But what if you awoke to find blemishes covering your chest, back, arms and bottom? Actually, body acne is more common than you may think — it’s just seldom talked about. But even if you don’t want to talk about it, if you have body acne, you probably want to know how to get rid of it.

Body acne is similar to facial acne in both its symptoms and its treatments, and people who have facial acne are more likely to develop body acne. Acne forms when pores or hair follicles become clogged with dead skin and oil. Therefore, it makes sense that acne can form wherever there are sebaceous glands — the glands responsible for the production of sebum, or oil — and hair follicles. Body acne is most commonly found on the back, chest, and neck, but blemishes can appear anywhere except the palms of your hands and soles of your feet. Body acne can be more challenging to control than facial acne — the skin on your body is thicker and has larger pores than facial skin, making it easier for pores to become clogged. Plus, these areas are often clothed, which means your skin has constant contact with the oil it produces.

You obviously can’t stop your skin from secreting oil and clogging your pores, but you can help prevent body acne by cleansing your skin properly. Read on to learn more.

Body Acne and Hygiene

Poor hygiene doesn’t cause blemishes, but practicing good hygiene can help prevent acne — especially body acne. Acne forms when oil mixes with dead skin cells and clogs pores, creating a breeding ground for bacteria. But cleansing your skin daily and exfoliating weekly can help prevent pores from becoming clogged.

Showering daily can help keep your skin clean and free of bacteria. Use a soft sponge and mild body wash and make sure you clean every part of your body — including hard-to-reach areas such as your back. Showering is especially important immediately after exercise or other activities that result in heavy perspiration. Also, make sure you gently exfoliate your skin at least once a week using a sponge and gentle scrub If you have oily skin, use a skin cleanser that contains salicylic acid or glycolic acid — these ingredients gently exfoliate skin and help unclog pores.

But while cleansing is important, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Showering too frequently, scrubbing your skin too hard, bathing in hot water, or using harsh, antibacterial soaps can actually make your skin worse. Make sure you cleanse your skin no more than twice a day, and use warm water and gentle cleansers .

Hygiene may be an important factor, but it’s not the only one. Read on to learn how stress and diet affect body acne.

Acne Mechanica
Hygiene is especially important for people with acne mechanica, a type of acne caused by heat and friction against covered skin. This condition often occurs in athletes who wear shoulder pads, tight uniforms or helmets, but tight headbands or backpack straps can also cause it. It’s especially important for people with these risk factors to shower immediately after athletic activity, paying special attention to areas that experience friction.

Stress, Diet and Body Acne
If you’ve had acne, you’ve probably heard that you can cut down on your breakouts by controlling two simple things in your life — your diet and your stress level. This isn’t always the case, though. So far, scientists haven’t proved that food causes acne. While some people believe their acne is aggravated by specific foods — such as chocolate, peanuts, shellfish and fatty foods — there’s no scientific evidence that supports this. If you suspect that a certain food is making your acne worse, you can avoid that food. But, in general, even the greasiest pizza won’t cause body acne, and you don’t need to rework your diet to clear up your skin.

That being said, it’s always a good idea to eat a healthy, balanced diet. Not only is a balanced diet important to an overall healthier self, but it’s also good for the health of your skin. Eat foods that are high in antioxidants, like fruits, vegetables and whole grains — antioxidants help combat free radicals, which can cause fine lines and wrinkles.

As with food, the advice to reduce stress to clear up acne may not have a big impact. Normal, everyday stress doesn’t cause acne; however, chronic stress can make it worse. In fact, stress is one of the chief contributors to adult acne.

Stress can worsen acne because it affects your body’s hormone production. When you’re stressed, your adrenal glands produce more cortisol, and this change in hormone levels causes your sebaceous glands to produce more oil. This excess sebum in your skin makes it easier for your pores to become clogged. In addition to affecting your hormone production, stress also affects the immune system. Stress can decrease the healing capacity of your immune system by up to 40 percent, making it more difficult for your body to heal existing blemishes.

Although you can’t live a completely stress-free life, there are ways you can reduce your stress levels. Daily exercise and a good night’s sleep are two effective ways to reduce stress — and maybe even reduce the likelihood of developing body acne. But no matter how well you manage stress, it may not be enough to prevent or cure body acne. Read on to learn how medications can treat body acne.

Body Acne and Medication

Body acne — like facial acne — can be treated with a variety of products. When over-the-counter treatments aren’t enough, prescription oral medications can be used to it. These antibiotics typically contain erythromycin and tetracycline or tetracycline derivatives, and they prevent the growth of bacteria on the skin’s surface. However, the problem with antibiotics is that acne-causing bacteria can develop a resistance to the drugs over time.

In addition to antibiotics, there are a few other oral medications that can treat body acne. Birth control pills are sometimes prescribed for females to regulate hormone production and control acne. For severe cases of body acne, isotretinoin — an ingredient in Accutane — can be prescribed. This oral medication treats body acne by reducing the size of the sebaceous glands and preventing too much oil from being produced.

There are also many prescription topical medications that treat body acne. Topical treatments usually come in two varieties: antimicrobials, which reduce the presence of acne-causing bacteria, and retinoids, which unclog pores. Both types of topical medications are available in many forms, including gels, creams, lotions and liquids. Many topical treatments can cause dryness or redness, and retinoids can increase skin’s sensitivity to sun — but these side effects typically decrease after the first few weeks of use.