As summer approaches and more skin is exposed, many people struggle with acne on the back, commonly known as "bacne." Dermatologists advise that the symptoms can be substantially controlled by correcting eating habits and maintaining diligent care.
Britain's Daily Mail reported Tuesday on expert opinions that avoiding foods that sharply raise blood sugar—such as white rice, white bread, and pasta—is the starting point for managing acne.
Instead, research has shown that skin improves considerably when diets are built around low glycemic index (GI) whole grains, nuts, oily fish, and whole wheat bread.
The back is prone to acne because it has densely packed glands that produce sebum and tends to accumulate a lot of sweat. Excess sebum, combined with dead skin cells and bacteria, clogs the pores. The condition worsens when sweat from exercise cannot dry inside clothing, or when tight workout clothes repeatedly rub against the skin.
To prevent this, the washing method must first be corrected. Dr. Nihal Apam, a British dermatologist who founded the Dr. Style Clinic, said, "Washing with body washes or sprays containing salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and glycolic acid is good for removing waste from inside the pores and calming inflammation." Washing immediately after sweating and changing out of wet clothes into fresh ones is also essential.
Dr. Apam noted, "Since it usually takes several weeks for the skin to recover, the attitude of maintaining care without interruption is more important than anything."
Experts recommend choosing well-ventilated, loose-fitting clothes for workouts. This is to reduce the degree of friction between clothing and skin and to prevent residual sweat from irritating the skin.
Care must also be taken when choosing topical products. Heavy moisturizers such as cocoa butter or shea butter, and some vegetable oils such as palm oil and carrot seed oil, can clog pores and cause acne, so it is better to avoid them if you have bacne.
If there is no improvement even after adjusting lifestyle, there is the option of visiting a clinic for treatment. LED (light-emitting diode) light therapy or medications prescribed by a specialist can be used. The earlier action is taken before scars form, the easier it is to manage. If scars have already set in, microneedling, radiofrequency microneedling, chemical peels, and lasers can be used to smooth out skin texture.
Experts caution against squeezing with the hands or scratching, since the skin on the back is thicker than the face, allowing inflammation to penetrate deeper and heal more slowly, making it easier for dark scars to remain.
