9 Natural Treatments to Combat Butt Acne (Pimples)

Most people can get rid of butt acne with the right hygiene practices and certain home remedies. But if your symptoms get worse, spread, turn into a boil, or if your immune system isn’t strong, you may need treatment from a doctor.

Acne can be uncomfortable no matter where it forms on your body. And unfortunately, your butt isn’t immune to those troublesome red bumps.

Butt acne is slightly different from facial acne, both in what causes it and how it’s treated.

Here are nine natural treatments to help folliculitis or butt acne.

One of the best ways to prevent butt acne is to bathe regularly with a high quality antibacterial soap. If you’re prone to acne on your behind, you may find washing your skin once in the morning and once in the evening helps reduce pimples by clearing away dirt and bacteria buildup from sweat.

“Normally, bacteria sits on the skin, but tight-fitting clothing can rub the bacteria back down into the pores, causing breakouts,” said Dr. David E. Bank, a board certified dermatologist, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, and founder and director of The Center For Dermatology, Cosmetic & Laser Surgery in Mt. Kisco, New York.

You might consider taking a break from spandex or skinny jeans in favor of looser and more breathable bottoms. Choose clothing, especially underwear, made from natural cotton if you can. Underwear made from bamboo is also absorbent.

Sitting on a warm washcloth may be soothing, help open pores, and draw out some of the bacteria and pus.

Wet a washcloth with water that’s warm but not too hot. Gently place the damp cloth over the area on your butt that’s having an outbreak of pimples. You could also take a warm bath or use a sitz bath.

Tea tree oil comes from the leaves of an Australian tree. It’s been used to treat different skin infections and wounds for many years. Dr. Bank recommends tea tree oil as an option because it has antibacterial properties.

Studies have found that tea tree oil also has anti-inflammatory properties that may help treat acne. A small 2017 study found that applying tea tree oil to the face for 12 weeks significantly improved mild to moderate acne with no serious side effects.

No studies have specifically measured the effectiveness of tea tree oil for butt pimples.

Some people’s skin can be sensitive to different fabrics or laundry products. That’s why most brands of laundry detergent have a hypoallergenic version.

If you suspect that a detergent, fabric softener, or type of dryer sheet may be causing you issues, you may benefit from switching to something without dyes or skipping certain products altogether.

“Another remedy is to avoid using fabric softeners in the dryer because the fibers left on your underwear can further irritate the skin,” Dr. Bank said.

A 2020 review of studies found that people with acne have significantly lower levels of zinc in their blood than people without acne.

The researchers found that people with low zinc levels treated with zinc showed improvements in inflammatory papule count. Oral zinc is more effective in treating acne, as is niacinamide. Taking a daily probiotic helps, too.

But despite being a promising treatment option, there’s still a lack of definitive evidence that zinc is effective for treating acne. Clinical trials are continuing to examine its effectiveness.

Leaving the sweat and dirt on your skin after a workout can be a big contributor to butt acne and pimples. Make sure you hop in the shower as soon as possible after a sweat session. If you’re wearing tight workout pants, showering is especially important.

You’ll also want to make sure to wash workout clothes after each use. If you can’t get to a shower right away, use a body wipe or facial cleansing cloth.

Using a luffa, also known as a loofah, or a mild exfoliating wash helps get rid of dead skin cells and dirt that could contribute to clogged follicles and infection. Don’t overdo it, as over-exfoliating can cause abrasions on the skin.

The American Academy of Dermatology Association recommends treating a type of skin condition that causes rough bumps called keratosis pilaris by gently exfoliating with a loofah, buff puff, or rough washcloth.

Pimples develop when a skin pore becomes infected, leading to redness and pus. Salt water has antimicrobial properties, so in theory, treating your skin with salt water may reduce the development of pimples.

Some people anecdotally report salt water helps treat their butt pimples, although there’s no research examining this yet.

If you want to use salt water, you can try mixing about 1 teaspoon of table salt with 2 cups of water and applying the solution with a washcloth to your acne.

It’s important to avoid popping pimples. Popping pimples can lead to scarring. It can also allow bacteria into the wound, which puts you at risk of developing an infection. Likewise, it’s also a good idea to avoid irritating pimples by picking at them.

If you exfoliate the skin on your butt, it’s best to avoid the temptation to scrub your skin. Scrubbing can lead to increased irritation.

It’s also a good idea to avoid using medications designed to treat acne on your face unless your doctor tells you otherwise. Many medications for facial acne aren’t effective at treating pimples on your butt because they have different underlying causes.

If pimples don’t go away on their own, over-the-counter (OTC) treatments like creams, body wash, or lotions that contain benzoyl peroxide might help. If OTC treatments aren’t effective, a doctor can prescribe:

• oral antibiotics
• isotretinoin
• topical retinoids
• glycolic acid and salicylic acid

Carbuncles and boils affect the deeper layers of your skin. To treat them, your doctor may prescribe an oral or topical antibiotic. Your doctor may need to pierce a carbuncle and drain it.

A breakout in your face is usually caused by the condition acne vulgaris. But pimples on your butt are often caused by infected hair follicles — a condition called folliculitis.

Folliculitis

Folliculitis is usually caused when the Staphylococcus aureus, or staph bacteria, infects a hair follicle. Normally staph bacteria live on your skin without causing problems, but when they get inside through a break in the skin, it results in infection. Folliculitis leads to red bumps and pus.

Sweating and chafing from your underwear and clothes can contribute to the development of folliculitis, especially if you wear tight clothing. Folliculitis can also be caused by shaving.

Boils and carbuncles

A boil is a pus-filled infection of your hair follicle in the deep layers of your skin that tends to be swollen and tender. They commonly occur around your:

• groin
• buttocks
• waist
• under your arms

Boils that drain are a sign of a more serious condition called hidradenitis suppurativa, which can lead to scarring, so seek a dermatologist sooner than later.

Carbuncles are clusters of boils that can cause more severe infections. They can also cause fever, chills, or other general feelings of unwellness.

Keratosis pilaris

Keratosis pilaris is a common condition that causes rough bumps due to dead skin cells clogging your hair follicles. It’s also called “chicken skin” because affected skin can mimic the skin of a plucked chicken.

The exact cause isn’t known, but it’s associated with some conditions like atopic dermatitis.It’s also associated with very dry skin. It can be treated with exfoliants to make the skin smooth and approve its appearance, but there’s no cure.

Contact dermatitis

Contact dermatitis is an irritation that occurs when your skin comes into an irritating substance. It can cause redness, itchiness, or blisters. Substances that may cause contact dermatitis on your butt include:

• soaps and gels
• lotions
• detergents
• certain fabrics

Most people will be able to get relief from these natural treatments. But if folliculitis gets worse, spreads, or turns into a boil, or if your immune system isn’t strong, you may need treatment from a doctor.

“If you have boils, you may have to seek the help of your dermatologist, depending on the severity of the outbreak,” Dr. Bank says.

“If the outbreak is extremely severe, they may have you on an oral antibiotic to fight the infection internally. Your dermatologist may also have to drain the boil, so all the pus is safely removed from the infected area.”

How to Identify and Treat Butt Bumps

• A pimple on your butt could be a boil, which is a hair follicle infection.
• It could also be keratosis: a skin condition where dead skin cells build up in your hair follicles.
• Acne on your butt is another common inflammatory skin condition. 

When red bumps appear on your butt, they most likely aren’t caused by the same type of acne you see on your face.   It’s possible to get pimples on your butt, but more often, the bumps are caused by other skin conditions like folliculitis or keratosis pilaris.

Here are four reasons you may see bumps on your butt and how you can get rid of them.

1. Folliculitis

Use antibacterial products to treat folliculitis.

JodiJacobson/Getty Images

Most often, butt bumps are caused by folliculitis, which occurs when bacteria on your skin invade a hair follicle. 

Folliculitis may look like:

•  Small red bumps
•  Pus-filled whiteheads

“This is often caused by a combination of sweating and friction which disrupts the outer skin layer and increases the likelihood of bacteria getting into the skin,”says Joshua Zeichner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and professor at Mount Sinai.

For this reason, you should avoid wearing tight clothing, especially during summer, if you’re prone to getting butt bumps. 

To get rid of mild folliculitis, Zeichner recommends at-home remedies like:

• Use antibacterial skin products like benzoyl peroxide
• Apply an anti-inflammatory skin product like hydrocortisone
• Apply a warm compress made from a washcloth soaked in warm water to the area several times per day
• Change out of sweaty clothing as soon as possible

If these treatments don’t work, you may need to see your doctor to get a prescription antibiotic cream.

2. Keratosis pilaris

Keratosis is genetic.

IHUAN/Getty Images

Keratosis pilaris is a common skin condition that occurs when dead skin cells build up inside your hair follicles. This causes tiny red bumps to appear. It’s often referred to as “chicken skin” because of its rough, bumpy appearance, Zeichner says.

“Keratosis pilaris is determined by your genetics, and while we can’t completely get rid of it, we can make it look better,” Zeichner says. The best way to do this is to use exfoliating products to help remove the dead cells from your follicles. This can include:

• Chemical exfoliators that contain salicylic, lactic and glycolic acid which can dissolve connections between dead cells so they easily shed from the skin, Zeichner says.
• Manual exfoliators, like a rough sponge, skin brush, or face scrub containing tiny grains, work by physically removing dead cells from your skin.

3. Acne

Acne may need to be treated with exfoliation.

AntonChechotkin/Getty Images

Acne happens when the pores in your skin become clogged with oil and dead skin cells, causing redness and inflammation. It most often shows up on your face, but it’s possible to get acne almost anywhere on your body, including your butt.

You can treat acne on your butt the same way you treat acne on your face, using methods like:

• Washing the area every day, especially after you sweat a lot
• Cutting down on refined sugars and dairy in your diet
• Using products that exfoliate your skin like salicylic acid

Note: Body acne can be harder to treat than facial acne and you may need to see your doctor to get prescription-strength products or oral antibiotics.

 

4. Boils

Boils may be filled with pus.

Getty Images

A boil is an infection in your hair follicle that leads to a painful, red bump. “It commonly fills with pus and may rupture if it becomes large enough,” Zeichner says.

Boils generally start out small but can grow to more than two inches wide in some cases.

They most often go away on their own within two weeks,  but there are a few methods you can try to help clear them up more quickly:

• Apply a warm compress to the skin to help bring the pus to the surface.
• Gently massage the area to help drain the boil, Zeichner says. 
• Use antimicrobial skin cleansers to help lower levels of bacteria on the skin.

Important: Never squeeze a boil, as this can spread the infection.

In some cases, you may need to see your doctor to drain the boil or get oral antibiotic treatment. 

When to see a doctor

Reach out to a board-certified dermatologist if:

• The bumps become extremely painful
• The bumps aren’t improving or get worse after two weeks of at-home care
• Your symptoms get worse rapidly
• The bumps keep coming back 

You should get immediate medical attention if you have any symptoms of more serious infection like fever or chills.

Insider’s takeaway

It’s possible to get acne on your butt, but butt pimples are most often caused by other conditions like folliculitis or a boil. 

There are several at-home remedies you can use to treat mild butt bumps, including exfoliating and antibacterial skin products. For more severe or recurring cases, you may need to see your doctor for treatment.

Madeline Kennedy

Madeline Kennedy is a health writer for Insider covering a wide range of topics including reproductive and sexual health, mental health, nutrition, and infectious disease. Before joining Insider, Madeline worked as a health news writer for Reuters, and a domestic violence therapist. She has a master’s degree in social work from UPenn and is interested in the intersection of health and social justice.

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what to do about them and how to avoid them

If acne on the face is a story that we seem to be able to cope with quite successfully (and no, it’s not about squeezing), then acne on the buttocks may not be the most pleasant surprise. Why do they appear? What to do so that they disappear as soon as possible and never appear there? Let’s figure it out together.

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Let’s say right away that pimples on the buttocks are not at all the pimples that appear on the face. This is not acne in the direct sense of the word, but rather one of the forms of folliculitis – inflammation of the hair follicles. Yes, there are also hair follicles on the skin of the buttocks, and under the influence of an infection, they can become inflamed. As a result, a thickening occurs at the site of inflammation, and sometimes suppuration. Pimples on the pope can itch and hurt, and in any case, this is not at all what you would like to see there.

Do not self-medicate! In our articles, we collect the latest scientific data and the opinions of authoritative health experts. But remember: only a doctor can diagnose and prescribe treatment.

By the way, pimples on the buttocks have their own name – buttne (it’s a hybrid of the words acne – “acne” and “butt” – “buttock”). And what is happening? For some reason, bacteria begin to multiply more strongly, the hair follicle becomes inflamed, acne appears. Some of them are quite harmless (and you can deal with them yourself), while others pose a serious danger and they must be cured (and as soon as possible).

6 reasons that cause acne on the buttocks

However, hormones are not always to blame. We have collected the 5 most common causes that cause acne on your buttocks.

1. Hormones. Pimples may be due to hormones, not due to infection. In some phases of the cycle, for example, shortly before the onset of menstruation, the tissue and structure of the hair follicles may change. This causes clogging of pores and – as a result – acne. Blame for this, rather, androgens.
2. Sweating. It is possible that you sweat a lot – in the gym or public transport on the way to work. If there is no opportunity to take a shower, then the following happens: sweat dries on the surface of the skin along with dust and dirt – an ideal breeding ground for bacteria!
3. Sedentary lifestyle. Staying in the same position for a long time – sitting – can provoke a situation in which the chances of acne will increase. If you know such a feature behind yourself, then take breaks – get up and walk. By the way, this is an excellent prevention not only of buttne, but also of dead buttocks syndrome, which is especially common among office workers.
4. Infrequent change of underwear. We are sure that everything is fine with your hygiene, but just know that stale underwear – and there is sweat, and dirt, and bacteria, which is constantly in contact with your body, can cause acne on the pope with a high probability.
5. Too tight clothing. If your clothes are too small or just made of dense fabric with rough seams, then there is a high chance that it will rub against the skin and injure it along with the hair follicles. A particular danger here is associated with skinny jeans and leggings – be careful with such clothes.
6. Wet clothes. This reason is rather more relevant for summer days, but you need to know about it. If you stay in a wet bathing suit for a long time after water procedures, then know that this creates ideal conditions for the appearance of acne on your buttocks.

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What should be done to prevent pimples on the buttocks from appearing, and how to get rid of those that already exist?

On the one hand, if you fight against the above reasons, then the chances of acne on the pope will be close to zero. On the other hand, you need to know what to do if they have already appeared. Here are a few ways to help deal with the problem.

• Don’t forget to shower right after your workout. This will wash away all the sweat and prevent bacteria from multiplying.
• Try acne products. You may be suitable for those based on benzoyl peroxide. This ingredient fights both acne and folliculitis. The funds are available in the form of ointments, creams and lotions – consult a specialist before buying.
• Don’t forget to moisturize. If the skin is not sufficiently hydrated, it begins to dry, and this leads to the fact that acne appears on it, as well as cracks and other damage. In general, a moisturizing lotion will suit you.
• Use salicylic acid. It is one of the important ingredients in many acne remedies, and if so, why not use it to save yourself from acne on the butt?
• Careful shaving. Yes, you can choose to shave for epilation of the entire body, including the buttocks. But do it right: shave where your hair grows, and use shaving cream or lotion.
• Consult your doctor. If acne on the butt hurts a lot and does not look like something that can be easily dealt with at home, it is better to show the problem to a specialist rather than self-medicate. It is better to contact him – a dermatologist or a cosmetologist – if the problem of acne on the buttocks occurs very often. It will help you figure out why.

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Acne on the buttocks: diagnosis, treatment, prevention

Diagnosis and treatment of acne on the buttocks in the clinic and at home

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Pimples on the buttocks are skin rashes that appear due to disorders in the sebaceous glands. The process may show signs of inflammation. Then the formations increase in size and become painful, the code around them turns red.

The appearance of pimples in this part of the body in men and women occurs for different reasons. The instability of the hormonal background makes the female sweat and sebaceous glands work more actively, sebum and sweat serve as a breeding ground for microorganisms that trigger the inflammatory process.

Causes of pimples

The buttocks area has a thick fat layer, the skin here is quite strong, it is able to withstand significant loads. But here rashes of a purulent-necrotic or infectious nature may appear. The main causes of acne on the buttocks are:

• Sedentary lifestyle. With a long sitting, the circulation in the lower extremities is disturbed, tissue ischemia develops. Due to constant pressure, they are injured, resulting in purulent rashes;
• Dry skin. A decrease in the protective function leads to inflammation, and due to stagnation of blood in this area, localization of toxins occurs;
• Violations in the self-cleansing function of the skin. If the dead particles of the epithelium are not removed for a long time, they clog the pores and ducts of the glands;
• Endocrine disruption, changes in estrogen levels in women and androgens in men;
• Increased perspiration, especially in hot weather. Excessive sweating causes clogged pores and creates a barrier to oxygen entry.

Often, acne on the buttocks is a manifestation of an allergic reaction to cosmetics or a consequence of hypothermia. To avoid this situation, you should use proven cosmetics and do not sit on cold surfaces.

You can sign up for a consultation with a dermatologist with our consultants by phone +7 (495) 125-49-50

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How to avoid breakouts?

When pimples appear in the buttocks, you need to reconsider your diet. Toxins that enter the body with harmful products may well cause rashes. Spicy and fatty foods are the most dangerous in this regard.

You have to pay attention to your wardrobe. Tight clothing makes it difficult for air to reach the skin of the thighs, and synthetics often cause allergic reactions, including acne. If these measures do not give the desired result, you need to contact a dermatologist.

Furunculosis

Furunculosis deserves special attention – purulent rashes on the buttocks. In this case, pus accumulates at the root of the hair follicle. This process develops due to:

• Hypothermia;
• Violations of hygiene rules;
• Stress and nervous exhaustion;
• Body intoxication.

Furunculosis has several stages of development. First, streptococci or staphylococci enter the sebaceous gland, clogged with opportunistic microorganisms. Because of this, inflammation begins: a small red spot appears, inside which a seal occurs over time. At the same time, pain and itching are felt, and the site of the lesion gradually increases.