Introduction
While you may think that acne only occurs on your face, you should know that acne on your shoulders and back is also quite common. This is something that you don’t hear a lot about though. Fortunately, there are some ways in which you can treat acne on your shoulders and back. However, if this acne grows too severe or has any cysts under your skin a dermatologist should treat it. Otherwise, you can take the following steps to treat mild cases of acne on your back or shoulders.
Step 1
Start by washing the acne on your shoulders and on your back really well with an antibacterial cleanser. This type of cleaner will state that it is formulated for your face. However, you should know that it can also be used on other areas of your body as well. A good brand to use for this is Cetaphil. Any antibacterial brand of soap will do though. Just make sure that you avoid using a regular type of soap, as this will only aggravate the acne on your shoulders and back even further. After you are done washing this area of your skin, let the area air-dry. Do not towel dry it or you will irritate it and void any benefits you have just received from washing your skin in this fashion.
Step 2
Once you have allowed this area of your skin to air dry, apply a generous amount of benzoyl peroxide cream to the acne on your shoulders and back. Neutrogena makes a great product that you can use for this. Regardless of the brand name of the cream that you choose to use, it is important to make sure that it has between 2.5 and 10 percent benzoyl peroxide. Once again, you do not ever want to rub this product into your skin. Instead, you simply want to smooth the cream over the acne on your shoulders and back. After you do so, you should allow it to soak into your skin naturally. Now wait for your skin to completely dry before you put any clothing over the area.
Step 3
You can also apply an alpha hydroxy lotion to the acne on your shoulders and back. While this step is actually optional, there are some experts who say that whenever this product is used in combination with the benzoyl peroxide you will get much better results. However, it really is up to you to decide whether or not you want to use it. If you choose to use it, simply put the cream on over top of the Benzoyl Peroxide and allow it to dry naturally before putting any clothing on over the area.
Step 4
Use a sugar scrub on the acne on your shoulders and back while showering. This needs to be done once a week. Sugar scrubs are milder than a salt scrub, which is why you should use them. Doing so will exfoliate your skin, removing any dead skin cells that will clog up your pores causing the acne on your shoulders and back.
