Whiteheads and blackheads can occur not only on your face but also on your back, chest or even lower body. Acne breakouts on the body are very common amongst those who have genetically oily skin. Acne on the body can be as distracting as the ones on the face. You will have to treat it if it starts appearing, but it is better to prevent body acne if possible. If you want to make sure that body acne does not appear, you need to give priority to the cleanliness of your entire body.
Just like acne on your face, even body acne interferes with your life. If you wish to prevent it, you need to make certain changes to your lifestyle. You might also require help from a doctor if necessary. Body acne can be prevented by taking good care of the skin and your overall health. Things like wearing clothes that are loose fitting and using skin care products that are gentle goes a long way in dealing with the situation.
Taking Care of Your Skin
For preventing body acne, taking good care of your skin and practicing healthy skincare is a must. From washing your skin to moisturizing it, you need to be careful about everything.
Here are a few things you should do:
1. Washing Your Skin:
When you take a shower or bathe, you must make sure that you wash your skin using a gentle cleanser. You should be looking for a cleanser that is ideal for sensitive skin and does not contain chemicals. Cleansers that are harsh are likely to irritate the skin. This may cause acne, or even make it worse. On the parts of your body that are more prone to acne, you should avoid using toners, scrubbers or exfoliating products For washing your body, you should try using your own hands. You may want to scrub your body, but you might as well end up making the body acne worse. Even using a washcloth or sponge may irritate the acne.
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You should take a shower when you are perspiring. This prevents clogging of your skin pores. If you have excessive oil on your skin for long, acne is likely to develop. So, when you get sweaty, after working out, for example, you should take a shower.
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You should be looking to use acne body wash, as they are formulated specifically for the skin condition. Most of these products have salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide as their primary ingredients
2. Prefer Non-comedogenic Products:
If you have body acne, moisturizing your skin is very essential. However, there are certain moisturizers which can adversely intensify the acne. You should try choosing moisturizers that are noncomedogenic. You should do so for any body product you use, not just moisturizers. You should also prefer non-acnegenic and oil-free treatments. When you use such products, the chances of irritating your skin or worsening the acne are very less.
3. Wash Your Hair Regularly:
For those with oily hair, pimples can develop on the scalp if enough oil gets collected there. So, if your hair is oily, you should wash it every day. Even with this, you should be looking for a shampoo that is gentle on your scalp and doesn’t irritate it from regular washing. Also, as far as hair care is concerned, you should avoid products containing oils. Products such as gels, mousses, and pomades can cause the development of acne on the scalp.
4. Oil-Free Sunscreen:
When you are out in the sun, it is crucial to protect your skin. However, when you use an oil-based sunscreen, your skin pores may be clogged. So, you should choose an oil-free sunscreen for protection from sun and prevention of acne breakouts.
Prevent Factors That Might Cause Acne
You might end up with body acne even if you take proper care of your skin. This is because there are other factors that play their role in causing body acne. Therefore, you need to take steps to prevent such factors, and thus prevent body acne.
1. Loose Fitting Cloths:
If you wear clothes that fit tight, there are chances that you will develop body acne, particularly if you sweat a lot. This is why you should be looking to wear clothes that don’t inhibit the breathing of your skin. You should prefer cotton clothing as cotton is fabric that doesn’t irritate the skin of people with body acne. Also, you should remove sweaty clothes as soon as possible after working out.
2. Be careful with the zits:
You might be tempted at squeezing the existing zits or pick at them, but you should rather leave them as it is. Squeezing may result in infections or perhaps scars. When you pop a zit, it may get inflamed. So, when you get a zit, you shouldn’t attempt to pop or pick at it. Instead, you should continue taking usual care of your skin.
3. Healthy Eating:
It has been seen that there are certain foods that result in an increase of acne breakouts. Carbohydrates and sugar are known to make you more susceptible to these breakouts. So, you should avoid sugary sodas, candy, potato chips, processed and junk foods as they may contribute to body acne. Rather, you should prefer a diet that contains organic vegetables, fruits, lean proteins and whole grains.
4. Get Rest:
You should get enough sleep as inadequate sleep is known to make acne worse. Teenagers require around 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep while adults require approximately 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. Every individual’s sleep requirement is different, so you should sleep just enough to be at your best.
Getting Help for Acne
Even after taking care of your skin and doing things to prevent acne, if the situation gets worse over time, you should perhaps get some help from your doctor. The doctor might be able to isolate the exact cause of your acne and then treat it. Certain medications are known to cause acne, so you can discuss your prescription with the doctor to see if that’s the case.
Author: Santanu Majumdar is a part-time blogger and currently blogs at healthresource4u.com . He is also a health and fitness lover who loves to share his ideas on health, fitness, and beauty. You can check him out on Twitter and Facebook
