How to Get Rid of Body Acne & Acne Scars

Here’s a bit of an embarrassing topic, body acne: for women and men of all ages, persistent body acne is challenging physically, mentally, and socially. 

People with body acne often struggle to hide their acne-prone skin (e.g., back, chest, shoulders…), and feel like they can’t wear what they want, or show their body in public (e.g., public swimming pool, beach holiday).

Socially, the mental strain of constantly concealing acne vulgaris is associated with deficits in psychological wellbeing (i.e., low self-esteem, morale and self-confidence). And misleading acne stereotypes are harmful to leading a full and normal life, for instance: body acne means you are not clean; or body acne means you have a contagious skin disease.

‍How Common Is Body Acne? 

According to the NHS, acne is a common skin condition that affects most people at some point in life. Acne can cause spots, oily skin, and sometimes make the skin feel hot or painful to touch. The good news is that much like face acne, there are ways to get body acne under control.

Here’s a short and easy guide to dealing with body acne, as well as getting rid of body acne and ways to deal with acne scars. Plus, we will include effective body acne treatment tips on how to get rid of body acne. 

‍Common Body Acne Causes 

Let’s start with making sure you have a clear understanding about what acne is: it is a common skin condition that occurs when hair follicles become clogged with natural skin oil (e.g., sebum) and dead skin cells build up. It can cause whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples. Acne can affect males and females of all ages.

Depending on how severe your body acne is, it can inflame, damage, and scar the skin. The earlier you start acne skincare and preventative acne scarring treatments, the better the chance you have of lowering your risk of experiencing persistent body acne and its related problems. 

We recommend you book a skin assessment at an Este Medical clinic near you to find out the best course of professional body acne treatments available. 

‍What causes body acne? It may result from one or more of these reasons: 

• The main cause is when the body’s sebum and dead skin cells plug up hair follicles, bacteria thrives, causing inflammation and infection, which can result in persistent severe acne on the face and body  
• Hormonal changes related to puberty, as oil glands are stimulated by puberty hormones
• For females, acne flares or breakouts are often connected with menstruation
• Pregnancy can cause the body to produce more skin oil (i.e., sebum)
• Poor food diet and a lack of nutrients good for the skin and hair
• Friction or sweating may cause or aggravate body acne
• Anxiety can trigger the body to release cortisol, which may lead to worsening of stress body acne
• Greasy skin and hair products may increase risk of body acne   
• Certain medications may trigger acne (e.g., corticosteroids, testosterone, lithium)
• With older adults, a sudden onset of severe acne may indicate an underlying disease requiring medical attention

‍What Does Body Acne Look Like? 

Body acne doesn’t look healthy on the skin’s surface, and it can range from mild to severe, and may include the following types of acne: 

• ‍Papules: small red bumps on the skin that may also form a rash and appear swollen
• Pustules: these are pimples with pus inside them, they look like white bumps with red skin around them
• Nodules: large painful bumps under the skin that are solid in appearance 
• Cystic Lesions: lumps filled with pus that are painful and very inflamed in appearance  

Body acne can cluster on the neck, upper back, shoulders, chest, upper arms, and backside. These are the most common areas for body acne to manifest. 

If you are not sure what type of body acne or face acne you have, then send us a message through our website to book a professional skin assessment — the best way to better understand your particular skincare problem. 

‍What Does It Mean When I Get Acne All Over My Body? 

Acne all over body suddenly might be because of several reasons, including a hormone imbalance, an intensely unbalanced diet full of deep fried and junk foods, or maybe due to extreme stress and anxiety (i.e., too much cortisol being released). 

With a sudden onset of body acne all over, if you feel faint, have a hard time breathing, eye swelling or a tightness in the throat you would seek the advice of a medical professional. Sudden onset of rashes, changes in skin colour, and severe skin inflammation may mean something more serious is going on that your body is trying to warn you about. 

If you have body acne that is interfering with your quality of life, you should seek care. Find an Este Medical clinic near you to talk to a skincare professional about body acne prevention and treatments.

‍How To Stop Body Acne

‍How to get rid of body acne? Here are several body acne care tips, as well as some professional treatment suggestions to combat stubborn acne on the body. 

• Know your acne triggers: avoid body acne triggers like stressful situations, greasy skin products, or certain medications
• Limit skin friction and sweat build up: shower after sweaty activities and avoid tight clothing that chafes or rubs acne-prone areas; wear workout clothing that wicks away sweat from the skin’s surface
• Wash with gentle cleansers that don’t overly dry out and irritate the skin, avoid abrasive exfoliants and aggressive skin brushing which may cause more damage 
• Resist the urge to pop and pick at body acne spots and scabs 
• Try over-the-counter body washes and lotions that have glycolic acid and/or salicylic acid 
• Use a non-comedogenic body lotion
• Have monthly Hydrafacials to promote clean pores, or regular chemical peels to keep acne scars under control 
• Try LED Phototherapy to kill acne causing bacteria and repair acne skin damage
• Book a ClearSkin laser treatment to target body acne issues like papules, pustules and nodules 

If you are interested in body acne care that focuses on removing acne scars on the body, then we have some proven and effective Este Medical body acne scar treatments to recommend to you. 

‍Treatments To Remove Acne Scars On Body

When it comes to acne problems, acne scarring is next level, and often requires professional treatment. If you suffer from body acne scars we highly recommend you seek out help, starting with an in-depth skin condition assessment to determine whether light therapy, laser treatment or chemical peels, or a combination of the three, are the best way forward to reduce the appearance of your acne scars. 

‍Top Acne Scar Treatments with Este Medical 

• LED Light Therapy
• Laser Resurfacing
• Skin Peels 

If skin discolouration or skin depigmentation is also included in your acne scarring treatment needs, then definitely consider a course of cosmelan treatments for acne scarring and pigmentation.

‍Why Choose Este Medical For Body Acne and Acne Scar Treatments? 

If at-home remedies don't clear your acne or prevent it from coming back in force, then it is time to seek professional help at an Este Medical clinic near you. Get help from skincare experts that specialise in treating acne, pigmentation, and scars with the latest technology. Este Medial has a solid reputation treating women and men who suffer from youth and adult acne.  

Body acne prevention involves taking good care of your skin. The aim of an Este Medical acne treatment plan is to restore a healthy, smooth texture to the skin, repair the skin to attain a more natural, even colour, and rejuvenate the overall appearance of the skin. Contact us today and book an acne treatment consultation for the face or body.