Body Acne
embracing the skin you’re in
Wearing a high-cut shirt to cover your chest area? Avoiding that backless dress? Sounds like you might struggle with body acne. Let’s be honest; you’re not alone. Statistics say that every 2/3 people will have struggled with body acne at some point in their life.
Body acne, just like face acne, is completely normal! The only not-normal thing is the lengths that we often will go to cover it up. If you’re particularly frustrated because you finished puberty a while ago and are wondering why acne is still an issue for you, know that is majorly adults that struggle with body acne.
The same factors trigger body acne as regular acne, which can include but aren’t limited to:
Overactive oil glands
Excess Dead Skin Cells
Acne-causing bacteria
Nutritional choices
Genetic heritability
Body acne also usually appears on the upper half and torso of one’s body rather than the legs.
“Like the face, the upper half of the body has many sebaceous glands. These glands produce sebum (oil) to help maintain moisture, regulate temperature, and prevent bacteria and other pathogens from causing infections. However, since so many of these glands are on the upper body, the follicles are more likely to become plugged with excess oil and dead skin cells.” from The Causes and Treatments of Back and Body Acne, Angela Palmer
Triggers such as tight clothing, sweaty sports equipment, backpacks and purses can worsen your body acne. Sweat also plays a major part so aim to shower frequently and change out of sweaty clothes when possible. Washing and changing your sheets and towels often can help as well.
Body acne can be treated with gentle cleansing using salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide wash and over-the-counter treatments that include these same ingredients. As well the help of a medical professional stronger ingredients can be prescribed.
But no matter how hard you try to fight your body acne, sometimes it's purely hormonal. Of course, covering up can sometimes help relieve our worries but it’s normal and shouldn’t greatly hinder our clothing (or fashion) choices! Instead, learn to grow in confidence, and know that younger girls may be looking up to you and struggling with the same thing.
Written by Reanna Toivis. All opinions are purely that of the author and are never meant to treat any medical condition. You should always consult your physician regarding acne, and/or other skin conditions.