Are you suffering from acne on your back, arms or chest?

Don t worry. You aren’t alone! Lot s of people get body acne. It’s common in the winter months, when you are wearing piles of weighty clothing.

Here’s one of the possible causes…

Sweat clogs skin pores which lead to breakouts. Tight fitting clothing may also be the culprit at it traps sweat against the skin, leading to clogged pores and blemishes).

To rid yourself of this annoying acne and prevent it from coming back, you might try a salicylic acid based cleanser on your body.

Shower daily, especially after you have been sweating. After your shower, follow up with an alpha hydroxy acid based body moisturizer. Alpha Hydroxy helps to exfoliate skin and halt breakouts, without drying.

In the evening, treat body acne just like facial acne. Apply an acne medicated gel on affected body parts.

Toxins and Acne

Acne occurs when your body contains even more toxics than your kidneys and bowels can dislodge. (Your kidneys and bowels are the two primary trend lines of elimination that your body uses to expel toxins and waste products.)

These toxins can be the accumulation of fat-stored chemicals the liver can not wash out or a problem with fat digestion, accumulation, food allergies, or the a hormonal imbalance.

When these toxins build, your kidneys and bowels can get overloaded, clogged, and disfunctioning. At that point some of the toxins will be dumped onto your liver to disperse. Part of your liver’s function is to metabolize and store fat as usable energy for your body.

What does all this mean? Your liver will be doing your kidney’s job and eventually it will not be able to function correctly either.

What happens when your bowels, kidneys, and liver gets overloaded?

That’s when acne occurs in some people! Your body in it’s quest to rid itself of toxins, will work through the lungs and skin (your secondary trend lines of elimination). This is when your skin starts to breakout in acne pimples.

A few reseachers today believe that acne is a sign that your bowels and kidneys are overloaded with toxins, waste products, or hormones. It’s also a sign that your liver is growing weaker in detoxification tasks.

Acne that Isn’t Whiteheads or Blackheads

There are a variety of acne types that are inflammatory (see previous post on non-inflammatory acne for information on whiteheads and blackheads).

A papule first appears on the skin as a small, firm pink bump. Papules are tender in nature and are often considered an intermediary step between non-inflammatory and clearly inflammatory lesions.

A pustule is a small round lesion that is inflamed and contains visible pus. Pustules appear red at the base with a yellowish or whitish center. Pustules do not contain a large amount of bacteria.

A cyst is a large pus-filled lesion that are known by usually being present deep within the skin. Cysts are the most painful type of acne lesion. Cysts form as a result of the contents of a comedo spilling over the surrounding skin and due to the response of the local immune system in producing pus. Cysts often leave deep scars.

Acne conglobata is a rare but serious form of inflammatory acne that develops primarily on the back, arms, buttocks, and chest. In addition, to the presence of pustules and cysts, there may be severe bacterial infection.

Understanding Whiteheads and Blackheads

Acne starts in a similar way for all, however it can take on different forms and can react in a unique way based on your body’s current conditions.

A basic lesion called the comedo is the begining of acne. The comedo is an enlarged hair follicle plugged with oil and bacteria living under the surface of your skin. It waits for the right conditions, then expands itself into an inflamed pimple. If the skin produces even more oil, the bacteria grows in the swollen follicle. The surrounding skin becomes increasingly inflamed as your white blood cells fight against the intruders.

There are two types of comedos…

A closed comedo is when the plugged follicle stays beneath the surface of the skin, the lesion is called a closed comedo. This usually appears on the skin as microscopic, whitish bumps. This condition is otherwise called as whitehead.

An open comedo is if the plug enlarges and pushes through the surface of the skin, the lesion is called an open comedo. The dark appearance of the plug isn’t due to dirt, however due to the buildup of melanin, the pigmentation element of the skin. This condition is otherwise called as blackhead.