Are you suffering from acne on your back? Is it making you uncomfortable and lose confidence in yourself? If you answered yes to these questions, here are things you need to know to deal with bacne, or back acne.
Things You Need To Know About Bacne
1. Causes Of Bacne
If you’re suffering from bacne, you should know what the possible causes are.
- Common Acne: Acne is a common skin problem that plagues people at any age. It can occur on any part of your body having sebaceous glands – glands that produce an oil called sebum. Your back has a lot of pores and large ones. If the sebaceous glands on your back produce too much sebum and this sebum isn’t removed immediately, the pores on your back get clogged and bacteria multiply and cause painful red bumps on the skin.1 A mild acne infection causes whiteheads and blackheads.
- Stress And Hormones: Stress is the most common cause of acne – on the face or other parts of the body such as the back.2 An excessively oily back may also result from the production of increased levels of a hormone called testosterone, increasing bacne. Bacne may also result from hormonal changes during menopause.
- Sweat: When you work out in the gym or exercise a lot, you’re bound to sweat to a lot. This sweat mixes with the grime and oil on your skin, which if left there will irritate your back and clog your pores, resulting in acne.
- Clothing: If you wear clothes that don’t allow your skin to breathe, there’s a good chance you’ll develop bacne.
- Acne Mechanica: When you wear tight clothes or a backpack that constantly rubs against your skin, you might develop acne on your shoulders and back. This is known as acne mechanica. It is particularly common in sportspersons because they wear protective gear almost perpetually.3 This condition tends to get worse if you sweat a lot, increasing your back acne.
- Genetics: Genetics is said to play a role in whether or not you get back acne. So, there’s a good chance that you may get back acne if it runs in your family. 4
- Diet And Lifestyle: While acne is normally associated with teenagers, it is quite common in adults as well. Adulthood brings with it a lot of stress and unhealthy food and lifestyle choices, which means you’re probably eating a fair amount of comfort food and exercising less. These choices you make are also contributing factors of adult acne – including back acne. Research suggests that including certain carb-rich foods like bread and potato chips increases your blood sugar levels, resulting in acne on various parts of your body.5
2. Types Of Bacne
Back acne is likely to occur on areas of your back you’re prone to sweat the most. This causes itching and can bother you excessively. You may have any of these types of bacne.
- Severe Back Acne: Because the skin on your back is thicker than that on your face, back acne may be more severe. Severe back acne results in groups of red bumps all over your back. These bumps swell up excessively and are usually deeper than usual.
- Lower Back Acne: When you sweat on your back, the sweat drips down and is likely to give you acne on your lower back.
- Mild Back Acne: Sometimes, back acne may not be severe and painful. It may just cause you mild discomfort and spread sparingly over your back. In such cases, you are said to have mild back acne.
- Bacne In Teenagers: Hormone levels are bound to fluctuate and increase in your teens. This is likely to give you bacne.
- Breakouts: Similar to how you sometimes have breakouts on your face, you could have breakouts on your back as well. This could be due to increased sweat or hormonal changes.
- Chronic Bacne: When bacne becomes a constant problem from a breakout, it is called chronic bacne. This could, in turn, make the red bumps on your skin incredibly painful and hard to treat.
3. Tips For Managing Bacne
In most cases, you should be able to rid yourself of bacne with lifestyle changes and simple remedies.
- Showering: It’s a good idea to shower after an intensive workout or even if you’ve just sweat a lot on a hot day. This gets rid of all the grime and sweat and reduces the chances of being affected by acne. Although your back is hard to reach while showering, it’s a good idea to clean it with a mild soap and then pat it dry thoroughly. Rubbing increases bacne.
- Wearing Loose Clothes: Remember to wear clothes that are made of materials like cotton that let your skin breathe and prevent back acne. Change your clothes if you get too sweaty.
- Restraining From Touching Lesions: However much you want to, do not touch or pick on the red bumps caused by bacne. This may increase the inflammation and give you scars.
- Maintaining A Healthy Diet And Lifestyle: A diet abundant in vegetables and fruits is great for bacne due to stress. Alongside a healthy diet, remember to drink a lot of water and exercise regularly.
However, if the bacne bumps are causing you a lot of pain or is chronic, it’s most likely that your acne is severe. In such cases, it’s best to consult your dermatologist.
References
| ↑1, ↑4 | Acne. American Academy of Dermatology. |
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| ↑2 | Zouboulis, Christos C., and Markus Böhm. “Neuroendocrine regulation of sebocytes–a pathogenetic link between stress and acne.” Experimental dermatology 13, no. s4 (2004): 31-35. |
| ↑3 | Freiman, Anatoli, Benjamin Barankin, and David J. Elpern. “Sports dermatology part 1: common dermatoses.” Canadian Medical Association Journal 171, no. 8 (2004): 851-853. |
| ↑5 | Growing evidence suggests possible link between diet and acne. American Academy of Dermatology. |