Acne is a widespread problem affecting millions of people world-wide.It occurs when pores or hair follicles in the skin are blocked,usually due to excess sebum production or to dead cells that areretained on the skin's surface when they would normally slough off.When a pore becomes blocked, sebum and natural bacteria are trappedwithin the pore and prevented from coming to the surface of the skin.While many experts remain unsure of bacteria's actual role in creatinginflammation, it is generally agreed that bacterial action within thepore triggers an immune system reaction, causing the redness anddiscomfort associated with acne.
When you hear the word "acne," most people picture blackheads,pimples, and pustules on the face. But acne doesn't stop at the jawline. In fact, the greatest concentrations of sebaceous glands arefound not only on the face, but also on the chest, back, and upperouter arms, too. A person's back has thousands more sebaceous glandsthan their face, so it is no wonder that back acne can be a problem!Despite the many acne treatment products on the market, controllingback acne can be an entirely different story than treating acne onone's face. So what's the scoop?
There are several differences between back and face acne that oneshould be aware of when trying to treat an acne problem. Forstarters, the skin on the back is one of the thickest on your body, soyou can afford to be less gentle when treating it. Also, less isunderstood about back acne than facial acne. While the severity offacial acne can be related to genetics or food allergies, this isn'tthe case with back acne. Furthermore, back acne is not generallyworsened by mental or emotional stress.
Prevention is one step to consider when suffering from back acne;stopping a problem before it starts is the best and easiest acne plan!Clothing especially can play a large role in causing breakouts on theback by trapping perspiration and bacteria close to the skin. Bychoosing to wear loose, light clothing, sweat is then limited whichcan reduce the likelihood of back acne developing. Also, certainmaterials can irritate the skin, regardless of the activity level ofthe wearer. For instance, lycra doesn't breathe very well, allowingsweat and bacteria to collect on the skin and remain there; also, woolis a very rough material that can irritate existing acne and make theproblem worse. Laundry detergents and fabric softeners can aggravatethe skin and complicate acne. Finally, backpacks can cause and trapsweat or rub against your skin, and may need to be traded for ashoulder-bag or handle-bag if back acne is a problem.
Despite all these tips on acne prevention, there is no denying thatpreventing back acne can be harder than it seems; there will almostalways be some form of clothing or material touching your back,whether it be a shirt or bed sheets or padding on the back of a chair.For this reason, acne treatment is still very important when one istrying to get rid of back acne. One positive thing about back acne isthat it can be treated using fairly strong products, since back skinis thought to be less prone to irritation than skin elsewhere. Forinstance, 10% benzoyl peroxide is much too strong for the sensitiveskin on the face, but could be a more appropriate strength for acnetreatment on the back. If the type of back acne is particularlyinflammatory and painful, a variety of methods may be used to targetthe problem, including antibiotics, cortisone shots, and topicalretinoids.
Some of the same general rules apply to skin care for back acne as forfacial acne. It is recommended that you keep the back clean using asalicylic or glycolic acid cleanser, and exfoliate away dead skin witha long-handled scrub brush. The specific acne-prone areas can then betreated with over-the-counter or prescribed medicine. Somedermatologists also recommend that you drink plenty of water to keepyour skin hydrated, and eat fairly healthy foods. While there is nodefinitive proof that food can trigger back acne, eating welldefinitely can't hurt! Back acne isn't fun, but it can often becontrolled to a large degree, so don't be afraid to go to your doctorto learn about different methods of acne treatment for problem areason your back.
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