Is Back Acne Different from Facial Acne?

 Back acne has the same causes as facial acne, namely: overly activate sebaceous glands, a surplus of dead skin cells and an active presence of Propionibacterium acnes.

As sebum is secreted in excess by glands situated right under the skin surface it eventually blocks the natural flow in dead cells removal. This clogging leads to blackheads which can turn into pimples, pustules, or cysts - the worst form of acne.

Some attribute the occurrence of back acne to certain clothing textures and excessive sweating. Although there's no direct correlation, these two definitely can aggravate back acne. Those affected should use only loose clothing items, avoid back frictions and take showers after every physically demanding activity.

What back and facial acne have in common is the number of sebaceous glands. The face, back and torso possess the largest number of sebaceous glands per square inch than other body areas. Studies show that those who experience back acne are more predisposed to facial acne. But not everyone with facial acne have it on their backs as well.

Due to the skin thickness back acne can be treated with more aggressive creams and lotions as compared to the facial acne where the skin sensitivity demands a precocious approach.

Treatments for back acne

Traditional creams based on salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide work well. Salicylic acid can also be used in local daily washes. Creams based on glycolic or lactic acid. These prevent skin pores clogging by speeding up the skin cell rejuvenation process and exfoliation.

Antibiotics. Their usage shouldn't be left to chance and always follow a dermatologist's prescription. As with facial acne antibiotics should be tried out as a last resort.

As opposed by its counterpart, back acne leaves room to experimentation with different treatments. Multiple cosmetics can be utilized simultaneously with no significant inflammation or irritation to occur.

A word of caution though; even if the skin on the back and torso resist fairly well to potent agents like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide this doesn't apply for the neck area. Use treatment products progressively and adjust their usage to your own skin tolerance.