bacne
Most of us have struggled with facial acne at some point in our lives, and it’s awful. Whatever your acne experience, we can all agree that acne is better when you don’t have it. While we’ve accepted that everyone experiences facial acne at some point, it just feels insulting to have acne on other parts of our body. Namely, bacne.
Now, I’ve struggled with bacne ever since I was a teenager, and not only was it painful, but it also took a huge toll on my confidence. I felt self-conscious of my shirts and swimsuits because they would reveal my red, bumpy back and shoulders. I always thought that if I waited long enough, my skin would clear up on its own. But, after years of waiting, I finally decided that I wanted to put in the work to achieve that smooth, clear skin.
So friends, there is hope! Here are the habits and products that helped me get my bacne under control, so I finally feel confident in my own skin.
Wear Loose-Fitting Clothing
This was a hard one for me to accept in the beginning because I love wearing fitted shirts, but having fabric on your skin all the time isn’t going to give your skin room to breathe. Sometimes acne is caused by bacteria build up, and if your clothes are too tight against your back, that bacteria has nowhere to go. By wearing loose clothing, your back will have a little more breathing room, which will help your skin start to heal.
Only Wear Shirts Once
It can be tempting to wear a shirt more than once, especially if you didn’t do much during the day (which, let’s face it, is basically every day right now because of COVID), but wearing the same shirt more than one day in a row is going to contribute to that oil buildup that can cause bad back breakouts. So, make sure that you’re giving your skin a fresh start each morning with a clean outfit!
Shower After Working Out
You might be saying, “Rebecca, of course I shower after I workout, that’s just common sense,” and you would be right, but it definitely bears repeating. I always had the worst bacne when I was working up a sweat and then allowing myself to cool down too much between my workout and my shower. Jumping into the water and getting all that sweat off your back as soon as possible is going to keep bad bacteria from getting stuck in your oil glands, which can cause painful cystic acne, which is harder to clear up. And, if you’re not able to shower right after a workout, I would DEFINITELY recommend keeping some wet wipes handy to help clear away some of that sweat. (I love these lemon and sage scented body wipes because they also include deodorant to keep you feeling extra fresh!)
Check Your Shampoo and Conditioner
This goes hand and hand with showering, but sometimes your shampoo and conditioner can be the culprits behind a particularly bad breakout. Soaps can have greasy or heavy oils in them, which can cause massive breakouts. Ingredients to avoid are silicones and comedogenic oils (like coconut oil!) Here are some we recommend:
Change Up Your Diet
Hear me out, I’m not trying to take away all yummy foods in your life, but the foods we eat can seriously affect our skin, and can even make us more prone to breaking out! One of my biggest skin triggers is eating too much dairy, and I have one friend who avoids foods that are too acidic (like tomatoes) in an attempt to keep her acne at bay. Obviously, all of us are different, but there might be a food that is triggering a bad bacne breakout, so it might help to play around with the foods you’re eating to see if there’s a culprit. A good place to start is to look at those foods that are higher on the glycemic index (that are full of simple sugars), and see if you can minimize those in your diets, and instead increase your veggie intake.
Try a Better Body Wash
One cause of bacne is clogged pores combined with bacteria, which causes the inflammatory response of acne. So, one way to combat that is to exfoliate your back when you shower. I never really liked the idea of loofahs because you have to replace them frequently so they won’t actually carry more bacteria around, so I found that exfoliating body wash was the way to go. This will help slough off any dead skin, but also keep any oil build ups from happening. You can even use an over the counter medicated body wash for extra strength bacne relief.
This one was a huge game changer for me. I had wanted to stay away from medicated body wash and try to fix my bacne more “naturally”, but there’s no shame in needing some extra strength help. This salicylic body wash (that smells like grapefruit, which is AMAZING) was the best addition to my shower routine that really helped with that final push to get rid of my bacne. Even though my bacne is almost non-existent now, I still use this body wash almost every day to keep back breakouts at bay. You can also use whatever you use to keep facial acne at bay on your back!
Moisturize!
We all are probably in a pretty good habit of moisturizing our faces after we wash them, but honestly, I forget to moisturize my back after I get out of the shower. But sometimes excessive dryness can lead to even worse outbreaks, so it’s a good idea to moisturize after every rinse. For extra hydration and preventative care against bacne, make sure to find a non-comedogenic lotion — or a lotion with salicylic acid in it. Non-comedogenic lotions will hydrate without clogging your pores, and salicylic acid is a favorite ingredient for reducing inflammation that can lead to breakouts.
So, did any of these breakout solutions blow your mind? Or did we miss your secret to successfully keeping bacne at bay? Let us know in the comments!
If You’re Looking For More Ways To Achieve Healthy Skin, Check Out:
The 6 Most Effective Pore Cleaners For Envy-Worthy Glass Skin
Struggling With “Maskne”? Here Are The Tips And Tricks To Combat It
