Back Acne - Causes and Treatments

Bacne refers to the word back and acne which means acne on the back. Just like on the face, bacne occurs due to over production of oil glands on the back.

Not only on the face, acne usually appears on skin that has many oil-producing glands, such as the chest and back. Back acne, or "bacne," can involve blackheads, whiteheads, or pus-filled bumps called cysts. Treatment of back acne depends on its severity which may involve prescription medications, or other skin treatments such as lasers, extractions, and more. In this article, we will find out what back acne is, what causes it, and how to treat it.

What's Bacne?

Bacne or known as back acne are pimples that usually appear on the back. The form of back acne includes:

• Blackheads (comedo) : Small lumps that have a dark color due to oxidation

• Whitehads : Small bumps are the same as blackheads but have white or skin-colored spots

• Papules : A small lump that sticks out but doesn't show an point or pus

• Cysts : A lump that has a larger diameter than others, is usually painful and also looks similar to a abscess

Just like acne on the face in general, back acne treatment has its own challenges since acne on the back will be more difficult for the sufferer to see and reach to treat on their own.

Causes of Back Acne

Like the skin on the face and chest, the back has a very high density of sebaceous glands (oil production). These oil-producing glands produce sebum, a substance that keeps skin healthy.

Generally, pimples and inflammation appear caused by clogged pores that meet with bacteria. This blockage occurs due to accumulation of sebum or dead skin cells that are trapped in the pores. As mentioned above, the back has active oil glands attached to the hair follicles. Therefore, the skin on the back area has the possibility to cause acne just like the face.

In addition, the presence of Malassezia fungus can cause lesions similar to pimples as well. This fungus usually grows quickly in areas that are damp and sweaty. Since the back is often covered by clothes, backpacks, etc, so the back area is an ideal area for yeast to grow. Moreover, if the fungus gets into the hair follicles, it can cause another skin condition like pityrosporum folliculitis.

Risk Factors of Back Acne

Besides the causes that have been mentioned, there are several triggering factors that cause back acne, including:

• Back skin hygiene factor (sweaty and dirty)

• Genetics

• Hormone

• Certain medication

• Remnants of shampoo or soap residue

• Friction from the tight clothing

How to Remove Back Acne?

If you've been experiencing back acne that persists and gets worse over time, it's time for you to seek help from a dermatologist. Since the back area is difficult to reach alone, therefore, help from a doctor will be very helpful. Several treatment options you can do including:

• Extraction is the first helper if the back acne lesions are dominated by comedo, such as blackheads or whiteheads. The function of this extraction is to remove blackheads that are stuck in the skin, preventing acne inflammation.
  

• Laser treatment is a light-based treatment to kill acne-causing bacteria. Moreover, laser treatment aims to reduce excess oil production, and inflammation in acne.
  

• Acne injection helps to speed up the healing process of acne and prevent scars from occurring.
  

• Oral and topical medications prescribed by doctors aim to treat acne prone skin and relieve existing inflammation.

How to Prevent Back Acne?

As the saying goes "prevention is better than cure", in several ways, you can prevent back acne, including:

• Routinely wash or clean sheets and towels

• Wash clothes regularly

• Limit things that often rub against your back like backpacks or tight clothing

• Wear loose clothing

• Immediately shower and change clothes after exercising or sweating

• Rinse the body cleanly after washing and using body soap or shampoo

• Doing peeling treatment to prevent accumulation of dead skin cells

Not only on the face, dealing with pimples that arise on the back is also annoying for many people. Furthermore, back acne tends to leave reddish and black marks that interfere with appearance. Therefore, treating back acne as soon as possible is very helpful in preventing unwanted acne scars and also more severe acne inflammation. Immediately see the nearest dermatologist if you experience stubborn back acne.

If you find the difficulties to treat your back, come and treat your acne with us at IORA Clinic.