Acne Treatment

Back Acne and Causes

Back acne can show up in many forms, such as blackheads, pimples, pustules, or even the most severe form of acne, cysts. It can affect people from age 10 to age 40 and even after that. In slang, back acne is referred as zits. To improve the condition of back acne, it is vital to understand what the root cause of this skin disease is, and also some information about what does not cause back acne.

Like other forms of acne, there is no one particular factor causing back acne. As far as medical understanding goes, black acne also happens when sebaceous glands start functioning more aggressively around puberty. The male hormone group androgens get active which in turn stimulates sebaceous glands into producing extra amount of sebum (oily substance).

These sebaceous glands are situated just below the surface of the skin. Sebaceous glands continuously produce and secrete oil through the opening (pores) in the skin. When extra amounts of sebum are produced pores and hair follicles become clogged.

This clogging obstructs the way dead cells escape the skin. The resulting mess of sebum and dead cells plugs the hair follicle and attracts bacterial attack. The bacteria cause the surrounding tissues to become inflamed and acne is formed.

Back acne may be found on the back and even on the buttocks of some people. It can be a severe form when the lesions are large and painful. As with much acne, the exact cause of back acne is also not exactly known.

It may be just a coincidence or may be caused by external irritants such as tight clothing or a heavy backpack. It is not possible to keep the area of back and buttocks untouched because we all must sit down or carry things around. For this reason, it is better to concentrate on the treatment of back acne rather than fret about the cause of this skin disorder.

As the skin on the back is thicker than anywhere else on the body, one good treatment option is 10 percent benzoyle peroxide which is not suitable for the thinner skin and exposed body part suffering from acne.

In back acne, if the inflammation is right near the surface than the patient gets a pustule. If infection is deeper, it forms papule. Deeper still acne causes cysts which are the worst form of acne and carry the possibility of permanent scarring.
In back acne, if the extra sebum breaks through the skin it causes a whitehead, and if the head of the plug becomes dark due to the skin pigment melanin, it is called a blackhead.

There are some differences between back acne and other forms of acne. Other acne may be caused by heredity and genetic disposition but in the back acne, except for the severe cases, people don’t have the problem just as their parents did. In anyway, some degree of back acne afflicts people all over the world so it can be expected that more than one person of any family might have shown signs of back acne.

Unlike other acne forms, food does not seem to play any role in the formation or flare up of back acne. There has been no evidence that fried or oily food or fat rich diet causes any difference or worsens the condition of back acne.
Excessive oil production or dirt does not seem to affect condition of back acne. Even excessive perspiration after exercise, whether washed off promptly or not, does not seem to trigger back acne or blackheads on the back.

Stress, which is known to worsen facial acne, does not show the same effect on back acne, perhaps because stress causes people to be worried about their acne and pick at them which worsens the condition, but people suffering from back acne cannot reach their back and pick on the back acne.

Occurrence of back acne in simpler conditions may be treated by over the counter drugs. But the severe form of acne on the back, such as cystic acne must be treated by some skin specialist or dermatologist.