We all know that acne is not just a problem for teenagers – it can show up on our bodies at any age. If you’re struggling with unsightly body acne, don’t worry, you’re not alone. In this blog post, we will share three tips to help get rid of your body acne for good. Keep reading to learn more!
There is a multitude of reasons why body acne can develop. Hormones, a build-up of dead skin cells, medication side effects and more!
However, the foundation of acne development is the same.
An overproduction of oil mixes with dead skin cells and bacteria leading to the development of an inflamed pore/follicle. There are different types of blemishes, pustules, papules, blackheads and so on, all of which can be present on the body.
The object when it comes to banishing acne is to reduce the overproduction of oil, minimise the amount of dead skin cells present and inhibit the acne-causing bacteria, Propionibacterium acnes.
Here are 3 tips on how to clear body acne:
- Keep your skin clean. Wash daily with a soap-free wash and concentrate on the problematic areas such as the back and chest. We recommend showering as soon as possible post-exercise to prevent sweat from mingling with dead skin cells and acne-forming bacteria. We also encourage you to exfoliate twice a week to remove those pesky dead skin cells that washing alone cannot remove. Try a loofah or exfoliating glove for this step.
- Try a benzoyl peroxide-based cleanser. We love the Benzac 5% Wash from Galderma. You can use this on your face and body daily. We recommend using it daily for 5 days, then decrease to every second day. (The trick is to leave it on the skin for 30 seconds and rinse off). Short contact therapy with benzoyl peroxide is just as effective as long contact when it comes to killing P.Acnes, but there are much fewer side effects with this method!
- Hormones. Are your hormones in check? Often body acne flares up due to an imbalance in our hormones, often high levels of testosterone and estrogen. Sometimes diet changes and supplements are not enough to get this under control initially. That’s why we recommend speaking to a Chinese Medicine Doctor/Acupuncturist to address any root causes of hormonal imbalances that may be causing your body acne.
While there is no one size fits all solution to acne, we hope these three tips will lead you in the right direction. Have you tried any of them? Let us know how they worked out for you and what your experience was like! We would love to hear from other people who have struggled with body acne too.