You have a party to attend and want to flaunt that gorgeous backless dress you bought last week. You try it on, look in the mirror, and are disappointed. The reason? Shoulder and back acne.
Back and shoulder acne not just ruins your appearance but also affects your self-confidence. What if I tell that you will find all the solutions to your back acne problems right here?
Scroll down for the remedies to get rid of this embarrassing problem. You can thank me later!
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What Causes Back Acne?
Just like your face, your back has many sebaceous glands that secrete sebum. When sebum builds up in the hair follicles of your back, along with some dead skin cells, it causes back acne.
Factors that contribute to the development of back acne are:
- Oily skin due to overactive glands
- Dead skin cells
- Acne-causing bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes)
- Dandruff
- Hormonal imbalances (Polycystic Ovarian Disease)
- Previous laser treatments
- Shaving and waxing
- Ingrown hair
- Friction or heat
To know what kind of back acne you are dealing with, it is important to know the types. This will help you deal with the problem better.
Discussed below are the types of back acne.
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Types Of Back Acne
Acne is widely classified into two types – non-inflammatory and inflammatory.
Non-Inflammatory acne lesions include:
Blackheads – Open comedones that occur when your skin pores are clogged with dead skin and sebum.
Whiteheads – Closed comedones that result from a build-up of sebum and dead skin cells.
Inflammatory acne lesions include:
- Papules – Acne caused due to the inflammation of walls around skin pores.
- Pustules – Acne caused due to inflamed skin pores, and filled with pus.
- Nodules – Acne caused by irritated and clogged pores.
- Cysts – Acne caused by clogs occurring deep within your skin, resulting in white or red bumps that are painful to touch.
To prevent the proliferation of the acne-causing bacteria and reduce the occurrence of acne on your back and shoulders, here are some of the best and safest home remedies.
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Home Remedies To Treat Back Acne
1. Essential Oils
a. Tea Tree Oil
You Will Need
7 drops of tea tree oil
1 teaspoon of coconut oil
What You Have To Do
Mix seven drops of tea tree with a teaspoon of any carrier oil (like coconut oil).
Apply the mixture all over your back.
Leave it on overnight and wash it off the next morning.
How Often You Should Do This
Do this daily for at least a week.
Why This Works
The anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties of tea tree oil reduce acne while combating its root cause, which is Propionibacterium acnes (1).
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2. Aloe Vera
You Will Need
1 teaspoon of aloe vera gel
What You Have To Do
Extract a teaspoon of aloe gel from an aloe vera leaf.
Apply it to the affected areas.
Leave it on for 30 minutes before washing it off.
How Often You Should Do This
You must do this 2 to 3 times daily.
Why This Works
Aloe vera gel possesses natural anti-inflammatory properties that can help in getting rid of inflammatory acne (2). It also exhibits anti-acne activities and enhances the effect of other popular acne medications like tretinoin (3).
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3. Epsom Salt
You Will Need
1 cup of Epsom salt
Water
What You Have To Do
Add a cup of Epsom salt to a tub filled with water.
Soak in this for a good 20 to 30 minutes.
How Often You Should Do This
Do this daily or every alternate day.
Why This Works
Epsom salt has excellent anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce acne as well as the redness and inflammation that accompany it. These properties can be attributed to the presence of magnesium in the salt.
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4. Lemon Juice
You Will Need
½ lemon
Cotton swabs (optional)
What You Have To Do
Squeeze the juice from half a lemon.
Soak a cotton swab in it and apply it to your acne lesions.
You can also scrub half a lemon directly all over your back.
Leave the lemon juice on for about 30 minutes, after which you can wash it off.
How Often You Should Do This
Do this once daily.
Why This Works
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5. Vitamin D
You Will Need
1000-4000 mcg of vitamin D
What You Have To Do
Consume foods rich in vitamin D – like poultry, meat, eggs, fish, and almonds.
You can also take supplements for vitamin D after consulting your physician.
How Often You Should Do This
You must do this regularly.
Why This Works
Acne-prone individuals are often found to be deficient in vitamin D (6). Therefore, restoring the levels of this vitamin can help treat the symptoms of acne lesions.
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6. Apple Cider Vinegar
You Will Need
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
1 cup of water
Cotton balls
What You Have To Do
Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a cup of water.
Mix well and soak a cotton ball in it.
Dab the soaked cotton ball gently all over your back, concentrating on the acne-prone areas.
Leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes.
Rinse it off.
How Often You Should Do This
You must do this multiple times daily.
Why This Works
Apple cider vinegar has anti-inflammatory and soothing effects on the acne lesions (7).
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7. Baking Soda
You Will Need
1 tablespoon of baking soda
Water (as required)
What You Have To Do
To a tablespoon of baking soda, add some water and make a thick paste.
Apply an even layer of the baking soda paste to your back.
Allow the mixture to dry on your skin for at least 20 minutes.
Wash it off your back while gently scrubbing it off your skin.
How Often You Should Do This
You must do this 2 to 3 times daily, but make sure you only scrub once.
Why This Works
The alkaline nature of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) restores the normal pH of your skin, hence alleviating the symptoms of acne. Additionally, it can also exfoliate your skin, getting rid of the accumulated dead cells and sebum in the pores (8).
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8. Coconut Oil
You Will Need
1 tablespoon of virgin coconut oil
What You Have To Do
Take a tablespoon of virgin coconut oil in your palms.
Massage it evenly on your back before you take a bath.
Allow the oil to work for 30 minutes before rinsing it off.
You can also consume a tablespoon of virgin coconut oil every morning for added benefits.
How Often You Should Do This
Do this once or twice daily.
Why This Works
Coconut oil is made up of medium-chain fatty acids like lauric acid. Lauric acid exhibits anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties that combat P.acnes, the bacteria responsible for causing acne (9).
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9. Oatmeal Bath
You Will Need
1-2 cups of oatmeal
Water
What You Have To Do
Pour one or two cups of oatmeal in a tub filled with water.
Soak in the oatmeal bath for around 20 to 30 minutes.
How Often You Should Do This
Taking an oatmeal bath daily will reduce back acne with time.
Why This Works
Due to its powerful anti-inflammatory properties, oatmeal is a sought-after ingredient in dermatology to treat inflammatory conditions like acne (10), (11).
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10. Vicks VapoRub
You Will Need
Vicks VapoRub
What You Have To Do
Apply Vicks VapoRub directly to the affected areas.
Reapply as and when required.
How Often You Should Do This
You must do this multiple times daily.
Why This Works
Vicks contains many anti-inflammatory compounds like camphor, menthol, and eucalyptus oil. These compounds treat back acne by reducing the inflammation and redness (12), (13).
Note: Do not apply Vicks VapoRub to broken skin or lesions.
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