Body acne shows as pimples, blackheads or other acne type lesions. It can appear on your back, chest, butt and even back of arms.
The causes include tight clothes like workout clothes and poor diet, but at the time of this writing, we are under lockdown orders due to COVID-19. There are more reasons specifically associated with this time;
1. Less showering - many people are showering less because of depression or not feeling they need to since they are not socializing or working around others. Although it may not be necessary to shower every day, body acne means you'll need to at least wash and treat those areas.
2. Less exercise - everyone had the best of intentions to exercise and take care of themselves since they now have time. But some are finding themselves busier than ever with additional responsibilities, like parents homeschooling while maintaining their jobs online. Exercise helps manage stress which leads to my next point...
3. Higher stress and anxiety - this is a time when people have felt more stress and anxiety due to the unexpected changes in their lives and uncertainty. This causes hormones to be unbalanced and body acne to increase. It's important to remember that this WILL pass. Avoiding doomsayers and finding positive, hopeful sources will help.
4. Poor diet - although we thought being home would give us more time to cook and eat well, the mental strain has either prevented some from shopping, cooking and eating properly or choosing "comfort foods" that cause gut health imbalances which contribute to body acne as well as other skin conditions. Drinking enough water, eating 6-9 servings of vegetables as recommended by most nutritionists, managing portion size and times of eating, avoiding packaged, processed, sugary and damaged fats (like chips, mass produced baked goods, etc) are the better ways to eat.
There are skin treatments you can do at home since the lockdown has forced all skin care studios to be closed. Contact me at help@calmbeautybrooklyn.com for recommendations. If you need a more guided approach, I offer online skin care consultations and coaching. This has been a great way to have the benefits of an in-person skin care treatment or facial while at home, while strategizing together on the particular wellness habits you'll need to implement to address your skin care concerns.
Hang in there, we can do this together.