Body breakouts: How to treat acne on your back, butt, & legs

Body breakouts are a really common issue, even though social media might be showing us otherwise 🙃. Hormonal fluctuations, excess sweat, and clogged pores are all factors that can cause acne or small whiteheads and blackheads on our bodies. Breakouts can happen anywhere on the body but the most common places we see them are the back, butt, and legs. I myself struggle mainly with upper legs and butt breakouts because of my cycling and exercise and I have found a few skincare items and routines that are really helpful for clearing my skin.

Ready to clear your skin of stubborn body acne/breakouts? Well, you’re in luck! I’ve had 12 years of experience as an esthetician treating bodies and faces AND I myself have struggled with sensitive and breakout-prone skin. I’ve got all the best info for combating these breakouts.

Common causes of acne on the back, butt, & legs

Hormonal fluctuations

Hormones play a big role in all the functions of our body. There are different hormones that regulate all the various facets of the human body (stress, fertility functions, muscle mass, oil production, etc…). Hormones that commonly play a role in acne are testosterone and cortisol. An influx or fluctuation of testosterone can cause the body to start producing more oils and sweat which in turn can create clogged, bacteria-filled pores that turn into breakouts. When cortisol, our stress hormone, is high it causes inflammation. This inflammation can lead to breakouts. Hormonal fluctuations are a normal part of life for everyone, so it’s to be expected that a pimple(s) caused by these fluctuations will pop up from time to time. If you feel you are really struggling with your hormonal fluctuations please consult your primary care physician.

Excess sweat & Oils

Each one of our pores has both a sebaceous gland (oil gland) and a sudoriferous gland (sweat gland). When a buildup of sweat, oils, dead skin, and any other debris gets in a pore that’s what causes a whitehead or blackhead. Our skin needs some oil to function properly and sweating is a healthy way for our body to detox and regulate our temperature, BUT, too much oil and sweat in our pores is going to cause clogging and make us breakout.

Having a really sweaty workout or doing any activities that make you sweaty will most likely start to create some congestion in your pores. If we don’t get to towel off, refresh our skin, and change into clean clothing there’s a possibility of the back, back of legs, or butt breakouts. Those breakouts will be caused by this sweat mixing with oils and other debris in the pores. At the very least I suggest changing into clean clothing after a workout or outdoor activity that causes you to sweat a lot. Then you won’t have clothing pressed up against your skin that is saturated in sweat and oils.

scrub me secret: do you bike, run, or exercise often? I find that changing into a pair of shorts after biking or exercising helps to cut down on the number of breakouts I see on the backs of my legs and butt. Workout leggings can trap some sweat and oils and the longer you leave that clothing on the more chance you have of causing some pimples or blackheads. Changing into shorts lets the skin breathe better.

Ingrown hairs

Ingrown hairs happen when a hair get trapped underneath a layer of skin vs. popping up and out of your follicle. When this hair(s) gets trapped it can cause a small infection that can turn into a pimple or even a large cystic pimple. Picking at these ingrown hairs without help from a skin care professional can spread bacteria actually make the breakout worse. A breakout caused by ingrown hair is a little bit more tender or painful feeling than a normal pimple.

If you currently have ingrown hairs that are causing you to have breakouts I suggest treating them with a BPO (benzoyl peroxide) spot treatment and then adding some hydrocortisone on top of that to alleviate inflammation. You can also opt for a Mighty Patch, a skin-healing pimple patch that will keep you from messing with your lingering pimple. Then, make an appointment with your derm or esthetician so they can extract it for you.

scrub me secret: keratosis pillaris bumps and small bumps or rashes from skin sensitivity are different than acne and congestion. These skin issues should not be treated the same as acne and breakouts. I’ll talk further about this in a different blog post but I made the “smoothing” soap bar to treat KP and the “balancing” treatment bar for really sensitive skin.

Esthetician tips and treatments to clear body breakouts

These are my skincare tips and body treatments that I have found to be really helpful for my clients over the years✨

Use the right body wash/soap

This skin care tip is one I preach often because it truly is one of the most important tips. Using a cleanser that is free from harsh chemicals, man-made fragrances, and other ingredients that cause skin sensitivity is the first step to clear and healthy skin. Using a soap bar or body wash that contains perfume, fragrance, or any of the “red flag” ingredients I list in [this blog] doesn’t allow for your skin to function properly and can cause breakouts for some people.

I love soaps and washes that contain skin-loving oils like babassu, sweet almond, jojoba, argan, and grapeseed, just to name a few. Putting these fatty oils in soaps creates a chemical reaction that makes the product sudsy, foamy, and creamy. Plus you get some of the added skin conditioning benefits. Getting a deep cleanse without throwing off your skin’s barrier and causing sensitivity is the goal! Obviously, I’m really partial to the scrub me soap bars, I think everyone would have improved skin if they used scrub me soaps to cleanse their body. I do also like Ursa Major citrus root body wash.

Take care of your body [skin] like you would your face

If you’re experiencing breakouts on your body, crafting yourself a daily skincare routine is a great way to get your skin under control and clear your complexion. It definitely doesn’t have to be as many steps as your facial routine, just a basic daily cleansing and moisturizing can make a huge difference if you use intentional products. For example, committing to cleansing twice daily with the clarifying treatment bar and moisturizing with the nourishing serum really does help reduce and clear breakouts. If you want to add an extra step or 2 to your body care routine you could spot treat your larger blemishes with a clay mask, like the one I’m listing in the last section of this blog and you can also use a chemical exfoliating mask 2x weekly.

Don’t forget daily SPF for your entire body! UV damage can make pigment marks caused by acne darker and not as easy to fade away.

scrub me secret: My skin is really sensitive and reactive on both my face and body. This means I break out easily, I get red easily, and my skin doesn’t respond well to certain products. I’ve had many problems in my life with the skin on my body (bumps, dryness, random pimples.) One thing that I have found is that using scrub me soap bars to cleanse my body on daily basis has been a gamechanger in how the skin on my body looks and feels. My barrier is healthier and well-balanced so I no longer deal with as much texture, redness, and sensitivity.

Have clean clothes and clean sheets

Sweat, oils, and other debris in your dirty clothes and sheets can get into your pores and cause blackheads and small pimples. After exercise or an outdoor activity where you get sweaty, I suggest changing into clean clothes within a couple of hours. Sheets should be changed once weekly and if you tend you sweat a little extra in your sleep or are struggling with excess oil production try changing your sheets every 5 days. I personally change my sheets weekly.

Try A back facial or fanny facial

A back facial is exactly what it sounds like, a facial for your back. Your esthetician will cleanse, exfoliate, and detoxify your skin using steam and a specialized mask. Then extractions will be performed which means your esthetician will professionally remove your blackheads and whiteheads without causing damage to your skin. After these extractions, some type of calming or healing mask is typically applied. A fanny facial is this exact treatment only for your butt and upper legs instead of your back. This is an excellent way to clear body acne or breakouts.

My top 4 skincare products I find helpful for body acne

These products aren’t made specifically for your body but I’ve found them to be great for reducing breakouts on the legs, butt, and back.

Sunday Riley Good Genes

This chemical exfoliating cream is something I use to clear breakouts on the backs of my legs and butt. I don’t use it every day but when I start to see a few pimples popping up I use it every evening after cleansing. The combination of lactic and glycolic acid is great for unclogging pores and smoothing the skin. In my experience, I find that using this to treat breakouts helps fade them away within a week or so.

Ology Essentials CBD Clay Mask

I use this mask often for my back facial clients. The combination of oil clearing/detoxifying clays, soothing clay, and soothing CBD isolate is great for combating blackheads, oily skin, and pimples. You can use this mask at home 2-3x a week on your back, butt, legs, and/or anywhere else you’re experiencing some breakouts. The best routine would be to cleanse, mask, and then apply proper body moisturizer after removing the mask.

scrub me clarifying treatment bar

My family and I make this soap by hand and I specially formulated the recipe to reduce breakouts and heal blemishes. This soap contains a blend of oils like babassu, sweet almond, castor, and more that create a light, sudsy lather for your skin. I added lemongrass essential oil as a natural astringent and calendula extract/calendula petals for intensive healing properties. I find that cleansing twice daily with this bar is really helpful for those who struggle with body acne and those who are wanting to clear current breakouts.

Herbivore Blue Tansy Mask

This mask is a really nice concentration of salicylic acid derived from willow bark, and AHA’s derived from papaya and pineapple. This product is an oil clearing, decongesting, and skin-brightening mask. The skin on our body is a bit less sensitive than the skin on our face so this mask is safe to use for body breakouts (for most skin types) 1-2x a week. The salicylic in this mask combats excess oils and softens debris in the pores. Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) from papaya and pineapple soften, smooth, and brighten your skin. This is helpful for clearing pigment caused by acne and reducing the size of pimples. I like to cleanse in the shower or bath, pat my skin dry, and apply this mask while my skin is still a little bit damp, it works best that way. Then I apply nourishing serum or body lotion.

scrub me secret: A couple of products I would love to try for treating body breakouts (but haven’t gotten around to yet) are Kinship instaswipe pads with AHA, lemon, and honey. and the kheils rare earth deep pore cleansing clay mask. The pads look like the perfect thing for reducing and smoothing small breakouts and the kheils clay mask will probably be amazing for reducing excess oils or spot treating a big pimple.

I love hearing from you all and chatting about different products! Do you have a go-to skincare item you use on your body? Comment below and let me know, I would love to hear.