A completely normal skincare concern, body acne is a very real thing and is nothing to be ashamed about. Most of us have experienced it at some point or the other and some find it even more difficult to get rid of. Body acne can be caused by hormonal changes, dandruff, irritation on contact with certain clothing materials, clogged pores, certain medications, and stress in general. While a visit to the dermatologist is a no-brainer when it comes to treating this skin issue; you could also make a few changes to your body care routine that might help with the discomfort and overall severity of the breakout.
Precautions To Take When Dealing With Body Acne
These tips will help you overcome this skin concern.
Avoid Picking The Breakouts
The first rule to treating body acne is to avoid picking it at all costs. No good can come from this obsessive action; just a more painful experience and stubborn marks that might stay on for a really long time.
Switch To Cool Water Showers
Hot water baths are great for your muscles, but it might be the reason your body acne isn’t going away. Hot water showers leave your pores open and this could be inviting more bacteria to seep in and form acne. Cool water will shrink your pores and prevent any acne from forming. If you cannot go all the way, end your hot water shower with a rinse of cool water. A few drops of essential added to your bath water can also help with calming the acne on your body. Add ten drops of lavender essential oil or vetiver essential oil to your bath water.
Watch That Hair Conditioner Rinse
Haircare products are specifically formulated for your hair and can clog pores if it comes in contact with your skin. If you like hot showers and are rinsing your hair care products, it could be a recipe for disaster. Hot water opens pores and thick haircare products like conditioner will get into your pores and clog them up causing backne. Avoid this by either washing conditioner by the side or use cool water to rinse it off.
Change Your Body Wash
Using a soap bar or highly scented shower gel? You need to avoid these and opt for a gentle shower gel that preferably has tea tree or lavender in its ingredient list along with other moisturising ingredients. This will work wonders to calm down your body acne and even show signs of improvement. Avoid shower gels that contain harsh ingredients like salicylic acid as that could sometimes dry out your skin and cause irritation.
Do Not Exfoliate
This can cause the body acne to worsen. It will cause more irritation and spread the breakout. So, when your body acne still exists, avoid using a body scrub on the affected areas.
Try A Face Moisturiser
They say you should treat the skin on your body as well as you treat the skin on your face. So, try your trusted face moisturiser that you use when you experience inflammation on your face on your body acne. This might help soothe the body acne and help with marks. Make sure to avoid concentrated face care products like retinol or vitamin C when doing this.
Drink Lots Of Water
You may find this to be quite difficult if you don’t already drink enough water on a daily basis. It is true that you need to drink ample amounts of water to flush out toxins from your body and let healthy skin prevail. So keep track of this and maybe even set reminders for yourself to hydrate.
Seek Professional Help
The above steps are ideal to follow so as to ensure your body acne does not get worse. But, a professional’s opinion is also recommended. If in case your body acne is caused due to a reaction to medications or hormonal imbalances, a dermatologist’s instructions can be the only thing that will help you recover.
If you’ve been dealing with stubborn body acne for a while, we hope this sets you on the path to saying goodbye to it.
Featured Images: Pexels
