How to reduce back acne during summers

By Anupriya Jamuar

Summers are the perfect reminder of sweltering afternoons and out of the blue back acne flareups. Bacne can be annoying, inconvenient and painful to deal with, but we’re here to tell you that it is not something you can’t get rid of, as tenacious as those bumps on your back might seem.

So, we asked celebrity dermatologist Dr Harshna Bijlani all about bacne during the summer season, how to take care of it and what ingredients help reduce it.

Reasons for flareups 

“Summer is often marked by a sharp increase in temperature and humidity. This often clogs your pores with sweat, dust, pollution and dead skin cells. Your back has larger oil glands than your face, this in combination with it always being covered with clothing is the ideal combination for acne,” explains Dr Harshna.

Another reason for this is back waxing. The skin on your back is too sensitive for waxing and often causes breakouts. “Avoid back waxing as much as possible and especially if you have a big event coming up, do not try waxing your back for the first time,” advises Dr Harshna.

What will help? 

“Anti-inflammatory ingredients like benzoyl peroxide can be used in the form of a medicated cream, body wash, or toner to treat bacne. What it essentially does is reduce the inflammation caused by acne-causing bacteria and unclog your pores by riding them of accumulated dead skin cells and debris to reduce breakouts,” explains Dr Harshna.

Other actives that will help you fight bacne 

Azelaic acid: With its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, azelaic acid effectively cleans any acne causing bacteria from your pores to reduce further acne flare-up.

Tea tree oil: It helps to calm redness and inflammation, like azelaic acid to improve skin texture and reduce acne.

Glycolic acid: “Use AHAs to exfoliate your skin and help prevent acne. They control sebum production, which is the food of acne-causing bacteria. The lesser your oil production, the less likely the acne bacteria is to thrive on your skin,” explains Dr Harshna.

Antibiotics: In serious cases of bacne your doctor can recommend antibiotic creams or medication. These essentially contain antibiotics such as clindamycin, azithromycin, dapsone to help reduce the flareup,” says Dr Harshna.