Body Acne and Benzoyl Peroxide – What’s the Connection?

Chances are, if you only experience body acne occasionally, you’re suffering from seasonal body acne. However, some people live with a consistent body acne outbreak. Though body acne is a nuisance, and it can cast a negative body image, there is a positive treatment option available to help manage and prevent the development of body acne.

Using Benzoyl Peroxide on Body Acne

Body acne is a frustration for many people. For some it’s seasonal, and comes in the summer months during the days filled with heat and frequent perspiration. For others it is the result of the winter months, when staying warm also equates to perspiration under multiple layers of clothing. Then there are those who are athletes, and play sports year round within competition or off-season training—they often suffer from body acne breakouts. Finally, there are those who are just struggle with acne everywhere. Wherever there is skin, it seems to be acne prone.

How Does Body Acne Form?

Body acne is the result of the same process that causes acne on the face. Wherever there are follicles within the skin, there is a possibility for acne to develop. All it takes is the combination of dead skin cells, bacteria from the skin’s surface (the P-Acne bacteria), and sebum (skin oil) from the sebaceous gland. When these three elements combine, they will serve to clog a pore and follicle and develop a small infection which will more than likely cause a whitehead or a blackhead, dependent on the opening at the skin’s surface. When this infection occurs deeper, in the skin’s dermis, cystic acne commonly referred to as an acne cyst, can develop.

This is how acne forms everywhere, including body acne, which may develop on the shoulders, back, chest, arms, legs and even buttocks.

Using Benzoyl Peroxide as Body Acne Treatment

Because body acne develops in the same manners other acne, this means a treatment can be as simple as a quality benzoyl peroxide based acne cleanser as well as a benzoyl peroxide acne cream. Generally, when it comes to treating acne with benzoyl peroxide, many people only use it for a spot treatment. Benzoyl peroxide is most effective and efficient when used all over. This is due to its acne fighting properties.

For starters, benzoyl peroxide will help to loosen the dead skin cells clinging to the surface of the skin, making it easier to exfoliate the outer layer, and rinse away one of the acne-causing components. More importantly, benzoyl peroxide will create an oxidized environment when applied to the surface of the skin, killing the bacteria that are responsible for causing body acne. It will also serve to cleanse pores that are clogged with excess sebum.

Benzoyl peroxide acne cream can be used all over the body—any area that is susceptible to body acne. It should be used like a lotion, in a liberal fashion. To combat any dryness caused by the benzoyl peroxide, an oil free lotion or moisturizer can be used as a follow up.

Along those lines, it is helpful to know: Don’t over cleanse and excessively treat body acne with benzoyl peroxide. A simple treatment along with a shower in the morning or evening, as well as a cleansing and treatment in the evening will offer positive results. Athletes should consider making one of their body acne treatment times right after working out or competing.