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How to get rid of back acne

Upper back acne may be less obvious than facial acne in daily life but wait until Summer and it will remind you of its existence. The causes are the same: blocked pores, and excess sebum that feeds bacteria. The solution: keep pores open, decrease sebum secretion, keep bacteria under control.

What can you do?

Wear clothes that don’t promote sweating. It used to be that only pure cotton worked but nowadays many synthetic fabrics keep the skin cool and allow sweat to evaporate.

The great advantage of the back (over the face) is that you don’t use makeup on your back, and makeup is, for many people, a trigger for acne.

What to do if you still have problems?

Control sebum production with T-zone serum

For actual acne lesions, use Zit Ender

Prevention: Vitamin A cream (or the serum) will keep pores open, by normalizing skin renewal. You can also use the salicylic cleanser.

If you don’t have a roommate/mother/whatever to help you apply the product on your back, use a convenient applicator, look for “lotion applicators for the back” and are less than $10  (I use one for the opposite problem: I have dry skin and I apply Every Lipid serum with the applicator). Avoid applicators with little rotating balls, they may be cute but they are also harder to clean.

Don’t worry too much, before you know it, your upper back acne will disappear and you will be complaining about dry skin!

 

References

Poli, F., Auffret, N., Leccia, M., Claudel, J., & Dréno, B. (2020). Truncal acne, what do we know? Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. doi:10.1111/jdv.16634

Long-term use of spironolactone for acne in women: A case series of 403 patients, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 10.1016/j.jaad.2020.12.071, 84, 5, (1348-1355), (2021).

 

DISCLAIMER: These claims have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent any disease.