanser. This transformative product contains 2% salicylic acid to reduce skin congestion and calming menthol to soothe irritated skin. Simply lather up a coin-sized amount in your hands and cleanse over your back every day.
Want to see the results? Here is one of our client before and afters, which shows how Clenziderm helped to tackle her acne:
Consider Professional Treatments
Whilst the homecare steps mentioned above can be very effective at treating bacne, if you have been dealing with the condition for a long time, it may be worth considering having professional skin treatments.
Acne on the back tends to be larger, more painful and aggressive than face acne. This ultimately can lead to scarring and post-acne pigmentation being quite visible and difficult to shift.
Thankfully, many of the treatments that we offer at our doctor lead skin clinics can also be used on the back!
Here is one of our before and afters, showing how our combination treatment of microneedling and a mandelic peel was able to successfully reduce blemishes and scarring on the back:
Microneedling and chemical peels work in two different ways, to deeply rejuvenate the skin and to encourage the production of newer, healthier skin to form, leading to an overall reduction in acne. To find out more about our microneedling and chemical peel treatments, check out their dedicated treatment pages!
Skin Consultation for Bacne
If bacne is really getting you down, then why not book a complimentary skin consultation with one of our expert skin therapists. They will be able to provide you with some treatment advice and/or product recommendations to help you get well on your way to having a clear back… Simply book your consultation via this form and let us do the rest!
Make sure to follow us over on Instagram @simplyclinics & @dryoussefhaffar for more skincare tips and tricks.
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