Back acne: How to get rid of bacne or body blemishes

Back acne – commonly referred to as ‘bacne’ – develops when hair follicles under your skin become clogged with natural oil produced by the body, bacteria, and dead skin cells. 50% of people with facial acne also have body acne ^1,2,3.

This can cause red spots and oily skin, and the skin may feel hot or painful to the touch. Acne on the back may consist of blackheads, cysts (pus-filled bumps), or whiteheads. This article explores what bacne is, what causes it, and how to treat it with Eucerin DermoPure.

Bacne can occur with different types of acne, so it helps to understand the lesions that can appear on your back.

Symptoms of bacne can appear as:

• Whiteheads: identifiable by their small, red outer features with a white spot at the tip of the pimple. These appear when a clogged follicle stays closed and stays below the skin, forming a white bump.
• Red bumps: these bumps often don’t have a “head” and can be painful to touch.
• Blackheads: like whiteheads, although these are usually not red or inflamed and have a black head instead of a white head.
• Cysts: these result from a type of acne called cystic acne. The cysts form bumps deep under the skin’s surface and are usually pus-filled.
• Nodules: this type of acne occurs when bacteria become trapped inside a hair follicle. Like cysts, these develop deep underneath the skin’s surface, where they can harden and form a large, painful nodule.

Bacne develops like other types of acne. Typically, your skin’s pores get clogged with dirt, sweat, dead skin, and a naturally occurring oil your skin produces called sebum. Sebum helps keep your skin and hair from getting too dry.

Many factors can cause acne on the back. Bacne can be:

• Wearing backpacks, sports equipment, and sweaty clothing/shirts that rub or irritate affected areas of the skin on the back and shoulders.
• Poor hygiene: Not washing the body regularly, as well as not cleaning the hair, which can cause body acne from the oils in the hair rubbing against the back. -Acne on the back can also occur from unclean towels, clothing, or dirty/unwashed sheets.
• Trapped sweat: Sweat can get trapped between your skin and your clothing, which can result in blocked pores and body acne. Those with an excessive sweating condition/disorder typically have a higher chance of developing back acne.
• Hormones: Young people going through adolescent development (puberty) and pregnant women are more likely to have acne breakouts in the face and body as hormone levels adapt.
• Family history/genetics: If you have a history of body acne or facial acne, you may be predisposed to develop the condition later in life.
• Stress and anxiety: These can cause the body to produce more of the hormone cortisol, which then causes an increased production of sebum as cortisol levels rise.
• Diet: Some foods can cause or trigger body acne breakouts.

There are ways to prevent back acne in the future and limit recurrence as much as possible.

Many solutions can relieve back acne, and you can treat it with topical creams, gels, and cleansers. Prevention is also key after treating bacne, as it can limit future recurrence.

Eucerin DermoPure Triple Effect Cleansing Gel offers key benefits, including helping beat blemishes and target post-acne marks by reducing impurities and removing dead skin cells. This can be used as the first step in a face/body care routine and should be applied twice daily, morning and evening. The good news is that you can also use this product on your face for an easy in-shower routine for all acne-prone skin.

The Eucerin DermoPure Triple Effect Body Cream can be the second step in your care routine, offering anti-blemish and anti-marks benefits with 2% antibacterial salicylic acid while instantly soothing and moisturizing the skin. This cream is ideal for targeting blemishes and post-acne marks on the décolletage, back, and shoulders.

If back acne persists or keeps returning, speak to a dermatologist for further advice about what may be causing this.

There are ways to prevent acne and limit the recurrence of blemishes and acne on your back. Follow these tips to help stop back acne from recurring:

• Shower immediately after physical activity, using an acne body wash
• Change your clothes after you sweat
• Wear loose-fitting clothes
• Don’t pop or squeeze your back acne, as this can aggravate the skin
• Manage your stress/anxiety levels
• Keep the skin clean to prevent trapping dirt/sweat and clogged pores
• Reduce how often you wear heavy backpacks/sports equipment that could aggravate existing body acne
• Use non-comedogenic products on the skin
• Use clean linens and wash bed sheets/pillowcases once or twice a week

[1] Del Rosso, J.Q et al., A closer look at truncal acne vulgaris: Prevalence, severity, and clinical significance. JDD 2007, 6, 597–600, 
[2] Isaacsson, V.C.S. et al, Dissatisfaction and acne vulgaris in male adolescents and associated factors. An. Bras. De Dermatol. 2014, 89, 576–579. 
[3] Dreno, B. et al, on behalf of the Global Alliance to Improve Outcomes in Acne. Large-scale international study enhances understanding of an emerging acne population: Adult females. J. Eur. Acad. Dermatol. Venereol. 2015, 29, 1096–1106.