Is That Acne On Your Back? Causes and Treatments for Back Acne

Back acne can be a very uncomfortable and unpleasant skin condition. As its name implies, it is acne that appears on the body, particularly the back, although it can also be found in other areas such as the shoulders, upper arms and even the buttocks.

Back acne can be as simple as a few pimples and whiteheads but it can also come in a more severe form that also includes blackheads, cysts and pustules. Back acne is not only unsightly, it can also be painful and later cause scarring, which tends to be permanent.

What causes back acne?

Essentially, that acne on your back is just acne and its cause is still unknown. What is known, however, is that back acne usually occurs in pubescent girls and boys, although it can also be found in adults. When young teens enter puberty, this is also the time when their sebaceous glands become active. Sebaceous glands produce sebum, the oil which our bodies naturally create.

This is a normal process. The problem begins when the body produces too much sebum. This clogs up the hair follicles and the pores, making the skin an ideal breeding ground for the bacteria called Propionibacterium acnes. This bacteria causes a skin infection that produces redness and swelling. As a result, pimples appear. When they become enlarged, become filled with pus and liquid, multiply and produce lesions, you get acne on your back.

Who gets acne?

In the same manner as it is not fully understood why some people get acne while others don't, it is also not known why back acne occurs in some people while others remain pimple-free. However, some studies have shown that back acne tends to run in families so if some people in your family have back acne, that probably explains why you have it, too. Back acne also tends to appear in people who sweat profusely. It can also appear in women taking hormones.

Can tight or heavy clothing cause back acne?

There is no proof that certain clothing cause back acne, nor has a direct link between backpacks and back acne been established. However, these factors seem to contribute to excessive sweating, which exacerbates a back acne condition.

How do I treat back acne?

Body skin is a lot more resilient and tough compared to facial skin, but that is not an excuse to be rough on that acne on your back. The treatment for back acne may be slightly different but it is by no means less gentle.

Start with a sensible skin-cleansing regimen. Use an antibacterial soap or a specially formulated soap for acne to help prevent further infections and break outs. Shower on a regular basis and give extra care and attention to the affected area of the back. Thoroughly dry your skin with a clean towel.

Use an anti-acne product such as a topical cream containing benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. Just be careful with using benzoyl peroxide because it has mild bleaching characteristics which might bleach the fabric of your clothes. Either wait for the ointment or gel to dry before putting on clothes or just wear something white.

If you engage in activities where you sweat excessively, make sure to take a shower immediately after. Always wear fresh, clean clothes and choose fabrics made with natural fibers. You should also wear fabrics that absorb moisture well to make sure that you keep perspiration away from your skin.

Some back acne treatments can dry the skin, especially those that exfoliate. When skin is too dry, it can also be prone to break outs. To protect your skin from excessive dryness, use non-comedogenic lotions or moisturizers.

Other treatments

Back acne is more difficult to treat because it is spread across a much wider area. If using a topical cream seems impractical and ineffective, you might want to ask your doctors for alternative solutions. Back acne may also be treated with topical antibiotics, injections, oral contraceptives and laser therapy. Always ask for your doctor's recommendation before using another form of treatment to ensure you do not aggravate your skin's condition.

If scarring has occurred, don't worry. There are surgical and cosmetic means with which to help improve your skin's appearance. Procedures such as laser therapy, excision and skin needling are just a few options you can ask your doctor about to help get rid of that acne on your back.

What about that backpack?

If you find that carrying a backpack seems to aggravate your back acne condition, use another means with which to carry stuff around. You can either wait until that acne on your back clears and use that backpack again or you can give it up altogether.

Flor Serquina is a writer and also a wife and a mother who has a great interest in maintaining the healthy skin of the members of her large family. For more information visit her website, where she discusses various subjects such as acne on your back [http://www.healthy-skin-today.com/acne-on-your-back.html], acne rosacea treatment [http://www.healthy-skin-today.com/] and chest acne [http://www.healthy-skin-today.com/nodular-acne-treatment.html]. The site features well-researched articles on the different types of acne, their causes and their treatment. There are reviews of the varied approaches to acne, including laser surgery for acne scars, home remedies, different brands of acne soaps and face wash, over-the-counter acne medications as well prescription medicines.

The 11 Kinds of Acne Classified According to Causes

If you have been plagued with acne at some point in your life, you are probably obsessed with washing your face all the time - making sure that it's clean to keep away the acne Ironically, people who are prone to acne are actually quite particular with cleanliness. They often wash their faces and making sure that their body is clean. By doing this, they are hoping that the affliction will eventually go away.

The 11 Kinds of Acne

There are actually different kinds of acne The word is a catch-all term for all types of acne There are general kinds of acne that you might call cystic acne adult acne and so on; but to be really specific and to classify acne according to its causes, the 11 classes are as follow:

1. Acne Cosmetic. This is the acne that is cause by use of cosmetics. The use of cosmetics alone does not cause acne It is actually the kind of cosmetics and the prolonged use of cosmetics that irritates the skin. Your pores react negatively to the ingredients and acne results.

2. Acne Conglobata. This is the type of acne that is largely caused by hereditary factors. If your parents suffered from severe acne you will probably suffer the same. Oftentimes, this type of acne results to severe scarring on the area affected. The unfortunate thing about this acne is that you can hardly do anything about it.

3. Acne Detergents. This acne is caused by soaps, detergents and cleansers which irritate the skin.

4. Acne Excoriee. This is the type of acne that is caused by skin picking which then spreads the germs on other parts of the body.

5. Acne Fulminans. This is the serious type of acne that is accompanies by flu-like symptoms when the lesions erupt. The sufferer may also experience loss of appetite, skin scaring and high WBC count. Men seem to suffer more from this type of acne.

6. Acne Keloidalis. It is the African race that suffers much from this acne The lesions and inflammations generally appear on the neck.

7. Acne Mallorca. This is the type of acne that is caused by excessive sun exposure.

8. Acne Mechanica. The kind of acne that results from skin irritation caused by exposure of bare skin to various irritants like clothing fabrics and bag straps.

9. Acne Medicametosa. This is the type of acne that occurs as a side effect to medications. There are oral contraceptives that could cause acne too. Anti-psychotic medications and mood stabilizers can also cause acne.

10. Acne Neonatorium or baby acne This is caused by the excessive sebum secretion in children. This results from the transfer of hormones from the mother to the infant.

11. Acne Pomade. This is the kind of acne that results from the skin's irritation to hair products. The irritating ingredients, specifically oils, eventually irritate the forehead causing acne to form.

Knowing what type of acne you have will certainly help in determining the treatment for it. If your acne is caused by irritants like fabrics, hair gels and makeup, you can avoid using the products that cause your acne Your physician can help you determine the cause of your acne and seek proper treatment for it.

The author is an online medical researcher and webmaster of Best Acne Products and Natural Acne Treatment. Visit site for related article: "Natural Acne Treatment - Olive Leaf Extract". Also, don't forget to download your 70-page Acne eBook for FREE.

What Causes Acne Scarring Anyway?

Acne scars result from skin damage caused by healed acne wounds. The types of acne scars are as varied as the types of acne lesions. This variety arises because of the multiplicity of ways an acne lesion can form.

For example, an acne eruption may originate deep within the fatty tissue of the skin as the in the case of cysts or nodules.

Then again, the acne mark may form just beneath the epidermis as a result of pore irritation as in the case of the comedone. A non-inflamed closed comedone is a pore blocked by excess oils, keratin and/or skin cells.

Because excess bacteria and free fatty acids irritate the pore, the proceeding localized inflammatory response causes the pore to expand.

However, once the inflammation is removed, the acne lesion can begin the healing process.

The origin of the acne lesion within the skin will impact if and how an acne scar forms.

Another factor that shapes the development of an acne scar is how the lesion was treated. If an acne patient prematurely "pops" or opens and acne lesion, this could result in acne scarring.

Types of acne scars

In November of 1999, the British Journal of Dermatology published a study on the effectiveness of laser resurfacing to treat acne scars. During the investigation, the designers defined two types of acne scars, atrophic ("ice-pick") scars and raised acne scars. Additionally, acne patients may experience a third type of acne scar-- flat, pigmented marks.

Atrophic ("Ice-pick") Acne Scars

Atrophic acne scars appear as round indented marks in the skin. Their size can range from 0.254mm to 2.540mm in diameter. The dept of an atrophic acne scar can vary between 0.254mm to 0.762mm.

According to review of acne scar pathology Greg J. Goodman published in the 2001 edition of the Australian Journal of Dermatology, the skin indentations associated with atrophic acne scars typically results from the contraction of the skin's surface layers.

The depth and width of an atrophic acne scar is influenced by the loss of collagen, and sometimes fat loss, that results from the healed acne lesion.

Raised Acne Scars

Raised acne scars or keloid scars are less common than "ice-pick" type acne scarring.

Pigment Acne Scars

A number of acne lesions can form, or move, to the surface of the skin. Such lesions include blackheads and pustules (pus-filled acne lesion on the surface of the skin). Due the unwanted presence of such blemishes on the face, acne patients are tempted to burst or squeeze such skin imperfections prematurely.

Since these acne lesions are closer to the upper layer of the skin than deep acne lesions like cysts, pustules and blackheads generally do no leave indented acne scars.

This is because their anti-inflammatory healing process involves less collagen repair and little if any fat loss.

Nevertheless, because acne lesions like pustules and blackheads are on the surface of the skin, their repair can involve the build-up of skin scales to repair the opened wound. The build-up of skin cells concentrates the brown skin pigment melanin, which creates the circular, darker toned scars where the acne lesion once resided.

Given that the skin is designed to repair itself, not all acne lesions are doomed to result in acne scarring.

Allowing your body time to remove pore inflammation and expel cellular waste emitted by acne lesions create an optimal environment for a scar-less healing of your acne marks.

So, the next time you have an acne lesion, before you do anything crazy like pop it or squeeze it, ask yourself, "If I do this now, am I going to give myself an acne scar?" Think about it.

Naweko San-Joyz founded Noixia [http://www.Noixia.com] - a self-service image makeover company. San-Joyz has authored several books and articles that focus on do-it-yourself beauty makeovers including “Acne Messages: Crack the code of your zits and say goodbye to acne” and “Skinny Fat Chicks: Why we’re still not getting this dieting thing”. She lives and works in San Diego, California.