Body Acne Map
Where you get acne on your body and what it means |
Similar to how mapping acne on your face can tell you what your pimples mean, mapping where you get pimples on your body can also tell you why you are breaking out, whether it's pimples on your back, chest, or butt!
My Chinese medicine doctor, Dr. Wang Zheng Hu, says that while acne on the face and body can be caused by both internal and external factors, body acne is generally more external than it is internal. This is good news because it means that while body acne can caused by internal reasons, it can often be controlled and successfully cleared with external methods.
Click on the different body regions in the below body acne map to learn why you break out on certain places of your body and what you can do to clear your skin:
-
Pimples on Top of the Head
(Scalp Acne)
CAUSES:
Poor hygiene; Sweat and oil build-up; Irritation from shampoo, conditioner, and other hair products; Not washing out hair products completely; Wearing dirty hats; Picking at scalp; Constipation -
Neck Acne
CAUSES:
Irritation from shampoo, conditioner, or other hair products; Wearing shirts with tight collars; Laundry detergent, fabric softener, or dryer sheets; Sweating and not showering afterwards; Hormonal imbalances; Too much sugar in diet -
Chest Acne
CAUSES:
Sweating; Not showering after exercise; Friction and irritation from clothes; Wearing clothes that aren't breathable; Undergarments; Body lotions; Shampoo, conditioner, and hair products; Body wash or soap; Laundry detergent, fabric softener, or dryer sheets; Poor diet and eating habits; Eating too much spicy food; Drinking ice cold drinks all the time; Fungal infection; Allergies -
Back Acne
(Bacne)
CAUSES:
Overly active sebaceous glands; Sweating; Not showering after exercise; Friction and irritation from clothes or athletic gear; Clothes are too tight and/or not breathable; Backpack straps; Pore-clogging body lotions; Too much fried and high-calorie foods; Not enough sleep; Irritation from shampoo, conditioner, and/or other hair products; Body wash or soap irritation; Laundry detergent, fabric softener, or dryer sheets; Allergies; Seborrheic dermatitis; Folliculitis -
Thigh and Leg Acne
CAUSES:
Body lotion or sprays; Shower gels and/or soap; Shampoo, conditioner, and hair products; Laundry detergent, fabric softener, or dryer sheets; Clothes are too tight; Ingrown hairs from shaving or waxing; Allergic reaction or rash; Keratosis pilaris or dermatitis -
Butt and Crotch Acne
CAUSES:
(Butt Acne) Dirty underwear; Underwear that is not breathable or too tight; More common in humid, hot, summer weather; Sitting too long; Hair on butt often traps heat, sweat, and oil; May be a rash instead; Allergies; Body lotions; Shower gels and soaps; Shampoo, conditioner, and hair products; Laundry detergent, fabric softener, or dryer sheets; Poor digestion; Bloating; Too many cold drinks; Too much spicy food; (Crotch or Pelvic Acne) Ingrown hairs from waxing or shaving; Poor hygiene; Could be warts or symptoms of an STD -
Arm Acne
CAUSES:
Similar causes to back acne; Excessive oil secretion; Body lotions and sprays; Laundry detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets; Clothes are too tight; Often confused with seborrheic dermatitis or keratosis pilaris
Please note: The body acne causes listed for each body region are general guidelines and may not apply to everyone since each person is sensitive to different things.
Now that you have a general idea of what's causing certain parts of your body to break out, here are some suggestions to help you figure out how to treat and clear those annoying body zits:
Body Region | Body Acne Solution |
---|---|
Pimples on Top of the Head |
|
Neck Acne |
|
Back and Shoulder Acne |
|
Chest Acne |
|
Butt and Crotch Acne |
|
Arm Acne |
|
Leg Acne |
|
A lot of the above suggested remedies for body acne tend to be topical things you can do. Body skin is thicker than facial skin, so pimples you get on different parts of your body can be bigger, more painful, and more difficult to treat than acne on your face. However, because body skin is thicker, you can actually be more aggressive with treatments.
When you are trying to clear pimples on your face, it is a good idea to use only one treatment product at a time. Using more than one can be overly irritating and worsen acne, as well as make you confused about which treatment is doing what. With body acne though, thicker body skin usually tolerates more acne treatments without the irritating side effects. So, you can use an all-over 8-10% AHA lotion (or homemade ACV toner) and then spot treat individual body pimples with 2.5% benzoyl peroxide (of course this is subject to how your skin reacts). And even if an acne treatment doesn't work or makes your body pimple redder, at the very least, you can cover it by just wearing clothes. Zits you get on your face, on the other hand, are harder to hide.
Keep in mind that just because your body skin can take more than your facial skin, it doesn't mean you should go overboard with the acne treatments. Blasting your skin with everything you can think of will probably make things worse! It's important to keep an eye out for any kind of irritation you experience. If your body skin gets red or dry, simply take a break from all the treatment products and don't use them again until your skin feels normal. Also, actives like salicylic acid and AHAs will make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so you'll have to practice proper sun protection. (FYI, benzoyl peroxide tends to bleach fabric, so wear light-colored clothes if you use that as a body acne spot treatment!)
The above remedies for body acne are just suggestions that may or may not apply to everyone. You can break out on your body for so many different reasons that finding your body acne treatment is really an individual pursuit. There is no one-size-fits-all body acne treatment, but hopefully the above map and solutions will give you an idea on how to clear your body skin.
Last updated: May 6, 2013
Related articles:
- How to Dry Skin Brush for Beautiful Body Skin
- Product Recommendations for Treating Acne
- How to Choose the Right Moisturizer for Your Skin
- Wear Sunscreen the Right Way
- How to Make a Rice Sock Warm Compress for Acne