When you talk about butt acne, you are literally talking about pain in the butt. These zips can pop up on your booty, and they do not look cute at all. Now, you have to understand that butt acne is not the same as pimples that appear on your face.
Because of that, they are tougher to treat, even once you figure out how to deal with normal breakouts on your face. With that in mind, how to get rid of butt acne?
What is butt acne?
We said they are not as normal acne. Butt acne is not true acne, but folliculitis. That is a mild infection of the hair follicle that can result in red bumps and pus pimples. Butt acne in some cases appears because of an irritation secondary to chronic rubbing, which comes due to wearing tight-fitting clothes or even waxing.
Yes, that is true, waxing your butt can result in butt acne. And that is according to certified dermatologists.
What causes butt acne?
Butt acne is not caused by a single factor. It is a combination of many factors that lead to bacterial infection on the butt and blockage of hair follicles. In most cases, they are caused by blocked hair follicles.
There are, however, several reasons why you might notice zips popping up on your butt. And none of them are cute. In fact, they are usually gross to see.
Here are a couple of reasons why they appear.
- Keeping sweaty and wet clothes on after exercise. As the sweat dries over your pores, it leaves bumps in their wake. It is recommended that you change your clothes after exercise
- Sitting too much can also lead to butt acne. It might be hard to avoid, especially for those with a sedentary job position. But it is imperative that you try to spend time walking around and standing, even though you have a sitting job
- Wearing underwear pass its prime is also a reason for butt acne. That is why dermatologists recommend that you change your undies on a regular basis. Old and used underwear puts dirt, sweat, and oils close up with your skin
- Wearing tight-fitting clothes is one of the more regular reasons and factors for butt acne. Your choice of clothing influences whether you get butt acne or not. Tight-fitting clothes can trap sweat and oil against your skin and block hair follicles
What you should not do for butt acne?
The first thing you need to do to clear up butt acne is clean up the area. Washing regularly with products formulated for breakout, which contain salicylic acid and soothing ingredients will keep the bacteria at bay.
This reduces the chances of developing a bacterial folliculitis. One problem is people treat butt acne as they are regular acne. And this is where most mistakes happen, and you cannot get rid of them.
When you want to know how to get rid of butt acne, it is important to understand it is not the same as normal acne.
With that in mind, you should not, under any circumstances, try to exfoliate the skin. Yes, getting rid of dead skin cells helps with acne on your face, but not on your butt.
Do not scrub the area with a loofah. You might think you are doing yourself a favor, but in reality, you are worsening the inflammation and irritation. Exfoliating the area can lead to potential scaring.
Sweat sessions do not help as well. If you have butt acne, try to avoid sweating for the days you are treating them.
Sweating and sweaty environment promote bacteria growth and breeding ground, and that is exactly what you want to avoid. Wipe yourself off if you are doing a workout, and change immediately into a more breathable outfit.
Last, but not least, you should avoid waxing if you have butt acne. Waxing can lead to further obstruction of hair follicles, and worsening of the inflammation.
What you can do?
Shower after exercise
This applies to every, single, time. It is a MUST do.
Showering immediately after a workout will help you remove sweat, dirt, and oil that accumulates on the surface of your skin.
This helps in prevention of butt acne, but also about treatment. We said previously that you should never sit in your wet workout clothes.
Loosen up your clothing
You will notice that most of the precaution measures you take are also the things you do to treat butt acne. If you notice you have butt acne, you should immediately change your clothing to loose-fitting.
Those jeggings and spandex you wear can irritate butt pimples, and you should wear your yoga pants only during yoga.
Tight clothing causes friction that will irritate the follicles on your butt, and trigger red bumps and breakouts.
Apply over the counter body wash with benzoyl peroxide
Some treatments that work for facial acne can work on butt acne as well. One of those is benzoyl peroxide. When you have a mild breakout, applying benzoyl peroxide can help with treatment.
The solution will clear out your pores, reduce blemishes, and provide anti-inflammatory properties. All of this can help with butt acne. You can buy benzoyl peroxide in any drug store, be it body wash or bar soap form.
Salicylic acid medicated pads
We said that exfoliating is not recommended for butt acne. But if you apply salicylic acid medicated pads, it is good. It is one of the more effective ways to scrub away at your skin. The acid helps with clearing up pores.
Medicated salicylic acid pads are the best way to deliver the medication to your butt in a safe and secure way. Yes, there are other creams and lotions with the acid, but stick to the pads.
Rub the pad over the buttocks, but keep it away from your genitals. And similar to benzoyl peroxide, you can easily buy the solution over the counter in any drug store. For butt acne, it is best that you look for a solution that has 2% salicylic acid.
Lactic acid lotion
Last, but not least, an effective way is to apply a lactic acid lotion. The lotion contains alpha hydroxyl acid that helps loosen and slough away dead skin cells. What you get is a smoother and softer butt that is breakout-free.
And this is another solution you can buy over the counter at any drug store. Simply massage the lotion onto your buttocks on a daily basis. You can also use the lotion to smooth rough hands, feet, elbows, and knees.
Always apply the lotion after the salicylic acid has completely dried. For best results, apply the acid in the morning, and the lotion at night.
