Acne itself is pretty troublesome. The majority of people have a hard time getting used to the scars and zits. In some cases, acne is quite painful and can have germs play a more significant role. 

 

Such pimples and blemishes don’t always appear on the face. It is essential to understand that they can come along as uninvited guests almost anywhere on the body. However, the most commonly show up on the back, upper shoulders, and chest areas. 

 

While some people have mild cases of it, some have their acne painful and are a source of their confidence shaking. But before we discuss all the details, you should know about body acne. 

 

First, one must understand what acne is. 

 

Our skin has tiny holes that are pores. There is a possibility that these pores might fill up with dirt, oil, and bacteria, forming a pimple, zit, or blemish. 

 

If you constantly find yourself dealing with outbreaks, you might have acne-prone skin and would have to find ways to deal with it. Therefore in this article, we will try to cover all aspects of body acne. 

 

From the root causes to ways to avoid breakouts, we will ensure that this article has all the required information.  

 

An Overview of Body Acne 

 

It is not surprising when we say that acne is quite typical of a dermatological issue faced by almost a majority of people worldwide. 

 

Most people experience breakouts at a particular stage of their lives. Hence it is nothing that should cause any concerns. Instead, acne happens because of the clogging of the pores that contain oil (sebum), dead skin cells, and bacteria that clog the pore, which become irritated and infected as time goes by. 

 

Acne can consist of various clogged impurities such as whiteheads, blackheads, cysts, and the usual pimples that can take over the rest of your body. A person doesn’t need to have body acne if they happen to be affected with facial acne. Nevertheless, a person is bound to have both facial and body acne in most cases. 

 

Even though acne isn’t life-threatening at all, it can be painful to some degree if your acne is quite severe. In addition, acne influences you emotionally and mentally, as the blemishes and scars can cause a drop in one’s self-confidence and esteem. 

 

Types of Body Acne 

 

Knowing all about the different body acne will help make your analysis, if someone around is ever struggling with acne or if yours develops over time. 

 

Many dermatologists categorize acne on three primary levels known as:

 

  • Mild
  • Moderate 
  • Severe 

 

Mild acne could be like the pimples that appear right after your period starts or due to stress that you are taking. Mild acne could be from minor bumps to pimples that are not inflamed. 

 

Moderate acne has inflammation and redness involved. There is a mix of both whiteheads and blackheads too. It is also possible that it may become infected too. Nonetheless, moderate acne can appear on the back and chest too. 

 

Severe acne involves all the problems in moderate acne on a deeper level. The cysts located under the skin and more clogged pores irritate the acne and cause full-blown inflammation. Such cases are concerning and should be consulted with the doctor first. 

 

Body acne can be classified further into the following categories: 

 

  • Blackheads – also known as open comedones as they are available from the surface of your skin. 
  • Whiteheads – also known as closed comedones as they show up as raised bumps and are right under the skin’s surface. 

 

Then they are inflammatory lesions that can cause the scarring of your skin and leave marks:

 

  • Cysts are described as large bumps located beneath the skin and contain pus. Since they have pus, they can be pretty painful too.
  • Papules – These are small and red in appearance and mostly happen due to infected or inflamed hair follicles. 
  • Nodules – located under the surface of one’s skin, are primarily solid in visual presentation and can cause pain. 
  • Pustules are also small and red visually and contain pus at their tips. 

 

Causes of Body Acne 

 

Generally stated, body and facial acne occur due to various hormones and oil on the skin. This is when the pores of your skin become blocked with dead skin, fat, and bacteria. 

 

The oil-producing glands are called sebaceous glands. These are the glands responsible for producing oil on your face, keeping it moisturized and lubricated. They also maintain the moisture levels of the dermis. 

 

Acne shows itself if any of the following appear on the face or body:

 

  • The follicles produce too much oil. 
  • Concerning the level of bacteria build up in the pores. 
  • Dead skin accumulates in the pores. 

 

Any of these conditions can trigger acne and lead to those unwanted pimples. This is where the bacteria have the chance to develop and block the pore completely, and the oil is unable to escape. 

 

Prevention of Body Acne

 

To avoid any breakouts or to help them in toning down the inflammation, below mentioned are some of the ways through which one can prevent acne, both on the face and body. 

 

  • Wash the face minimum of twice a day with a mild soap or face wash fit for the acne you are dealing with. In addition, ensure that you take a shower daily. 

 

  • Avoid harsh scrubbing your skin or popping the pimples as that can cause the infection and inflammation to become more profound and harder to deal with.

 

  • Kindly avoid touching your face a lot, as that can cause the bacteria from your hands to travel to your face giving those germs free access to your skin. Avoid touching the zits on your body as well. 

 

  • For the acne on your body, avoid wearing too tight clothes and let the skin breathe. Instead, incorporate loose clothing, and if you happen to wear any tight garments for any occasion, make sure that they are clean. 

 

  • If you happen to use makeup, you must make sure that it is mainly for sensitive skin and avoid oil-based products. Wash your face, and don’t sleep with any makeup on. 

 

Conclusion 

 

Wrapping up the article, we would like to clarify that it is not possible for you not to have body acne, especially if it runs in your family. 

 

Having acne can be stressful and is one of the significant causes of anxiety triggers. Even though it is pretty uncomfortable to have this condition, it is best to remember that you aren’t alone in this and that it is a common problem many young adults and teens face. 

 

Even after treatment or making certain lifestyles, there can be flare-ups. Therefore, it is best to remain patient and talk to your doctor if your acne isn’t toning down or improving even after sticking to all home remedies.