Nobody likes a pimple and we spend so much time and effort to try and eliminate them from our faces. But pimples have a tendency to crop up in plenty of other unwanted places too. Unlike the skin on our faces, the skin on most of the rest of our bodies is generally hidden under our clothing, so it’s a little easier to hide breakouts in other areas, but that doesn’t make them any less annoying or embarrassing! Let’s take a look at how you can deal with these unwanted body blemishes.
Why do I get breakouts on my body?
Breakouts occur when there is a blockage or irritation in the sebaceous gland.
Except for your lips, the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet, pretty much every inch of your skin is covered in sebaceous glands. Some of these sebaceous glands contain hair follicles, some of them don’t.
When the sebaceous gland becomes clogged with sebum (oil) and dead skin cells, it can lead to what’s known as non-inflammatory breakouts. When they become overrun with the P. acnes bacteria which thrives in an oily environment, it leads to inflammatory breakouts. Both of these kinds of blemishes (read more about them here) can occur in pretty much any sebaceous gland on your body.
But when it comes to those sebaceous glands which also contain hair follicles, it is possible for another type of breakout to occur which is slightly different; meet folliculitis.
What is folliculitis?
As you might have guessed from its name, folliculitis is an inflammation of the hair follicle.
Unlike standard breakouts, this will generally look more like a rash and can become itchy.
Men and women both might experience folliculitis anywhere they shave thanks to ingrown hairs which then become infected or inflamed. Waxing, threading and other hair removal techniques can also spark a breakout of folliculitis in some people.
But it’s not just caused by hair removal! In fact, there’s a whole range of factors at play.
Some really common causes of folliculitis include sweat and wearing tight clothing. Other causes include fungus, yeast and not keeping as on-top-of your personal hygiene as your hair follicles would like.
Ever come home from a workout and stayed in your active wear for hours afterwards? Yeah, that’s going to cause it. Like to wear super tight jeans? That can cause it. For the ladies, our bras are definitely guilty of creating just the right environment for this too.
While it’s something which will often clear up on its own, if folliculitis gets out of hand, it can get really nasty and require medical attention.
How can I get rid of body blemishes?
For starters, if you’re getting lumps and bumps from hair removal, probably hit pause on it for a little while at least to let your skin calm down. If it’s an ongoing thing, you might also need to re-evaluate if it’s the right hair removal choice for you.
If you’re lazing around in your active wear for hours after a workout, it’s definitely time to start making an effort to have a shower and change out of those sweaty clothes ASAP once your sweat session is done and return your skin to a balanced pH. To add extra oomph to these efforts, you could use a body wash which contains Salicylic Acid to help clear out your pores from the inside. Our Clear Skin Daily Face and Body Wash is perfect for this!
If you want to continue the BHA love for your body, our Clear Skin Tonic can also help to calm the bacteria which could be causing inflammation and breakouts. It’s the secret weapon of several people from our head office who have issues in this area! Clear Skin Blemish Control Gel can also be used as a spot treatment on body blemishes.
AHAs can be highly effective in the fight against body breakouts too thanks to their ability to clear away the dead skin cells which stay stuck to the outer layers of our skin long after they were fresh and healthy. Wipe them away with our Liquid Gold Luxe Resurfacing Body Cloths, which are double sided to help enhance your results. Of course, if your problem spots are only small, you could also simply dab them over with any Liquid Gold left on your cotton pad after you’ve finished your face.
Unsure which product is best suited to your skin’s unique needs? Request a live online skin consultation to receive personalised advice from our highly trained therapists.
