Guide to Bacne: How To Get Rid Of Back Acne, For Good | Shens Therapeutics

woman with back acne

Most individuals would have experienced facial acne at some point in their life, and we know that it can be rather unsettling and frustrating to deal with. While the myriad ways of dealing with such cystic facial acne have been well documented, how these pesky bumps start appearing on the back and shoulder region is less talked about.

With that, what do you do when these bacnes start to erupt on your back and shoulders? Shens Therapeutics is here today to share 10 expert tips that can help you in the fight against these nettlesome bacnes and get rid of them once and for all.

Without further ado, let us begin!

Types of Back Acne & Causes

close up photo of acne on the back

Prior to delving into the top tips to fight off bacne, let us take a look at the types of bacne and causes so that you would be able to identify and treat them accordingly.

Types of Back Acne

Pustules: A layer of skin covering pus that lives under the skin caused by the buildup of oils, dirt, and impurities.
Papules: Similar to pustules, papules are a raised area of skin that does not have pus.
Cystic acne: Breakouts that occur deep underneath the skin and are often red, swollen, and painful.
Whiteheads: Pores that are clogged with a buildup of dirt, oils, and dead skin cells but are covered by a thin layer of skin.
Blackheads: Clogged pores that are dark in colour due to dirt, oils, and buildup coming into contact with the air.

Causes of Back Acne

Hormones: A common cause is a puberty or any hormonal change, or a familial genetic predisposition.
Perspiration: Pressure on the back combined with excessive sweating, poor hygiene, and closed coverage of the skin can result in back acne.
Bacteria: High growth levels of bacteria on the skin (cutibacterium acnes) can be a culprit, which can occur on the face or body.
Steroids: Another force at work could be steroid usage. With increased androgen levels from steroids, the sebaceous glands on the skin secrete more oils.

10 Tips To Fight Bacne

Exfoliate Regularly

woman undergoing exfoliation treatment

Yes, the exfoliation process. Similar to our face, our upper torso and back require regular exfoliation as the region tends to have more sebaceous glands (aka oil-producing glands) than the other areas of the body. Thus, this means that the skin around our shoulder and back have an increased likelihood of developing body acne.

Exfoliating on a regular basis can help to effectively remove dead skin cells on the back as our body may not slough off these old skin cells as efficiently as needed. If our skin is left unexfoliated, the pile-up can aggravate the formation of acne.

Wear Clothing That Breathes

woman working out

Before adding in another set of tight-fitting sportswear or bodycon dress into your cart, you might want to take a look at this. According to clinical research, tight clothing mixed with friction and excess moisture, such as sweat, can exacerbate acne outbreaks.

In short, the combination of friction, heat and covered skin may result in developing a form of acne called acne mechanica. The friction can irritate the skin and disrupt the surface, which can clog the pores with dead skin cells and lead to inflammation. Hence, it’s important to let your skin breathe when working out and avoid clothes that cling too tightly to the skin.

Spot-Treat Bacne

woman applying cream on hand

Spot treatments aren’t just exclusively for the face, and you can apply them on your back and tackle breakouts in a more targeted way. As mentioned in the previous segment, each zit may differ from one another (cystic, surface etc.), and you would be able to ‘spot treat’ them effectively.

At Shens Therapeutics, we would recommend individuals to spot treat or use a mask with ingredients such as sulfur, camphor, salicylic acid, tea tree oil or clay to treat the acne on their body.

Shower Right After Exercises

woman showering

As mentioned previously, one of the reasons bacne happens is the excess moisture due to sweat. Your sweat may be irritating the skin and causing clogged pores on your back and shoulders. With that, bacteria tend to propagate more in a moist environment and cause unwanted odour when a particular type of bacteria comes to ‘dine’. Nobody likes bacne or staying smelly at the same time.

Therefore, whenever possible, it is best to shower right after exercising as it helps to reduce the chances of clog pores, bacteria causing inflammation on any erupted bumps or zits on your back.

Use Specially Formulated Cleanser For Body

acne ingrediant cream concept

At Shens Therapeutics, we recommend individuals to look out for body wash or body scrub that contains anti-acne ingredients. Ingredients such as salicylic acid can help to deeply cleanse the skin, loosen dead skin cells, break down pimples and comedones. Thus, reducing the chances of bacne from forming.

Moreover, other ingredients such as green tea extract or liquorice root can also help reduce redness and soothe any forms of inflammation on the skin’s surface. If you’re still not seeing results with the stated products, you can consult your dermatologist about prescription-strength washes, too.

Avoid Conditioner Sitting On Your Back

woman with conditioner on her hair

Sometimes how we wash our hair is to blame for bacne. When conditioner-coated hair sits directly on our backs, the conditioner solution seeps into the skin — and that can actually cause our pores to be clogged and irritate our skin.

With that, the solution can be as simple as clipping up your hair if you plan to let the conditioner solution sit in for a bit. Moreover, after rinsing the conditioner off, you may still want to clip up your hair as freshly conditioned hair can still irritate sensitive and acne-prone skin.

Don’t Pick Or Squeeze Bacne

photo of someone squeezing a pimple

As with regular acne, avoid picking any bacne or body acne. Just like with your face, picking acne on your body can spread bacteria and cause more pimples, as well as lead to scarring (and no one wants to deal with that).

Wash Your Sheets Regularly

clean sheets

Believe it or not, one of the biggest triggers of bacne is the type of sheets you are sleeping on! After all, you are spending about 8 hours a night (or at least one can hope) lying in your bedsheets. If your sheets are bacteria-ridden, they can cause acne breakouts on your skin.

Hence, make sure to wash your sheets frequently to minimise the chances of bacne outbreaks through a combination of great skincare and regular cleaning.

Opt for Oil-Free Sunscreen

oil free sun screen

In most of our previous posts, we have emphasised the importance of adding sunscreen to your daily routine to prevent sun damage and slowing down skin ageing. However, individuals who are more prone to acne or bacne outbreaks can consider opting for oil-free sunscreens.

With that, whenever you are choosing sunscreen, you can look out for ones that are “non-comedogenic”. These oil-free and specifically formulated sunscreen would not block your pores or irritate your sensitive skin. Thus, it can lower the chances of a bacne or acne outbreak.

Schedule a Back Facial

back facial treatment

While the above information may help prevent and reduce the chances of bacne from reoccurring by making some simple lifestyle changes, it may not necessarily help treat the existing bacne. If you wish to get better results on achieving clear skin on your back and regain the confidence to go bareback, schedule an appointment to get a Back Facial with a skin-care professional!

At Shens Therapeutics, the Back Beauty Facial treatment uses a new breakthrough vortex-fusion technology with acids, antioxidants, peptides, and hyaluronic acid for better and instant results. It combines multi-step actions of peeling, cleansing, exfoliation, extraction and nutrient infusion, which is more effective than a regular manual facial. Light manual extraction is included.

Depending on your skin condition, purifying and sebum regulating cream Masque or OMEGA LED Light System is applied to zap those nasty P-acne causing bacteria, reduce inflammation and balance your skin, achieving a smoother, sexier back.

Recommended Treatment: Intensive treatment (4 sessions per week), followed by Maintenance (one session each month)

For more information about the Back Beauty Facial treatment, feel free to contact our customer support team for more information via our hotline or WhatsApp!

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May 2021