Back Acne And What Can Be Done To Treat It

Acne is a very common problem for both teenagers and adults and the most common perception of the condition is that it breaks out on the face. However, if you suffer from acne you know only too well that it can appear in other places as well like the back and the chest.

Although chest and back acne is not so obvious to the outside observer it can nevertheless be extremely annoying for those suffering from it. Unfortunately, back and chest acne is usually harder to treat than the acne that you have on your face and the traditional cleaners and treatments that you purchase for the treatment of facial acne are normally less effective when it comes to back acne treatment. As if this were not bad enough, as your back and chest are often covered by clothing, you can experience more irritation from the rubbing of material against your pimples.

Just as you do with your facial acne you will need a daily treatment regimen for your back acne and most common regimens will include a cleanser followed by a moisturizer. Generally, it is of course more difficult to put medication on your back acne because of where it is located and so you may need the help of a family member or to use a special applicator.

You must watch the type of clothing that you wear. Tight-fitting shirts or rough material can rub against your skin and irritate your acne leading to increasing oil production and therefore more breakouts. You must also be careful about the type of washing powder and fabric softener you use. Sometimes these will irritate back acne and so you may need to try different brands or even a fragrance and dye free variety.

Also, watch out if you carry anything on you back. For young people in school, and for those individuals who do a lot of backpacking and hiking, backpacks can make back acne very noticeably worse. If you are seeing a rise in the number of acne breakouts you may need to stop carrying a backpack for a while. If this causes a problem then you might find that a shoulder bag helps until your acne subsides.

Your doctor or dermatologist can be a great help with both diagnosis and treatment of back acne and can begin by determining how bad your acne is and also assessing your skin type. For example, whether your skin is dry or oily or what is referred to as a combination skin plays an important part deciding upon the best course of treatment. Your doctor will also need to hear a history of your acne condition, covering things like how long you have suffered from acne and how often breakouts happen.  Armed with this information she will be able to determine the best course of treatment and the best acne medicine to deal with your specific case of acne.