Acne: Once you start experiencing dandruff, it is natural to get acne breakouts. As you are sleeping with wet hair on the pillow, your face is touching the pillow too. So, the dandruff, the bacteria are getting spilled over to your face and affecting it's well-being in turn.
Most of us lather our hair with shampoo before turning away from the shower and rinsing it out. But rinsing your hair against your back could be making your back acne worse as the residue from your shampoo, conditioner and other products could be clogging up your pores and leading to spots.
“Back acne is the result of an accumulation of dead skin cells and oil [sebum] within the pores in the skin, combined with an overgrowth of a common skin bacteria, Cutibacterium acnes, which triggers an inflammatory response,” says Kara Shah, MD, a board-certified general and pediatric dermatologist with Kenwood ...
If you have acne on your back—or “bacne” as some people call it—you don't have to wait for it to clear on its own. Treatment and the right skin care can help you see clearer skin more quickly. You may even be able to clear your back on your own.
Although a hot shower removes sebum, the removal also triggers the body to produce more sebum after the shower. If you suffer from acne, it is advisable to take cold showers to help sebum control and prevent new breakouts.
Cold water can be especially beneficial for dry or acne-prone skin, says Knapp. “If you have chronically dry skin, hot water can strip your sebum levels (oils) and exacerbate the issue, so cold water is a good alternative.”
“I find that often 'back acne' is actually pityrosporum folliculitis, an overgrowth of a yeast normally found on our skin. Using antifungal shampoos and body washes, daily for 10 days, then weekly for maintenance, is helpful,” says Dr. Debbie Elder.
Going to sleep with wet hair can be bad for you, but not in the way your grandmother warned you. Ideally, you should be going to bed with completely dry hair to reduce your risk of fungal infections and hair breakage. Sleeping with wet hair could also result in more tangles and a funky mane to tend to in the morning.
Your scalp is full of hair follicles and oil glands. If the follicle or pore becomes clogged with dirt and oil, this can lead to acne. You can still get scalp acne even if you have good hygiene, but sweat, oil, and dirt buildup from improper or incomplete washing can lead to clogged pores.
If you've got oily hair, that oil can seep down onto your face — and cause pimples. Make sure you wash your hair each day to keep excess oil off of your forehead, face, and back to help prevent acne.
From a skin standpoint, daily showers can help you get rid of acne-causing bacteria (which means they'll help you stave off breakouts on your chest, back, and butt). Plus, if you're prone to dryness, derms say regular showers will help to replenish your skin's moisture and kill germs.
Foods with a high glycemic index cause dramatic fluctuations in your body's blood sugar and can increase inflammation in your body which can cause, or even worsen existing acne. Impactful foods are high in carbohydrates, such as soda, candy, cereals, ice cream, as well as watermelon, honey and white rice.
“Hot water strips the skin of its natural oils and healthy bacteria,” Grous explains, “which plays a major role in keeping moisture in—and the bad stuff out. And because dryness triggers the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum, hot water can worsen preexisting acne or cause a breakout.”
You're making the water too hot
The water temperature we bathe in is a personal preference for everyone, but if you tend to linger in super hot water for too long, you could be drying out your skin, which, over time, might make for more parched, acne-prone skin.
Blind pimples are firm swellings below the skin's surface that are often inflamed, painful, and sometimes get infected. Here's what you need to know about the causes, treatment, and prevention of blind pimples.
Water has many ways in which it can improve your skin, which helps to improve your acne over time. Drinking water has both direct and indirect benefits for treating acne. Firstly, with bacterial acne, water helps to remove toxins and bacteria on the skin, reducing the potential for pore-clogging in the process.
Don't shower in water that's too hot.
Cold water tightens your pores and reduces the overproduction of sebum and excretion of acne-causing bacteria. In contrast, hot water opens them and does the complete opposite, leaving your skin more prone to irritation.
"A morning shower is a great way to stimulate your skin cells, which is particularly important for combination and oily skin types, as well as skin prone to acne," she explains. "Oils can build up on the skin during the night, and a morning shower can help to clear those pores."
Turn to Salicylic Acid
Dr. Bhanusali recommends using a body wash that contains salicylic acid for both treatment and prevention of body acne. Just don't use it the same day as a benzoyl peroxide wash and once your back zits clear up, use it once a week or so as a preventative measure.
Exfoliating Your Back. Go over your back with a natural bristle body brush before you shower. The brush will exfoliate away the dead skin on your back. Reach around to your back and scrub the brush in a gentle circular motion across your skin.
It is also a good idea to change out of sweaty clothing, change bedsheets regularly, and avoid harsh soaps and other harsh products that touch the skin. In addition, back acne can worsen if a person regularly wears things that rub against it, such as a backpack.
“Some adults who go longer than 3-4 days between showers run the risk of accumulating patches of dark, scaly skin, especially in oily areas, and an accumulation of 'bad' bacteria which can lead to fungal or bacterial infections,” adds Dr.