Back acne (referred to as Bacne) is a more hidden problem than facial acne, but it can be just as distressing. Cysts (which are under the skin) can be painful, and the pimples, blackheads and pustules that are part of bacne are unsightly as well as itchy/painful. The problems are not restricted to the back region either – for many, the bacne extends to the upper arms and the buttocks.

First, the cause – there is no single scientific explanation for what causes bacne; much the same story as trying to understand the cause of acne on other parts of the body. The most helpful information in identifying a general cause for bacne is that when the sebum-producing sebaceous glands start functioning around the time of puberty, the resultant output of sebum (the skin’s natural oil) is, for some,too much for the body to cope with. The pores and hair follicles on the back can’t move the sebum through, it hardens and forms a plug that clogs the pores, and the clogged areas then attract bacteria. That, plus the normal process of shedding dead skin cells, and the additional sebum that is building up behind the plug, form the infection.

It’s more common in men than in women.

Contrary to some reports, the primary cause of bacne is not stress, oily/fatty foods, excessive sweating,tight clothing or heavy backpacks. As with all health issues, it makes good sense to adopt a holistic approach, and therefore reducing stress and having a healthy diet will be beneficial, but that won’t ‘cure’ the bacne. Bacne is sometimes an inherited condition, but that information doesn’t assist much with the solution either.

The management of sweat needs special attention…while it’s not the cause of bacne per se, what’s clear is that the removal of sweat after any robust activity will keep the pores cleaner than leaving the sweat to dry…doing this will help to alleviate the condition, but won’t cure it.

Similarly, removing the excess dead skin cells (we all produce them!!) as quickly as possible will also help to lessen the severity of the bacne. Usinga mild exfoliate (purchased over-the-counter from a drug store) in the shower each day is the best way to do this – ideally, because of the difficulty of reaching your own back area, you’ll have a partner/family member who can assist you with the exfoliation. Somebody else working the exfoliant right to where it’s needed is the most effective way, even if it’s just once a week. You can use a back scrubber if you don’t have the ‘co-operative other’ required for the task at other times (or it may be your only option). It’s not as good, but it’s better than doing nothing at all. I emphasized using amild cleanser – please don’t be tempted to whip your bacne into shape with an ‘industrial strength’ alternative…more is not better. Harsh or abrasive cleaners are likely to irritate or inflame the skin, and you’ll make things worse rather than better.

Do not use regular soap – the mild exfoliate will do the job of cleaning…simply use an anti-bacterial cleanser that has been formulated for the face. Cetaphil is one example of that.

The same level of care needs to be applied once you’re out of the shower – gently towel-dab the back and shoulder area (and the buttocks and backs of the arms if they are affected) until fully dry, preferably using a clean towel each time if you can keep up with the laundry. Then apply one of the acne gels or creams that include an antibacterial agent – one with a 10 percent benzoyl peroxide content is regarded as good practice, and you can easily get advice on that at the drug store counter or with a prescription from your doctor. Let the gel/cream dry if possible before putting clothing against the skin.

Keeping the affected areas free of bacteria and perspiration is critical (as they aggravate the condition), so don’t re-wear clothes that you’ve had on during a previous sweaty activity (such as the gym; running; gardening etc.), at least until you’ve given that clothing a thorough wash and dried it completely.

Time at the gym or being involved in other exercise needs special attention – your body heats up with exercise, and the blood flow rate increases; both of these heighten the production of sebum i.e. the activitiesexacerbate the problem that you’re trying to solve. The best advice is as follows – put a clean towel down on any exercise machines you need to lie on…this not only absorbs some of your own sweat, but it prevents you inadvertently picking up other people’s sweat & bacteria. Always have a shower after a workout (see the advice above about showering), and if you’re heading to the sauna (steam room), take a shower first to get rid of dirt and bacteria…remember, no regular soap on the affected areas.If you’re a female with bacne, always wear a clean bra when working out i.e. avoid the possibility of having dried sweat from a previous session touching your skin.

Back acne can be tough to treat. The recommendations in this article are for short-term treatment of a few weeks to a couple of months. If you are doing everything you should, and the bacne is not going away, then it’s resistant to treatment and you’ll need to notch things up. Or, if you simply haven’t been as disciplined as you need to be about adopting the recommended home-help steps, then I’d recommend the same shift of gear…it’s time to seek out a doctor and/or dermatologist in your area. This applies particularly if you have the deep-seated cysts – they are more likely to need the sort of intervention that you can only get with a medical specialist. Shifting to oral antibiotics might be recommended, and my recommendation is that you only follow that pathway with expert help – oral medications have some nasty side-effects with some people, and close monitoring is recommended.

Geoff Hopkins is a researcher who provides straight and honest information to help people find the best way to solve their acne skin problems.

http://www.acne-scar-cream.com You can’t trust the wild claims, because we still have snake-oil salesmen!!

Although most of the dermatologists disregard the importance of healthy diet for a healthy skin as diet lacking vital supplements is scientifically proven not to affect the skin quality in any way, but there are some diets that tone the skin and make it healthy.

The first step of herbal acne treatment should be making sure that your diet contains enough fatty acid foods and foods that are the source of multi-vitamins.

Features of Herbal Acne Treatment Products:

Herbal acne treatment products are famous for their following features.

 Noticeable improvement in acne condition within one week

 Complete removal of acne within three weeks

 Elimination of acne scars

 Inclusion of herbs that beautify the skin after the disappearance of acne and the scars

 All the above benefits with virtually no side-effects

 Affordability

Herbs in Herbal Acne Treatment Products:

Following herbs are commonly included in herbal acne treatment products.

Rose Hips:

Rose Hips or Rosa Affinis Rubiginosa in herbal acne treatment products provide rejuvenation to dry and aging skin. It is also a proven cure for acne.

Lemongrass:

Lemongrass or Cymbopogon Citratus is the herb many herbal acne treatment products contain due to its capability to calm acne.

Chamomile:

Chamomile or Matricaria Recutita helps soothes sensitive skin and is commonly found in many hot-selling herbal acne treatment products.

Rosemary:

Rosemary or Rosmarinus Officinalis is another herb that is included in the best rated herbal acne treatment products. This herb is known for its capability to stimulate and protect skin. This is also famous for its acne healing effects

Many acne or rosacea sufferers will try a range of oral and topical treatments and various antibiotics, antihistamines and all sorts of other treatments that are available but all too often they will “over dose” on the medication.

You can consider the application of low does accutane, which will have the greatest effect if you’re wanting to use medication – my personal preference being for natural treatment – but low dose accutane can certainly be very effective, particularly for rosacea issues.

Accutane can do a great deal for instance in reducing facial skin temperature and a reduction in blood flow and facial burning.

Many dermatologists will prescribe relatively high or actually high doses of accutane, such as 40-60mg/day, which can lead to some immediate and longer term effects. Immediately it can dry the face and lead to flushing and burning.

If you reduce your accutane dosage (no more than 40 mg/day) and then leave it when you feel your face drying out. This may then lead to a reduction in the facial burning, although that may increase again as the plasma concentration begins to increase but that will decrease in the following days and there will be a noticeable reduction in the burning.

After you have taken the low-dose accutane for about five or six days, followed by a week’s relief from it, start an even lower dose (around 20 mg/day) every couple of days, you can see some remarkable effects. The rosacea condition which will simply continue to decrease under the low-dose regime.

Medical reports have indicated that this is predictable and that you will see considerable cooling of the facial skin and a reduction or elimination of the daily burning that will often occur as well. Furthermore when rosacea may lead to the development of bumps, this process should be stopped immediately.

The point about using a low-dose accutane routine is that you can find the point where accutane dosage and plasma concentration reach a point where there is a perfect combination to reduce rosacea symptoms. The fact is that many dermatologists will prescribe accutane dosage that is considerably beyond what is necessary. Some say it should be around 0.5% per kg of body weight, which may still be too high.

When taking accutane just be aware that you don’t ‘over dose’ and and give yourself breaks from the medication while all the time assessing the effects on acne redness or rosacea. The ’sweet spot’ is there, you just need to test and moderate your treatment.

Click here to read more about acne treatment – the natural way.

Susie Oprey published the highly popular acne skincare reviews site at AcneSkincareReviews.com which carries updated reviews and articles on the very latest acne treatment methods, including natural acne remedies and reviews of the major acne treatment systems. She also offers an ‘Acne Away’ free course.

Human beings suffer from many skin problems. Of them the most common is acne and problems the related with it. Skin is a very valuable asset to all human beings. Therefore it becomes all the more important for us to take care of this protective shield of our body.

Since time immemorial, humans have suffered from the outrage of acne. Acne troubles them in many forms. Some people get mild outburst on their body. But many a times the spread could be colossal as well.

Besides this, acne affects many different areas of the body including your chest, whole back portion and the buttocks. But the most common part that is affected by acne is your face. This is called facial acne. But when acne persists all over the body parts, it is termed as body acne. The occurrence of body acne is not very common in human beings.

Body acne is generally characterized by small, red prominent spots, all over the body. These spots can be itchy and painful. These small spots can swell with time, making them more painful and unbearable.

Generally, body acne starts with a single portion of the body. If proper hygiene is not maintained, the infection spreads to the other parts, leading to a more aggravated form.

There are a lot many reasons attached with body acne. They are hormonal imbalance, excessive perspiration, hyper activity of the oil glands in the skin, allergy to certain synthetic fibers and prolonged wearing of tight clothes. Emergence of body acne is more common in teens than adults.

The treatment available to cure and prevent body acne is quite similar to that available for the facial acne. You can start your acne treatment by giving your body a wash with the soaps and shower foams containing Salicylic Acid. After taking a shower, gently wipe your body with a clean dry towel. But, do not rub your body. Rubbing will remove the dead skin, which will in turn clog your body pores (-which is the main cause of acne). After this, you can apply ointments having Benzoyl Peroxide content in them. When you are done with this, you can complete the process by applying moisturizer having a Hydroxyl acid-base.

This is a known fact that growth of certain bacteria on the skin is the main cause of the outburst of acne. Therefore, it becomes important for you to first deal with the incessant growth of bacteria over your skin. For this, you can use various antibiotics that will kill and further prevent bacterial growth over your body. The names of a few effective antibiotics are erythromycin and tetracycline. A combination of these antibiotics when taken orally can help you fight your acne problem.

Besides this, a new line of alternative treatment called as Phototherapy has also proved very affective in this direction. The principle attached with this treatment is very simple. Under this treatment your body parts are exposed to the rays of the sun. It is known that certain rays from the sun are very effective in killing the acne related bacteria.

All in all I would say, whatever mode you adopt to cure your body acne, you’re your dermatologist.