Get Your Sexy Back: Get Rid of Back Acne in 3 Steps

What is back acne?

How many times have you put on a backless dress or even a sleeveless gym top only to be disheartened with acne on your back? Just like acne on the face, blackheads and pimples on the back can affect a person’s confidence. Back acne is a common problem among patients with facial acne, although back acne can occur patients with pristine skin.

Acne occurs when the sebaceous glands (oil producing glands) and hair follicles become clogged with dead skin and oil. Hair follicles are closely surrounded by sebaceous glands to form a “pilosebaceous unit”. When sebaceous glands in the skin are overstimulated to produce sebum and dead skin cells are are not shed normally, the hair follicles become clogged with dead skin and oil. These blocked follicles form whiteheads. When these whiteheads undergo oxidation, they form blackheads. Continued inflammation and infection by bacteria then causes the formation of pustules (pimples).

Pilosebaceous units can be found on all our skin except for the palms of our hands and feet. This means acne can occur anywhere on our body except for our palms and soles of feet! Although back acne and acne on the face are similar, there are still some key differences between acne of the face and back.

Pores on the back are much larger than pores on the face, hence pores on the back are more likely to become clogged. Secondly, choice of hair and body products can also irritate and cause zits on the skin of the back. Thirdly, tight clothes (especially gym clothes) can trap sweat and dirt and accelerate the formation of pimples.

How do I treat back acne?

Back acne requires the following in order to successfully treat the problem
· Back hygiene
· Laser
· Chemical peels

Back hygiene

As alluded to earlier, dead skin and oil on the skin clogging the pilosebaceous unit and the formation of acne. Having good back hygiene with simple lifestyle habits such as showering after a workout and exfoliating weekly can clean off debris and sweat which cause back acne.

Salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide(above 5%) are medications used to kill bacterial on the skin causing acne. These medications can be purchased over the counter. If you are using these formulations in the form of a shower wash, leave them on your skin for 2-5 minutes before washing off. If your back acne is severe or your back acne is not responding to these medications and washes, it is time to consult a doctor for help with your skin.

Laser

Q-switch laser is one of the established treatment modalities for face acne and can be used to treat back acne too. Lasers effectively kill bacteria on the skin which cause acne and reduce bacterial load on the skin. Secondly, lasers have an anti-inflammatory effect and reduce the activity of the sebaceous glands. The additional benefit of lasers is that they can help to reduce the pigmented scars (hyperpigmentation) from acne!

Just like laser for the skin on the face, there is very minimal downtime except for mild redness for approximately one hour. During the laser treatment, you will experience warmth and discomfort (most patients describe the discomfort as ant bite). Repeating the session at 2-4 weekly intervals will give the best results.

Chemical Peels

Chemical peels remove the top layer of the skin to encourage healthy skin turnover and improves the appearance of acne scar tissue. There a variety of chemical peels that can be used to treat back acne- glyolic acid, tricholoroacetic acid..etc. Consult a doctor a for a personalised treatment for your acne condition.