For many, the appearance of facial acne can be disconcerting. Body acne can be even more so. If you are suffering from body acne, it is important to understand where it comes from and what you can do to treat and prevent it.
What Causes Body Acne?
Body acne can occur for a variety of reasons, including stress. Researchers are unsure exactly why stress can lead to the development of acne, but there is a belief that the cells that generate oil that mixes with dead skin cells goes into overdrive and leads to acne.
It can also be the result of not taking good care of your skin following a workout or other sweat-inducing activity. The sweat from the workout can start to mix with oil and bacteria and end up clogging your pores. When this happens, body acne occurs.
Other possible reasons that body acne can occur is spending too much time in the sun unprotected, over-scrubbing your skin, and switching and stopping birth control.
How Can You Treat Body Acne?
The method you use to treat the body acne depends largely on its cause. For instance, if you put off showering after working out, take the time to clean up. By showering, you can remove the sweat and dirt that can clog your pores.
However, it is important that you avoid over-scrubbing your skin. When shopping for cleansing products, opt for those that contain alpha hydroxy acids. Both are effective in helping to clean the pores without the need to scrub the skin.
If you switched birth control recently, the body acne might clear on its own as your body gets used to the hormonal changes. If time passes and you still have body acne, talk to your doctor about other forms of birth control that will work with your body.
If you are suffering from stress, find techniques to help alleviate it. For instance, exercising and yoga can help.
How Can You Prevent Body Acne?
The best way to deal with body acne is to prevent it altogether. There are several things you can do to lessen the chances that you will have body acne. For instance, stick to natural fibers. The fibers can help keep moisture off of your skin, which means less chance of your pores getting clogged.
If you are unable to shower immediately following a workout, use a cleansing product containing salicylic acid. There are wipes and powders containing the ingredient that you can use to quickly clean some of the sweat away.
Consult with your dermatologist or a clinic like East Carolina Dermatology and Skin Surgery, PLLC to find other causes of your body acne and to determine what else you can do to treat and prevent it.
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