Oh, acne… don’t you just love when you have to deal with acne on your face, and then also back acne? đ”âđ« Pimples can also leave behind scars as little reminders of themselves. I had bad back acne scars, and here is how to get rid of them from my own experience!
This is my back now… clear with just a few pimples every now and then. They don’t scar either due to the products I use!
Keep reading for the best course of action to get rid of back acne scars.
What Causes Back Acne Scars?
Acne! This is a no brainer, but it leads me to an important point:
What causes back acne? It can be a range of things, but, “It happens when sweat, oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria get trapped in your skinâs pores. Backpacks, sweaty shirts or sports equipment can create friction on your back and worsen back acne.” From My Cleveland Clinic. A lot of times it can also be from your shampoo!
(BTW: This shampoo is formulated just for that cause… it doesn’t contain any of the ingredients that will clog up your pores and create back acne.)
It also can be genetic. I had cystic acne on my face and some significant back acne. But I found for me it went away pretty quickly using products to treat it! The skin on your back must be a lot tougher and less delicate than the easily inflamed facial skin.
Of course, if your skin is susceptible to it, or you pick your acne, it will turn to scars.
Side note: If you still have active acne go here: as you will have to take care of that before dealing with the scars, otherwise the cycles continue.
What Products To Use For Back Acne Scars
I have a few miracle products that will help get bacne under control!
It seems like the skin on your back is very receptive to acne medications and scrubs. In my personal experience, my bacne cleared up way faster than my facial acne ever could. I had to eventually go on Accutane for my face!
How to get rid of back and shoulder acne: the easiest way to start off treating your bacne scars is using a scrub! It is no problem to use in the shower, and takes little time!
Salicylic Acid Body Scrubs
I made sure to use the Neutrogena body scrub AFTER shampooing in the shower. This is important, because like I said earlier, some shampoos and conditioners can clog up the pores on your back. Which eventually leads to acne.
I scrubbed it on the affected areas, then let it sit for about 5 minutes. This lets the salicylic acid get to work on the acne bacteria, as well as exfoliating old scars.
How does salicylic acid work on acne?
You’ll see most of these body scrubs containing salicylic acid because “Salicylic acid belongs to a class of drugs known as salicylates. When applied to the skin, salicylic acid may work by helping the skin to shed dead cells from the top layer and by decreasing redness and swelling (inflammation). This decreases the number of pimples that form and speeds healing.” WebMD
This is perfect for back acne, as well as acne scars.
The scars will be gently exfoliated chemically by the salicylic acid.
Back Acne Sprays
This is something relatively new and what I wished I had when I was dealing with bacne. Back sprays can be used anytime and in conjunction with body scrubs. I would spray it on my back before getting dressed to keep bacteria at bay. This will prevent bacne from forming throughout the day.
The sprays linked above also have salicylic acid in them as an acne medication. This is super handy to reapply all day whenever you want if you are ready to tackle back acne and get rid of it sooner.
If you still have a few active breakouts here and there when you are dealing with scars, these scrubs and sprays will kill two birds with one stone.
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid
What can’t this glycolic acid do?! I use it to lighten my armpits, use it as natural deodorant, and to get baby soft feet. I have also seen people use it for dandruff!
Just apply this to a cotton pad on the affected acne scars. This will exfoliate and lighten any back acne scars you might have.
How Long Does It Take To Get Rid Of Back Acne?
If you implement these products into your routine, it should take at least a month to get rid of back acne. I do think that you will see improvement in a few days as well due to the salicylic acid helping reduce inflammation.
This will help calm down angry, painful bumps on your back.
In terms of scars, it might take a little longer to get rid of the pigmentation.
What Foods To Eat For Clear Skin
Diet is such an important part of how to prevent back acne and acne in general. These helpful articles I wrote will lay out the best things to eat to improve skin, as well as what to avoid. This is a big part of how to keep back acne scars away as well.
Use Food to Help with Acne: 8 Incredibly Valuable Tips
5 Startling Reasons Why Sugar Is Bad For Your Skin
How To Get Rid Of Back Acne Scars Naturally?
Like how using glycolic acid on the skin exfoliates any scars, try milk! Milk contains natural lactic acid and while not as strong, it might work.
I haven’t tried it personally, but using a sugar/salt scrub to exfoliate the skin and applying milk might work to get rid of back acne scars naturally! Let the milk sit on the skin for an hour then wash it off.
Lemon juice is also something that contains exfoliating acids in it, but just be wary of irritation!
Also, if you are trying to avoid medications and want a more natural solution to back acne, try sea salt!
Sea salt is one of the miracle products that I use to kill acne bacteria. Like any bacteria, it can’t thrive in a very salty environment. Doing a sea salt soak helped get rid of the acne on my back. Just make sure it is sea salt and not table salt. Sea salt also has trace minerals in it that helps heal skin.
You could also take warm clean water and mix it with a tablespoon or so of sea salt. This salty solution then can be applied to the back with a cotton ball.
Do this daily (at night) until your skin clears up!
If you would like to read more about the specific routine I do as well as why it’s important to use natural sea salt, check out this article.
Does Salt Water Help Acne? Only With This Unique Routine!
I hope this helps you in how to get rid of back acne scars.
Best, Mia
This content is for informational purposes only, and what has worked for me personally based on my own opinions. I am not a professional/medical doctor, and you should always consult your doctor or dermatologist on what will work best for you. The information presented here is not legitimate, official advice from a professional. If you choose to rely on any information from this blog, you do so at your own risk. Please refer to the âBlog Disclaimerâ tab in the menu bar to read more information and the official disclaimer statement.
