Treatments For Back Acne Part 3 - 10 Powerful Tips to Prevent Back Acne
By Pauline Radka
In the previous article of this series we discussed the two opposing theories on what actually causes back acne. Armed with this knowledge we can now immunize ourselves from charlatans out to exploit our vulnerabilities and instead approach the treatment of back acne confidentially and rationally.
To begin with, it's important to understand that there is no one single cure for back acne. On the contrary, most back acne sufferers require a combination of treatments to successfully manage their acne. Unfortunately, with a plethora of products and conflicting advice out there it's easy to get confused and overwhelmed. To remedy this, over the course of this and the next five articles I'll reveal a simple formula for selecting the safest and most effective treatments for back acne with the greatest speed and accuracy.
The first step of this formula involves eliminating all factors that may potentially aggravate your back acne and/or diminish the effectiveness of any treatments we adopt.
Based on the theory that back acne results from excess sebum production blocking follicles and subsequently harboring bacteria it can be assumed that anything that hampers the secretion of sebum or encourages bacterial colonization of blocked follicles may indeed exacerbate back acne. However, with regards to controlling bacteria it's important to realize that not all bacteria cause acne but rather only a very specific strain of bacteria. To this end just because you may expose your back to a potentially infected source (e.g. a sweaty exercise mat at the gym) does not mean that you will 'catch' acne or even worsen the acne you've already got.
Bearing these points in mind here are seven precautionary steps you should take to eliminate back acne irritants:
Precaution 1 - Avoid Squeezing: As tempting and satisfying as 'popping zits' may be this one acne-aggravating you should definitely avoid. Not only does this further irritate the skin it can also spread the specific acne-bacteria to other clogged by previously uninfected follicles.
Precaution 2 - Personal Hygiene: Daily showering along with showering shortly after sweat-inducing exercise (ideally before the sweat is allowed to dry) goes a long way in controlling the numbers of acne-bacteria residing on your back.
Precaution 3 - Avoid Harsh Scrubbing: Similar to squeezing pimples, vigorous scrubbing with back scrubs and/or abrasive cleansers (ones with particles in them) can damage and further irritate acne-affected skin. What's more, the actual particles in abrasive cleansers can also block follicles, paradoxically worsening the condition they are attempting to improve! As such you should cleanse your back very gently and never with an abrasive cleanser.
Precaution 4 - Clean Clothes / Sheets: A daily change of freshly washed clothes (i.e. not wearing clothes that have not been washed since the last time they were worn) will help reduce the number of acne-bacteria multiplying on previously worn clothes from re-infecting your back. Similarly, frequent changing of bed sheets will also reduce reinfection with acne-bacteria.
Precaution 5 - Breathable Fabrics: In an effort to minimize back perspiration as well as to rapidly draw away sweat from our skin you should wear clothes made of breathable fabrics (such as merino wool, hemp and cotton). While many people recommend you avoid wearing tight fitting clothes, it appears that the breathability of the fabric is more important.
Precaution 6 - Short Hair: Long hair (especially oily hair) in contact with the skin on your back has been shown to exacerbate the severity of back acne. Ideally you should cut your hair short to avoid all hair contact with your back. However, should you choose not to cut your hair then you should keep your hair off your back when in the shower (by tying your hair up or using a shower cap) as well as tie your hair up at night.
Precaution 7 - Avoid Backpacks: In an effort to avoid placing prolonged pressure on your back (which would obviously hinder sebum flow) you should avoid or at least minimize use of back packs.
Furthermore, based on the theory that inflammation is the primary step in acne formation we should also take care to eliminate sources that potentially induce or worsen an inflammatory response. Such preventive measures include:
Precaution 8 - Non-Irritant Skin Care Products and Make-Up: The vast majority of soaps, cleansers, toners and moisturizers contain specific ingredients that are well documented skin irritants. Ingredients such as lauryl and laureth sulfates, parabens, petroleum derivatives, and polyethylene glycol (to name but a fraction) are almost universally found in skin care products. As such you should definitely favor "chemical-free" skin care products that do not contain these nasty inflammatory chemicals.
Precaution 9 - Non-Irritant Detergents: Just as skin care products contain irritants that induce an inflammatory response in your skin, so too do most washing detergents. Clothes washed in such irritating detergents will expose the skin on your back to these inflammation-producing chemicals and consequently worsen your back acne. As such, you should select "chemical-free" laundry detergents to wash your clothes with.
Precaution 10 - Non-Irritant Diet: Finally, and possibly most importantly you should dramatically reduce consumption of pro-inflammatory foods. Contrary to the emphatic and unequivocal assertions by most dermatologists and "acne experts" that diet has no effect one way or another on back acne, a poor diet full of pro-inflammatory foods does indeed impair the body's organs (the largest of which is the skin) form performing at optimum levels. While it is beyond the scope of this article to list all pro-inflammatory foods, some of the more surprising acne-exacerbating foods to avoid include bananas, bread, corn, cream cheese, flour, fruit juices, pasta, peas and rice. Remember, it is both the types of foods eaten and the amounts eaten that determine the severity of the inflammatory response.
By adopting each one of these irritation-eliminating steps not only will you reduce the severity of your back acne, you'll also greatly increase the likelihood of the treatments you adopt actually working. With these habits in place the next step in treating your back acne involves experimenting with a range of safe, affordable and effective natural home remedies... the focus of my next article in this "Treatments For Back Acne" series.
Pauline Radka |
