Tips on How to Deal with Body Acne
While facial acne is usually called just “acne”, the term body acne is mostly reserved for acne that occurs anywhere else on the body, such as the back, chest, arms and legs. It is estimated that more than 75% of (facial) acne sufferers also have some form of body acne. While we all know how facial acne impacts self esteem during adolescence, people with body acne frequently deal with issues of low self esteem and being self conscious.
Generally, acne (whether it’s facial acne or body acne) is caused by an excessive production of skin oil (sebum) by the sebaceous glands that line the pores and hair follicles. In addition to skin oil, your pores can also be clogged by a build-up of dead skin cells. Body acne can be caused by a number of things including overactive sebaceous glands, a diet rich in carbohydrates, accumulation of dead skin cells, hormonal imbalances, stress, and humid weather. Whatever the cause, understand that certain areas such as your back or shoulders may be more susceptible to developing acne than other parts of your body.
Another cause of body acne can be shaving: men and women alike shave parts of their bodies for a variety of reasons, especially during summer, and shaving can cause body acne. It usually starts with shaving stubble and some ingrown hairs. In order to minimize the chances of developing body acne, treat the shaved area with a mild exfoliator such as salicylic acid. Also, pay close attention to the direction your hair is growing. Never shave against the direction of growth. As a shaving alternative, you may try using depilatory creams, although these are very harsh to your skin.
Treating body acne is harder than treating facial acne. One reason is that certain areas (such as your back) are harder to reach. Also, the skin on many parts of your body is thicker than that on your face, and therefore you’ll need higher doses of topical or oral medications to treat body acne.
Before you invest in any body acne treatment, take a closer look at skin hygiene. Using skin care products that gently exfoliate the skin to remove dead skin cells is an easy way to reduce body acne. Use a body wash with a sponge that has some texture or use a body scrub with ground walnut shell, granular sugar or something similar. Please remember that you do not need to scrub your skin hard. Any sponge will usually exfoliate your skin much better than your hands. For back acne, however, you may need to purchase a back-scrubber to exfoliate dead skin cells on your back.
Almost all body acne treatments contain one of two commonly used compounds - salicylic acid (a beta-hydroxy acid) or benzoyl peroxide. These compounds help to clear clogged pores and possess anti-bacterial properties that help combat acne. Furthermore, these compounds help to reduce the oil content of the skin. While these compounds generally produce great results, care must be taken not to over-dry the skin. Of these over-the-counter acne treatments, salicylic acid is generally safer than benzoyl peroxide.
Some vitamin supplements, such as vitamin A and vitamin B5, have shown real promise when it comes to treating both body acne and facial acne. Vitamin D is also good for skin: it is being produced naturally in the top layers of the skin when the skin is exposed to UVB radiation. If you stay out of the sun a lot or during the cold winter months, be sure to supplement with vitamin D. In addition to over-the-counter body acne treatments, you may consider acne prescription medications for your body acne. Consult your dermatologist to determine if a prescription acne treatment is right for you. Whichever body acne treatment you decide upon, rest assured that in a couple of weeks you will be in control of your body acne and you can feel confident again.
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Posted: February 23rd, 2009 under Regimens.