5 Places Body Acne Can Show Up and What to Do About It

The good news is that body acne is highly treatable. Options range from at-home care to prescription medications to in-office procedures. Lifestyle changes can also help prevent acne in the first place.

Contents

At-Home Skin Care Prescription Medications Medical Procedures Lifestyle Adjustments

At-Home Skin Care

“Many of the same at-home approaches we use for facial acne are also effective for body acne,” says Chheda. She often recommends the following strategies.

Use benzoyl peroxide face wash to reduce acne-causing bacteria.
Use salicylic acid body wash, lotion, or cream to exfoliate dead skin cells to keep pores clear.
Use azelaic acid lotion or serum to reduce inflammation, especially for people with skin of color who are at risk from scarring.
Use topical cream or gel retinoids to improve skin turnover and keep pores clear.

If a fungal skin infection is the source of your body acne, Leszczynska may recommend washing your skin with an anti-dandruff shampoo containing ingredients such as zinc pyrithione, selenium sulfide, or ketoconazole. “These ingredients have antifungal properties and can help reduce the yeast overgrowth,” she explains. Allow the anti-dandruff shampoo to sit on the skin for three to five minutes before rinsing, advises Leszczynska.

Prescription Medications

Depending on the cause of your acne, you may benefit from prescription medications, says Chheda. Topical or oral antibiotics are often used to treat inflammatory acne, while oral birth control or spironolactone (a water pill typically used for high blood pressure) can help manage hormonal breakouts. If you have a fungal infection, your dermatologist may prescribe a topical or oral antifungal treatment. In some cases, oral isotretinoin (an oral retinoid) can be prescribed to treat moderate or severe acne, especially cystic acne.

Medical Procedures

In-office procedures may be an option if prescription medications don’t provide the results you’re looking for. Chemical peels that use salicylic or glycolic acid to exfoliate and remove damaged outer skin layers, or the laser treatment AviClear (which reduces oil gland activity), may be an option for moderate or severe acne, says Chheda.

Lifestyle Adjustments

If you’re prone to body acne, it’s key to keep skin clean and reduce friction. So, be sure to change out of sweaty clothes promptly, says Johnson.

A shower after exercise can help, says Rosanne Paul, DO, a dermatologist at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, in Cleveland. Avoid tight-fitting clothing in favor of looser, sweat-wicking fabrics that are less likely to irritate your skin.

Finally, treat your skin gently. “Avoid aggressive scrubbing or picking, as this can worsen inflammation and lead to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation,” adds Leszczynska. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is skin discoloration that occurs following skin inflammation or injury, and is more common in people with darker skin tones.