Body acne : Acne Treatment Guide

Acne usually develops on the face but it can also appear on other areas of the body such as the back, chest and shoulders. It can also develop on the arms and legs.

In fact, it can develop on almost any part of the body. The reason for this is sebaceous glands: these are millions of tiny glands which are present underneath our skin and secrete oil to help lubricate our skin.

Two parts of the body which do not have these glands are the soles of the feet and the palms of the hands.

If you have acne on your face then there is a fair chance that you will have an outbreak on a part of your body as well. Body acne occurs in the same way as facial acne.

Possible causes of body acne

There is no exact cause of acne – both facial and body but there are several factors which can aggravate an existing case of acne.

These include wearing tight clothing which rubs against the skin, leading to irritation and spots; using a skincare product which may react against the skin and the side effects of medications.

These and more are discussed further in our acne complications section.

Sweat stained clothing and acne are a bad combination. If you exercise then have a shower as soon as you have finished and wear breathable clothing if possible.

A good example of that is ‘technical’ clothing which is made from a wicking material. That material removes sweat away from the surface of the skin which will prevent any further irritation.

It has been suggested that certain types of fabric softeners can irritate acne. There is no hard and fast evidence for this but you can try washing clothes without adding a fabric softener to see if this prevents any further irritation.

Treatment is the same for this as facial acne.