At last — the season of beach days and long summer nights has arrived. Yet, between chlorine, sunscreen, and sweat-inducing temperatures these warm weather escapades certainly take a toll on body health.
While the discussion of body acne doesn’t have the same normalization within social discourse as its facial cousin, it's just as common, if not more. “I have seen a surge in both facial and body acne during this pandemic. Acne has been one of the most common complaints in my practice recently,” says New York City dermatologist Claire Chang.
So how do we treat this? According to Chang, the first thing to understand is the root cause.
Face and back acne share many similarities. Like our face, our body pores release sebum, an oily substance that keeps your skin moisturized. But, when sebum gets trapped—along with dirt and sweat—it can aggravate the pores.
Once trapped, this leads to an inflammatory response by the body, causing the skin to break out in pimples and bumps. Getting a cluster of waistband bumps? Sebum is the culprit.
Although it may not be intuitive to general skin knowledge, your chest and back are the first places to break out. Truncal acne is caused when areas with high volumes of sebum glands, the back, and the chest are excellent examples.
In addition to natural proclivities, change in lifestyle is one of the significant factors contributing to increased acne. “Sitting more than we usually would and pandemic-related stress may contribute to acne flares,” Chang continues. At-home workouts and the hot climate aren’t helping out either with excessive sweating, and the lack of urgency to change out of sweaty clothes after a workout can cause pores to clog.
One solution to get rid of body acne once and for is quickly taking showers after sweating, and daily showers when you’re sitting around. Rehearing clothing without washing also contributes to an increase in bacteria on your skin.
You’ll also want to swap your body wash for ones that contain ingredients such as salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and benzoyl peroxide. These excellent zit zappers will fight acne and prevent bacteria that cause acne in the first place.
We’re a big fan of PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash, which contains 10 percent of benzoyl peroxide to clear, treat and prevent acne, while Dr. Mona Gohara from Yale School of Medicine recommends using Glytone Exfoliating Body Wash as it cleanses and exfoliates to unclog those pores, thanks to its 8.8 percent of glycolic acid. If the products mentioned aren’t giving you the improvement you hope to achieve, we’d recommend making an appointment with a board-certified dermatologist who can give you a complete treatment plan.
As for all that couch friction, Chang offers a simple solution: make loose, breezy silhouettes your friend. Wearing tight-fitting clothes is a large contributing factor, so try laying off the skinny jeans and leggings for a bit. Instead, opt for roomier pieces like wide-leg trousers and boxy tops to give your skin a break.
