The areas most commonly affected by body acne include the chest area, the shoulders, the back and the buttocks. It is identifiable by the prominent red spots which can be itchy and painful. In severe cases, these small spots can swell causing them to become inflamed and more painful.

Body acne can be prompted by a number of different factors; over production of oil in the skin glands, hormonal imbalance, excessive perspiration and constant wearing of tight clothes, especially those made from certain synthetic fibers such as nylon and lycra. The first two reasons explain why body acne is more common in teenagers than adults.

In most cases, the underlying cause of body acne is the same; the growth of acne causing bacteria on the skin. It starts on a certain part of the body, and if steps aren't taken to treat the problem, there's a risk that the bacteria will spread to other parts of the body and become further aggravated.

Treatment

The treatment for body acne is similar to that used for facial acne. Start by washing your body using soap or shower products containing sailcylic acid. Once you've finished washing the affected area, gently dry your body with a soft, clean towel. Make sure that you pat your skin dry, rather than rubbing it. If you rub the area it will remove any dead skin from your body which will clog the pores, which is one of the main causes of acne.

Once your skin is dry, apply a cream containing Benzoyl Peroxide. And finally, complete the skin care process by using a Hydroxl acid based moisturiser.

When looking for products to treat your body acne it's important to remember that no two acne sufferers are the same. So products that worked well for other people may not work as well for you. So be prepared to experiment with various products until you find the ones that work best for you.

And once you work out the best products to use, make sure that you have some available so that you can deal with any future outbreaks of body acne as soon as it starts. Acne tends to start slowly and then spread if left unattended, so it's important to get any outbreak of acne under control as soon as possible. This should cause the outbreak of acne to be less severe and less prolonged.

In addition to the traditional acne remedies that are available, there are a growing number of natural acne treatment products which have been used with some success. Various vitamin supplements such as vitamin A and vitamin B5 are also good when it comes to improving your general health and reducing the likelihood and severity of outbreaks of body acne.

In recent years, a new treatment known as phototherapy has also shown itself to be effective in the battle against acne. The treatment consists of exposing the affected parts of your body to sunlight. This is based on the principle that certain frequencies of sunlight are harmful to the bacteria that can cause acne.

And finally, if these treatments and remedies don't work for you, there are various types of acne medicine that are available by prescription from your doctor. These antibiotics, such as erythromycin and tetracycline, are a powerful way to kill the bacteria on your skin that can cause an outbreak of acne.