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Effective neck acne treatment

Neck acne can be harder to treat than facial acne. The skin on the back of the neck is thicker than facial skin and requires specific treatment. Click Get Started for a regimen that will clear it up.

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Introduction to neck acne

orange bean Neck acne is more similar to body acne than it is to facial acne and it tends to present unique challenges. Neck acne lesions can be painful and can have an abrupt onset and long lifespan. However, despite these unique characteristics, neck acne develops in a similar way to acne on the body or the face, and can be effectively treated.

What is neck acne?

Much like the back, the skin on the back of the neck is much thicker than that on the face and can produce lots of oil. Because of this, the skin on the back of the neck can often produce more severe lesions such as cysts and nodules, or large whiteheads. Neck acne tends to be more prevalent in boys and men, but girls and women can experience it as well.

Causes of neck acne

Neck acne is caused by the same mechanisms that cause facial and body acne. Pores become clogged due to a build-up of cells which stick together and cause a plug. Then bacteria and skin oil, which would normally drain to the surface get caught inside and grow, causing redness and pus to develop.

Irritation can also aggravate neck acne. Collared shirts that rub on the skin of the neck can make acne worse. This often creates a vicious circle. Neck acne develops, and the sufferer will wear collared shirts to cover it. The collared shirts then cause irritation and aggravate acne, and so on.

Avoiding irritation:

  • Try wearing crew neck shirts or shirts without collars.
  • If you must wear collared shirts, as most of us must from time to time, try wearing soft cotton shirts which will be less harsh when rubbing against the skin.
  • Do not pick the area.
  • Try to stay aware of anything that might irritate the back of your neck and take action to stop the irritation if possible.
  • Become aware of other sources of irritation.

Treatments

When I was experiencing neck acne, there were precious few treatments that did much of anything, but times have changed. Now we have an effective way of handling both light to moderate and moderate to severe cases of neck acne.

Light to moderate cases:

  • Gentle cleansing plus 10% alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) keeps my own case of light neck acne completely clear. The light to moderate regimen is an easy way to keep everything under control.

Moderate to severe cases:

  • A more aggressive regimen which combines 2.5% benzoyl peroxide and 10% alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) works to clear up of more severe cases.
  • The other thing that worked for me was Accutane. However, since Accutane has such intense and sometimes lifelong side effects, it is a very serious decision to make. Plus, it may not work long term. Proper topical treatment as outlined in the light to moderate and moderate to severe Neck Regimen may help you avoid the potentially severe side effects of Accutane.