How to beat body acne this summer

If you’re prone to body acne, summer’s arrival may have you feeling anxious. Sure, the idea of breaking out your favourite swimsuits and dresses seems great, but if your body breakouts have you feeling self-conscious, then summer can also bring with it feelings of dread.

My battle with acne – both on my body and face – started at a young age. Although it has improved over the years, I still find myself dealing with annoying pimples along my jawline and, lately, on my back and shoulders. I was recently in Maui and noticed this got much worse in the hot weather. With summer just around the corner, I reached out to Jennifer Salsberg, a Toronto dermatologist to find out what causes body acne and how to banish it once and for all.

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Unfortunately there are a number of reasons we get body acne, ranging from genetics to bacteria to hormones, which also means there is no simple solution.

According to Salsberg, the acne you get on your body isn’t so different from the acne you get on your face.

“Different people are just prone to developing acne in different areas, and some individuals get acne on both their face and body,” she says.

Body acne mostly occurs on the chest, back and shoulders. Salsberg explains that these areas have a similar number of sebaceous glands to the face, and these are responsible for producing oils. One thing that sets facial and body acne apart is that acne on the body faces increased sweating, friction and irritation of the affected areas by activities such as exercise, long walks to and from work on humid days, and sweating it out at the beach.

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Salsberg claims that body acne can sometimes get worse in the summer months due to increased sweat production. She notes that while sweating alone doesn’t cause acne, sweating plus rubbing and irritation under clothing can make it worse.

So what do we do about it?

In order to keep body acne at bay, Salsberg recommends wearing light, breathable fabrics during summer months and workouts, and timing your workouts so that showers can wash away any sweat and oil buildup to the area immediately afterwards. This means you should only workout when you can shower right after. She also suggests avoiding thick, heavy moisturizers on the affected areas.

Clearing skin wash with salicylic acid (Dermalogica)

Once you’ve spotted acne on the body, use an acne specific cleanser containing either benzol peroxide or salicylic acid. And yes, the products you use for your facial acne are safe to use on your chest and back as well.

Salsberg often starts out with cleansers for her patients, as they are easier to apply to wide areas than creams. If creams are needed, she advises to apply them to the back using a spatula or wooden spoon so you can access the areas that are hard to reach.

“If the acne is widespread, making it difficult to treat with washes and creams, or if it’s leaving scars, I will often consider prescribing an oral medication as treatment,” says Salsberg.

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Exfoliation is another great way to tame body acne.

“It is important that exfoliation not be too often, or too aggressive, as this can lead to increased irritation, and potentially to scarring, and is unlikely to help improve the acne.”

How do you deal with body acne? Share your tips in the comments below or send us a tweet at @YahooStyleCA.