How To Get Rid of Back Acne: 5 Bacne Treatments and Tips

The end of summer is for a lot of things: baby tees, backless shirts…but not bacne.

More than 75% of people will experience bacne—or back acne—at some point in their lives. It’s something we all go through, but it’s also something we all wish we didn’t. With the right treatments and tips, you don’t have to.

Today, we’re going to break down everything you need to know about bacne: how it starts, what makes it worse, and (most importantly) what to do about it. Thankfully, it’s all a lot simpler than it seems. So sit back and get ready to learn.

Bacne is, simply, back acne. It’s any kind of blackhead, whitehead, breakout, zit, or pimple that appears on your back. While it can occur anywhere on your back, most people experience bacne on their shoulder blades or upper back. However, you can still get bacne further down near your waistline.

Anyone (and, sometimes, everyone) can develop bacne, but there are some groups that experience it more than others. Like other types of acne, teenagers and young adults are most likely to experience back acne because of hormonal changes associated with puberty.

Testosterone specifically plays a large role in acne development because it’s associated with oily skin and excess oil, which is why men are more likely to experience bacne than women.

Like regular acne, there isn’t a single cause of bacne. Breakouts occur when hair follicles become clogged with excess oil, dead skin cells, or other debris. This can happen for a number of reasons.

Sometimes, bacne comes down to clogged pores. If you have oily skin, you know all about this. To understand how this excess oil causes acne, you first have to know why this oil exists in the first place.

Despite what 2010s skincare tried to teach us, oil isn’t bad for your skin. Your body makes it because it needs it. This healthy oil is called sebum, and it’s produced by sebaceous glands in your hair follicles. Sebum is responsible for lubricating your skin and protecting you from outside irritants. However, too much of it can become a problem.

When there is more sebum on the surface of your skin than you need, the leftovers need a place to go. Excess oil ends up sinking into your pores, causing blockages, which turn into acne.

When there is a lot of oil on the skin, it can’t help but become trapped in your pores. There’s nowhere else for it to go. However, with other skin types that don’t naturally produce extra sebum, something else causes oil to sink into the skin. One of these causes is sweaty clothing.

When you sweat beneath your clothes, this barrier of fabric prevents the watery substance from evaporating from your body. This means it becomes trapped on the surface of your skin — and as it builds up and mixes with other oils and bacteria , much like excess oil, it has nowhere else to go except down into your pores.

Once in your pores, this oily bacteria-sweat mixture can cause acne breakouts.

Similarly, tight clothing on its own can lead to acne.

Tight-fitting clothes like some workout clothes or even going-out outfits can rub against the skin and create a lot of friction . Backpacks on bare skin can have a similar effect. This constant rubbing irritates the hair follicles and sebaceous glands of your skin, causing them to produce more oil in an attempt to lubricate the surface.

However, this is a double-edged sword.

Because the clothing is so tight, this new oil doesn’t have room to move around. Your skin can’t breathe, and the oil becomes trapped on the surface. Sebum (along with other bacteria, dirt, and debris) is then forced back into your pores, where it quickly sparks new breakouts.

We often think of oil as the cause of acne. However, sebum isn’t always to blame. Another common cause of back and body acne is contact with irritants.

Things like leftover sunscreen, too-heavy lotions, and regular dirt can also become trapped in your pores and cause blockages. More than that, these foreign substances can irritate the skin, leading to inflammation that only worsens acne — and if they become trapped under things like sweaty or tight clothing, the risk of breakouts goes up even more.

“Hair that touches your shoulders or back can also be to blame, especially if you use a lot of products or your hair tends to get greasy more easily,” highlights Melinda Hany, Registered Nurse.

It’s not always sweat or oil that causes acne. Sometimes, other skin conditions are to blame. People who have rosacea, keratosis pilaris, and other skin concerns can experience acne flare-ups as a symptom of the larger condition.

People with cystic acne should reach out to a board-certified dermatologist or another healthcare professional for support with their back acne.

Sometimes, you can do everything right and still end up with breakouts on your back. That’s when it’s time to turn to treatment options.

For most people, over-the-counter (or OTC) skincare products are enough to clear away a casual flare-up.

Unlike dermatologist-prescribed treatments, OTC treatments are more gentle on your skin. They contain lower concentrations of active ingredients, meaning they should be used over longer periods of time for the best results.

However, don’t confuse these products for “weak.” They still contain powerful acids that root out your breakouts.

If over-the-counter products aren’t enough to clear your blemishes, then it might be time to turn to prescription treatments.

These treatments are prescribed by your dermatologist, who understands the details of your specific skin concerns and knows which acne medication can best help you. They can include both topical treatments and oral medications.

Even if you love your acne treatment, everyone can agree that prevention is preferable when it comes to breakouts on your back. If you don’t have to deal with it, you shouldn’t have to. That’s why we’ve gathered our top tips for avoiding these blemishes altogether.

By and large, the best way to avoid blemishes on your back is to bring your back into your skincare routine. After all, your skin doesn’t stop below the jaw. You have skin everywhere on your body, and all of it deserves to be cared for with the same dedication as your face.

While an exfoliating body wash is certainly a good first step, you don’t have to start there. You should also tone, treat, and moisturize the skin too.

If you have breakout-prone skin or you’ve noticed that, even with the right blemish treatment, your breakouts keep coming back, you might consider bringing a dermatologist into the conversation.

These medical professionals are specifically trained in taking care of your skin, meaning they have more resources and knowledge about treating breakouts than you can find on your own. A dermatologist can help you create the most effective treatment (and prevention) plan for your skin.

The best way to avoid breakouts is to keep your skin clean, which means you should avoid coming into contact with anything dirty, including your own clothes.

Throughout the day, oil, dirt, and dead skin cells transfer from your skin onto the inside of your clothes. If you put those same clothes on again tomorrow, you expose your clean skin to those day-old irritants. By doing laundry on a regular basis, you ensure that you always have a clean shirt to put on your back at the start of the day.

To avoid developing breakouts during your workout, you might want to consider wearing loose-fitting clothes to the gym to decrease friction and lower your risk for trapped oil. But whether you opt for flowy or tight workout clothes, you should change out of them immediately after working out.

By changing into clean clothes (and taking a shower while you’re at it), you prevent the sweat from your workout from seeping into your skin and bringing bacteria, excess oil, and other skin irritants with it.

For many, back acne is a part of life… but it doesn’t need to be.

Half of avoiding back breakouts comes down to prevention. Keep your skin clean to keep it clear, and avoid clothing or other habits that could get in the way of that. And the other half? If you do notice breakouts on your back, turn to the right acne treatment for your skin type that can clear away the build-up causing your breakouts.

You don’t have to be part of the 75%. With the right prevention tips and products, you can finally say bye-bye to breakouts.

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Friction | Acne Support

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Salicylic acid as a peeling agent: a comprehensive review | National Library of Medicine

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