Chest acne although not quite as visible as face acne, is suffered by almost as many people both male and female, young and old, it may not be just confined to the chest area only but may also appear on other areas of the body most noticeably the back and neck.
Chest acne can also occur in the same forms as face acne such as pustular or nodular or even cystic, as well as taking the form of whiteheads, blackheads and pimples, getting rid of these should be a priority as these may develop into acne.
You may find that acne on the body, or in this case the chest, is more difficult to cure because of the thickness of the skin in these areas and the amount of skin pores that are present, however with the correct regime and treatment it may be treated successfully, but bear in mind it may take longer to do this than with face acne. As this area is generally covered by clothing it can also be painful to the sufferer as they may chafe and rub the skin to make things worse.
As with other similar conditions, the causes of chest acne still not completely understood by medical science, but it is known that the main triggers for it is related to hormones, and it may occur more frequently in people with excessively oily skin.
It is probably no coincidence that acne can occur in areas of heavy perspiration such as the chest or back which are often not cleansed as deeply as the face and these area may also be subjected to chafing, either by clothes or worst of all a backpack, which may cause a great deal of irritation because of the tight-fitting straps and continuous rubbing, particularly if the weather is hot.
The root cause however is once again clogged pores in the skin and action must be taken to prevent this from happening or at least do what one can to minimize the risk.
The only good thing that can be said about body acne is that for most people it will be hidden by clothing, and this at least offers some consolation in as much it will not cause them as much stress or embarrassment as facial acne, of course this may mean avoiding the beach or pool or other such activities for the self-conscious, but this fear may become less important as one grows older.
There are a few things that should be avoided for the person suffering with chest acne, tight-fitting clothing is not a good idea and any type of man-made fabrics such as nylon, rayon, acrylic may cause excess sweating. Natural fibers such as cotton or silk should be worn at all times next to the skin, also avoid wool but mohair may be good because it is exceptionally soft.
Avoid any harsh scrubbing or rubbing of the affected areas when washing or drying the skin, gentleness in these activities is key to treating your condition.
Wash affected areas as soon as possible after perspiring heavily, try to avoid letting sweat dry on the skin as this can cause irritation. Avoid very hot showers or baths as this too can aggravate the condition.
Try and avoid the wearing of backpacks or bags with straps that may come into contact with and irritate the areas of acne on the skin.
Avoid using cosmetics or soap that are perfumed, this includes body sprays and anti-perspirants, use only soap and other such products that are formulated for acne sufferers, body lotions or other such products that you may use should water based and non-clogging.
Ensure that bedclothes are changed as often as possible this includes sheets and pillowcases, it may also be beneficial not to wash any of your clothing in harsh detergents packed full of the latest anionic surfactants or fabric conditioners, avoid all these like the plague and use ordinary soap flakes, there are low-suds powders available for machine washing.
Some people may find the harsh chemicals in these products irritating to their skin especially when they perspire. Use skin cleansers that are formulated for acne skin, not ordinary cosmetic products.
Wash and cleanse the affected areas as gently as possible using only the tips of the fingers, sponges and washcloths are usually best avoided.
If you have tried everything and symptoms still persist you may need to take some stronger prescribed medications and antibiotics in which case you will need to visit your doctor or a dermatologist, some of these type of medicines are not available at a pharmacy and must only be used with professional medical supervision.
Generally the first product normally recommended is Benzoyl Peroxide, this is a tried and in some cases proven home treatment for acne that can be very effective and can certainly be tried on your chest acne in the first instance, be sure to use a low concentration product to begin with, 2.5% or less and gradually build up to a stronger concentrate over a period of several weeks, as it may take some time for the skin to adjust to this medication.
There is no definitive way to prevent chest acne or any other sort of skin condition, but you can take steps to keep the skin in good shape.
One of the most important things for the skin is hydration, make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day, follow a good cleansing regime to keep the skin as clean as possible, and this will include exfoliating it, or removing dead skin cells, also the use of a good moisturizer is very important, as some treatments can be dry the skin considerably.
Be sure to eat a healthy diet, this is so important not just for chest acne for good skin in general, not to mention long-term health, the key thing here is a well balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, cut out the junk food, salt, refined sugar and heavily processed foods, it may also be wise to be careful of hot or spicy foods, while these foods are generally healthy in themselves the ingredients can trigger skin eruptions on some people particularly spots and pimples.