What Causes Back Pimples

What Causes Back Pimples

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There are reasons you’re getting acne on your back.

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• Back acne can be frustrating.
• It can be caused by sweating and your diet. 
• It can be prevented by washing your hair thoroughly and changing out of workout clothes quickly. 

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Dealing with acne on your face can be frustrating enough, but what do you do when your back and shoulders erupt in bumps as well?

Though makeup can conceal facial blemishes, coping with “bacne” is more of a challenge. The condition might make you feel self-conscious and can turn wearing dresses and tank tops into a real struggle.

Here’s why you might getting acne on your back and what you can do to prevent it.

The skin on your back is actually particularly prone to acne.

The thick skin is prone to blocked pores.

kadirkaplan/ iStock

There are three main factors that contribute to acne. Overactive oil glands, excess dead skin cells, and an overgrowth of acne-causing bacteria can combine to create a nasty breakout anywhere on your body. Unfortunately, the skin on our backs is particularly prone to skin trouble.

“The skin on our backs is extremely thick, so the potential for blocked pores is very high,” dermatologist Dr. Justine Kluk told Marie Claire.

According to Verywell Health, the upper half of the body also has more sebaceous or oil glands per square inch that the lower half.

Combined, these two factors create a perfect storm for back acne.

The products you use on your hair might be causing you to break out on your back.

Shampoo and conditioner can cause a break out on your back.

iStock

Just like the body’s natural oils can block pores and lead to pimples, the substances in hair and body products can also trigger a breakout, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

Allowing your hair conditioner to run down your back in the shower can also deliver a big dose of pore-clogging substances onto your skin. Be sure to rinse your hair thoroughly and use products that have the following labels on them: won’t clog pores, oil-free, non-comedogenic, and non-acnegenic.

Not showering promptly after a sweaty gym session might be causing back pimples.

Showering needs to be done quickly.

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It can be tempting to skip your gym’s grimy showers and head home for a soothing soak in the tub instead. However, waiting too long to rinse off after working out can actually lead to a case of back acne.

Allowing sweat and dirt to hang out on your skin after exercising can be a major cause of pimples on the back and shoulders, according to Stylecaster.

Don’t delay showering after any situation that gets you hot and sweaty, including a sweltering day at the beach or a jog around the neighborhood.

And don’t let your workout clothes go too long between washes.

Washing work out clothes is important.

Flickr/mariachily

If you’re an avid exerciser, it can be a real pain to wash items like sports bras and gym shorts after every workout. But just because that t-shirt still smells fresh doesn’t mean it’s not contributing to body acne.

As The American Academy of Dermatology advised, washing sweaty workout clothes after each round of exercise is actually a good way to keep acne-causing bacteria and grime out of your pores. Don’t let staying active get between you and clear skin.

Tight clothing or a heavy backpack could also be the culprit.

Lugging around a heavy backpack or purse could be contributing to your skin troubles.

Africa Studio/Shutterstock

Items such as backpacks, sports equipment, or purse straps can exacerbate back acne.  

“Tight clothing mixed with friction and excess moisture, such as sweat, can lead to the development of acne. The combination of friction, heat, and covered skin may result in the development of a form of acne called acne mechanica. The friction can irritate the skin and disrupt the surface, which can clog the pores with dead skin cells and lead to inflammation,” Dr. Jeremy Fenton of Schweiger Dermatology Group in NYC told Byrdie. “In my case, this is a perfect explanation, since the super-hot NYC summer weather was causing me to sweat, which, coupled with rubbing bra straps, led to a spattering of breakouts.

To prevent acne mechanica on you back, make sure your clothing and undergarments aren’t too tight and try not to carry heavy loads in backpacks or purses for extended periods of time. Wearing a clean cotton t-shirt beneath your regular clothes or sports uniform can also help keep your skin protected.

Slathering on sunscreen is always a good idea, but be sure to choose the right one.

Make sure your sunscreen is oil-free.

TanyaRozhnovskaya/Shutterstock

It’s definitely important to shield your skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays when the sun is shining. That includes using a daily sunscreen on any part of your skin that is exposed to the sunshine, including your back.

However, doing the right thing for your skin’s long-term health might leave you with back pimples if you don’t use a sunscreen specially formulated for acne-prone skin.  

If your diet is full of carbohydrates and dairy, your skin might be paying the price.

What you put into your body can affect the outside of your body.

Dunkin’ Donuts

The old adage “you are what you eat” certainly applies when it comes to maintaining healthy, radiant-looking skin. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, there is growing evidence that diet has an effect on acne.

Carbohydrate-rich foods with a high glycemic index might be especially problematic for acne sufferers, as studies have shown that raising blood sugar levels quickly may lead to acne flares. High-GI foods include white bread, chips, and white potatoes. Low-GI foods include peanuts, vegetables, and beans.

Dairy might also play a part in aggravating back acne. Some studies have suggested that the consumption of milk – and skim milk in particular – is associated with more severe acne. However, more clinical research is needed to prove a definite link between dairy and acne.

Hormones or stress might also be at the root of your back acne woes.

You might need to make lifestyle changes.

Shutterstock/TORWAISTUDIO

When topical solutions don’t seem to be working, it may be time to look deeper for the root cause of your back acne.

Research has shown a link between stress and acne flare-ups. One study found that students were more likely to experience a breakout around exam time, and the American Academy of Dermatology recommended that trying to reduce stress can be a helpful part of acne treatment.

Your hormones might also be to blame for bad bouts of back acne. According to Medical News Today, high testosterone levels can contribute to acne by increasing the production of sebum, which may then lead to blocked pores. Falling estrogen levels related to the menstrual cycle can also trigger breakouts.

If you believe that stress or hormones are causing your back to break out, you should have a conversation with your doctor about potential treatments or lifestyle changes.

Visit INSIDER’s homepage for more.

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Don’t turn your back on back acne

Speaking of Health

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Topics in this Post

• Family Medicine
• Cosmetic Services

Your back may be out of sight, but when you have back acne, it’s not out of mind. That’s especially true when you’re shirtless, go for a swim or try on that backless sundress.

While back acne can be irritating, painful and embarrassing, various treatments and lifestyle changes relieve this common skin problem.

Here’s what you need to know about back acne and how it’s treated.

What is back acne?

If you have acne on your back, you may experience:

• Red, inflamed bumps
• Blackheads or whiteheads
• Back pain or tenderness
• Acne scars

Like all acne, back acne is caused by overactive sebaceous glands. These glands produce an oily substance called sebum, which helps keep skin healthy. However, too much sebum can lead to bacteria growth and dead skin cells, which can block pores in the skin.

Several factors can trigger overproduction of sebum, including:

• Hormonal changes, such as during puberty or pregnancy
• Certain medications, such as steroids or testosterone replacement therapy
• Stress
• Oily skin or hair products

How is back acne treated?

If you think you have back acne, you should seek care. Your primary care provider can determine how severe your case is, recommend the best treatment and possibly refer you to a dermatologist.

Typical treatments for back acne include:

• Topical medications, such as benzoyl peroxide, retinoids and antibiotics, that are applied directly to the skin.
• Oral medications, such as antibiotics or isotretinoin, which is a powerful acne medication.
• Physical treatments, including laser therapy, light therapy or dermabrasion, which is the removal of surface layers of skin.

Do lifestyle changes help?

You can relieve back acne by making dietary and lifestyle changes, such as:

• Avoiding triggers, like oily skin products, stress or certain medications.
• Eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly.
• Showering after activities that cause you to sweat.
• Avoiding tight clothes, clothes that cause friction against the skin, and nonbreathable sports or activewear that traps sweat. Cotton is a good material for workout clothes because it wicks away moisture.
• Limiting irritating products that may cause acne to flare.
• Using gentle cleansers, such as Cetaphil and Vanicream, especially if applying prescription retinoids or stronger topicals that can overly dry out and irritate the skin.

If an initial treatment doesn’t produce results, your health care professional can help find a solution that works best for you so you can turn your back on back acne.

Amanda Logan is a nurse practitioner in Family Medicine in Janesville, Minnesota.

Topics in this Post

• Family Medicine
• Cosmetic Services

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Back pain and “shooting” in the lower back in your city

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06/25/2020

Contents

• Why do inflammations occur from drafts?
• Why does he shoot through the back?
• What to do if your back hurts?
• What ointments and tablets should be used to treat a sore back?
• What to do in an emergency when nothing helps?

What to do if the back failed so at the wrong time? First of all, do not try to “disperse” by moving through pain or drinking a handful of painkillers. Even if this brings temporary relief, then the situation will only worsen.

What can cause an “ordinary draft” to literally twist a person, chain him to a bed and throw him on sick leave. It is believed that under the influence of prolonged local hypothermia, local immunity decreases, and this is quite enough for the development of aseptic – non-microbial – inflammation. Then a reasonable question arises: why does the well-known way to reduce pain in case of a bruise of the same lower back, by applying ice for some time, does not cause an exacerbation of sciatica?

Even scientists do not have an exact answer today. Most likely, the influence of an unpleasant cold breeze has a reflex effect on a person, laid down somewhere in the depths of evolution. And the body, trying to maximize the activation of protective factors in the place of hypothermia, goes too far, provokes inflammation itself.

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Why do inflammations occur from drafts?

Often, osteochondrosis transforms further – into disc protrusion, when its edges blur, breaking the border both inside and outside of the vertebra

Of course, it is not so easy to cause inflammation of the nerve endings coming out of the spine with a banal draft. The soil, as they say, must be prepared. The most common substrate is banal osteochondrosis – degeneration of the intervertebral discs, which is based on posture disorders, age, excessive stress on the spine, sports and much more.

As a result, the disc loses its elasticity, the cartilaginous base is replaced by a bone one. Often, osteochondrosis transforms further – into disc protrusion, when its edges blur, breaking the border both inside and outside of the vertebra, and into a full-fledged hernia, when there is compression of the spinal cord or nerve endings emerging from it. Now there is only one step left before the pain appears.

Why does he shoot through the back?

The cause of pain is not only inflammation of the nerve endings – protective muscle tension and even spasm make a significant contribution

And the result – waking up and trying to take the first steps, we literally fall down from a sharp pain. Shot in the back – this is how they describe this feeling at a neurologist’s appointment. Often the pain does not stop, spreading further along the nerves involved in the inflammatory process. Most often, pain appears on the back of the leg, associated with inflammation of the sciatic nerve. Sciatica is what the doctors of the old school called this syndrome. And the pain can also radiate to the pelvis, chest and even the genitals.

The cause of pain is not only inflammation of the nerve endings – protective muscle tension and even spasm, which occur in an attempt to compensate for the pain reaction, make a significant contribution. In practice, it turns out the opposite – spasm not only does not correct the situation, but is also an additional source of pain. By the way, back pain can appear without the participation of nerve endings. After all, it can blow not only them, but also the muscle itself. In this case, neurologists talk about the development of muscular lumbar pain.

What should I do if my back hurts?

Rest is the first and foremost remedy

What to do if the back failed so at the wrong time?

First of all, do not try to “disperse” by moving through pain or drinking a handful of painkillers. Even if this brings temporary relief, then the situation will only worsen. A sick back should be warm and dry. And most importantly, be calm. So rest is the first and foremost remedy.

The second component – you can’t do without the second, this is a local treatment. We have already talked about dryness and warmth, woolen shawls and scarves will help to create comfort for the lower back. In case the cause of the pain is in the muscles, physiotherapy or massage can bring a good result.

It is important to follow two basic rules:

1. Do not use these methods in the acute period.

2. Use them only as directed by a neurologist and physiotherapist.

What ointments and tablets should be used to treat a sore back?

Drug treatment will consist in the use of ointments or gels containing a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug as the main component. And as additional – various substances that are useful at this moment, improve local blood circulation, which help relieve the inflammatory process – for example, hot pepper extract. If this does not help, then the swelling and pain need to be acted upon systematically.

It is best to drink a course of the same non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, only in the form of tablets or capsules. Usually, in order to completely forget about the discomfort, 3-4 days are enough. If you take pills, do not forget to additionally “protect” the stomach with a sparing diet and drugs from the proton pump blocker group in the morning and evening.

What to do in a pinch when nothing works?

An extreme treatment option is blockade with an injection of novocaine or lidocaine. But this is an ambulance that helps you get out of bed and get rid of severe pain for a while. At the same time, it is imperative to continue to apply systemic treatment, protective regimen and other methods prescribed by the doctor. And the pain, like autumn with its cold piercing wind and drafts, will soon recede.

Back pain: causes and treatment

December 20, 2019

General practitioner

Savelyeva

Olesya Grigorievna

Experience 23 years

District physician, member of the Russian Scientific Medical Society of Therapists

Make an appointment

Back pain can occur for a huge number of reasons and absolutely at any age. Many people at different stages of life note a pulling, cutting, stabbing, aching, shooting, sharp, dull pain. Often the back hurts in the lumbar region, between the shoulder blades, on one side or the other. Pain is not always harmless, so at the first discomfort you should pay attention to it.

Causes of back pain

The factors that cause back pain are almost endless.

• Temporary – usually goes away on its own. These include:
  – long stay of the body in an uncomfortable position. There are predominantly pulling pains in the back of the back, caused by prolonged muscle tension and improper deflection of the spine;
  – pregnancy. Most often, during preparation for childbirth, women have lower back pain, which is associated with the production of a special hormone by the body, designed to soften and stretch the ligaments, thereby allowing the child to pass through the birth canal.
• Degenerative is a more serious variety requiring treatment. These include:
  – osteochondrosis. Intervertebral discs are destroyed. A person has a backache, often headaches, dizziness, hearing problems are added to the symptom, lameness may occur;
  – intervertebral hernia. Appears as a result of a change in the position of the intervertebral disc. The back hurts with a uniform, aching pain, intensifying at moments of physical exertion or coughing. Lack of timely competent treatment can lead to paralysis;
  – displacement of the vertebrae. Back pain in the lower back, can give to the legs. Occurs due to a congenital anomaly or unnatural changes in the spine;
  – Disk failure. One of the further stages after the formation of a hernia. The patient feels the strongest sharp pain in the back;
  – radiculitis. The roots of the spinal cord are pinched, after which the back hurts between the shoulder blades and below. If you do not react for a long time, there is a decrease in the general sensitivity of the back, as well as severe shooting pain;
  – osteoporosis. There are two reasons for this phenomenon: natural age and hormonal changes. Bone tissue loses its former structure, becoming more fragile. As a result, the back hurts due to a sharp change in weather or a long stay in one position;
  – Bechterew’s disease. The joints are weakened, and the back hurts in the spine. In particular, sensations are clearly manifested at night.
• Infectious – caused by infectious diseases:
  – tuberculosis – often directly affects the spinal column, is accompanied by severe pain, long-term treatment and often leads to the patient’s disability;
  – osteomyelitis – a disease of bone tissue and bone marrow with the appearance of pus and fistulas on the surface of the body. Just like with tuberculosis, it is characterized by severe pain in the back, head, fever, nausea, and diarrhea.
• Radiating – provoked by pathologies of internal organs:
  – kidneys. Due to inflammation of the kidneys or the appearance of stones in them, the back hurts in the lower back: the pain is girdle, supplemented by strongly yellowed urine and frequent trips to the toilet, body temperature may rise;
  – GIT. The back hurts in the area of ​​​​the shoulder blades and a little lower due to gastritis or stomach ulcers. Sensations are exacerbated if a person is hungry or has just eaten, may be accompanied by bloating, belching, diarrhea or constipation;
  – female reproductive organs. There is discomfort in the lumbar region, which can be supplemented by menstrual irregularities and copious discharge with an uncharacteristic color and smell;
  – lungs. The back hurts under the shoulder blades and in the chest with increased inhalation, accompanied by rapid breathing, palpitations, shortness of breath even at rest, dizziness, increased fatigue;
  – heart. It hurts the back, shoulder blades, thoracic region mainly on the left, can give to the left hand. Often the symptom is accompanied by palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath.

Back Pain Treatment

There is no single scheme that would help to cope with discomfort in the back area, as well as one specific specialist who would solve all possible problems in this area. It all depends on the cause that provoked the appearance of pain.

Therefore, when the first symptoms appear, do not wait until they get worse, contact the Pain Treatment Center. If you don’t know why your back hurts, and what kind of specialist you need, you should visit a therapist. In addition to him, back problems are dealt with by an orthopedist, surgeons and other highly specialized specialists.

You can get a detailed consultation with any of the above and many other specialists by making an appointment at JSC “Medicine” (clinic of Academician Roitberg). The multifunctional medical center has gathered within its walls highly qualified specialists. Thanks to modern equipment of the highest class, any analyzes and diagnostics will be carried out quickly, comfortably and demonstrate the most accurate results.

The clinic is located in the central district of Moscow at 10, 2nd Tverskoy-Yamskoy pereulok, near the Mayakovskaya metro station. Registration is conducted by the round-the-clock phone +7 (495) 775-73-60. You will be assigned to a specialist who will be able to provide a full consultation as quickly as possible.