Body Acne is not talked about as much as acne found on the face, but there are many people who have this problem

Facial acne is commonly known but have you ever heard of body acne? Acne can exist not only in the face but also some body parts particularly the back, buttocks and even the chest of a person. The larger the wound, the more serious the body acne is.

Acne is also known as pimples or zits. It comes in many forms and manifests itself as whiteheads, blackheads, cysts or nodules.

A common cure for body acne, particularly for back acne is accutane, an isotretinoin which is taken for several weeks. accutane lessens the oil production of a person’s oil glands. However, accutane should not be taken by pregnant women as it may cause disfigurement of the fetus.

Acne in the back is manifested in the form of nodules, larger acne spots that are painful and are difficult to treat. Back acne can be light or moderate. Make sure that the back is clean and thoroughly washed before the application of acne medicine. Alpha Hydroxy can also be used to treat back acne but this is a strong formulation and should only be used for tough body skin and not for the face or neck.

While the specific source of body acne is not known, it is a fact that it can get worse when exposed to an irritant like clothes that are tight fitting, stress and unbalanced diet. Tight clothes trap perspiration in the skin and are then mixed with the body’s surface oil. This can block the skin pores and may result to whiteheads and blackheads.

Body acne versus facial acne

Body acne is harder to treat than facial acne because it is found in areas of the body that are hard to reach and treat. The body skin is also thicker as compared to the facial skin, making medicine penetration more difficult Facial acne can be easily seen and so it is given immediate attention. Body acne can grow in body parts that are hidden and so they are most often ignored and remain untreated until it becomes worse.

There are four factors that when combined, may lead to acne growth. Among these are germs, changes in the skin pores, oil produced by the body and hormones.