body buddy for clearing back acne

Back acne, acne on the back, bacne

Back acne is prevalent, and often harder to treat than facial acne. The back is made of tough skin with thousands of sebaceous glands that produce a lot of oil.

Introduction to back acne

back acneAcne on the back, often referred to as bacne is often more severe, sometimes with many nodules and cysts. In this case, topical treatment may not be sufficient. For mild to moderate bacne, the acne.org Regimen works really well.

The acne.org Regimen is a simple 3 step program using over-the-counter products.

Acne.org bacne Regimen

The bacne regimen is identical to the regular regimen with the addition of an 8-10% glycolic acid (alpha hydroxy) lotion. I have found this product on store shelves here in the States, most notably at Rite-Aid, my favorite product being Alpha Hydrox Enhanced Lotion.

  1. Wash the area gently with a mild cleanser and let dry.
  2. Apply the alpha hydroxy lotion and wait for it to dry.
  3. Apply bp generously. (You can switch step 2 and 3 if you'd like)
  4. Apply moisturizer if needed.

One more thing to mention when talking about back acne is back packs. Heavy back packs rub on the upper shoulders/back and can cause irritation. As annoying as it sounds, you might want to try hand held bag for the first few weeks of this back acne regimen. Once you are clear, try using a back pack again. If you break out, you'll know to go back to a hand held bag.

Unlike the skin on the face the back is a very tough area and can usually handle both medications. However, you may still want to try one area for a few days with both medications before treating the entire back. The area to the rear of the arm pit can get irritated from alpha hydroxy, so you may want to avoid that area.

Benzoyl peroxide tips Tip: Benzoyl peroxide bleaches fabric. Keep this in mind if using the Regimen on the back. You will need to wear white.

Helpful link: More on body acne.

References

Berger, Timothy G., William D. James, and Richard B. Odom. Andrew's Diseases of the Skin. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 2000.

Bettoli, Vincenzo, Alison M. Layton, and Diane Thiboutot. Fast Facts-Acne. Oxford, UK: HealthPress Limited, 2004.

Fulton, James E. Acne Rx. James E. Fulton Jr., M.D., PhD: 2001.

Kligman, Albert M., and Gerd Plewig. Acne and Rosacea. Berlin: Springer, 2000.

Leung, Lit-Hung. "Pantothenic Acid in the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris 'A Medical Hypothesis'." Journal of Orthromolecular Medicine 12.2 (1997).