Back blemishes: Causes & How To Help Reduce Them

Back blemishes is a common skin condition which affects all genders and age groups – but that doesn’t make it any less of a concern. While it’s often mistakenly associated with bad hygiene, what causes back blemishes actually has very little to do with cleanliness.

For those experiencing back blemishes, there’s good news. While it has a variety of triggers, the right skincare for mild acne-prone skin can tackle and improve blemishes on this area of the body.

To get to the root cause behind your back blemishes and identify the right approach to addressing it, this article walks through the different motivating factors. What causes back acne in females can be different to males, and different again for teenagers. Let’s take a closer look.

What is back acne?

We know that blemishes can occur anywhere on the body. What you might not know is that different areas of skin influence how the common skin concern behaves. Back skin is less delicate than facial skin, so back blemishes often feel tougher and more rigid, and can be larger in size. Common forms of back blemishes include:

Blackheads: dark centres, indicating a build-up of dirt, debris and dead skin cells
Whiteheads: white centres, indicating a trapped build-up of pus, oil and debris
Spots: Small bumps less than one centimetre in size without a clear head

What causes back acne ?

While a blemish refers to infrequent and isolated pimple, mild acne on the back appears on the entire area of the body and can remain for long periods. It’s important to remember that for anyone experiencing this concern – from teenage back blemishes to adult forms – it isn’t caused by poor hygiene. Instead, there can be a whole range of reasons why this is occurring. To narrow it down, let’s look at what causes back blemishes in males, females and teenagers.

What causes teenage back blemishes?

Almost everyone will experience blemishes at some point during the teenage years, and this is mostly down to the hormonal changes occurring in the body. The same also goes for teenage acne-prone skin on the back –– or whiteheads, blackheads, spots. Teenage back acne-prone skin can also be caused or worsened by stress and sweat, and is more likely to occur for those whose parents experienced it.

What causes acne-prone skin on the back in females?

Hormones can also influence the appearance of back blemishes in women. For women in adult years, outbreaks of pimples can be caused by the hormonal changes that occur during menstruation or pregnancy. Certain medications, genetic history, sweat, typically oily skin and stress can also cause or worsen back blemishes in females.

What causes acne-prone skin on the back in males?

Men’s skin is up to 20% thicker than women’s, has larger pores, and is typically oilier. These features can lead to a higher level of breakouts and blemishes – including on the back area. When sweat and oil flow becomes trapped under clothing, this concern can become more frequent and cover more area of skin. Mild acne-prone skin on the back in men can also be caused by sweat, stress, genetics, mild acne-prone skin and certain medications.

Skincare for back blemishes

To reduce the frequency of back blemishes and support clarity in skin, a few skincare steps are especially helpful. Because this area of skin is thicker and rougher than facial skin, deeply purifying and exfoliating skincare products do the most to help. By using a targeted body cleanser and moisturiser twice daily, alongside wearing sweat-wicking clothes and allowing skin to breathe, you can address what causes mild acne-prone skin on the back and reduce its appearance.

SA Smoothing Cleanser with Ceramides

For those with typically oily skin, we suggest opting for an oil-free cleanser. This supportive base does the most to cleanse and nurture skin which experiences excess oil-flow. Body cleanser and face wash Ceramides Foaming Oil-Free Cleanser contains a gel base and helps to balance moisture content and remove dirt and excess oil through a combination of ceramides, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide.

Ceramides Foaming Oil-Free Cleanser

SA Smoothing Cream for Rough & Bumpy Skin

It may feel counterproductive to moisturise oily or blemish-prone skin, but daily hydration is actually key to tackling and targeting of concerns like back acne. Whether you’re experiencing teenage back blemishes or as an adult, blemishes may signify a compromised skin moisture barrier. This means that skin isn’t properly hydrated, leading to an overproduction of oil. To support skin which feels rough or bumpy, SA Smoothing Cream for Rough & Bumpy Skin exfoliates as it hydrates – resulting in a more unified and soft skin surface.