If you have acne on the back you want be able to find an effective back acne treatment that will not cure your acne (there is no acne cure) but put it under control. The good news is there are many good back acne treatments that can give you results within a reasonable time frame.
Before starting a treatment for back acne, it is important to bear in mind that you need to commit to your treatment, and apply it consistently over time if you really want to see results.
Whether you suffer from mild back acne or from severe back acne, you will usually need a minimum of several weeks before seeing results.
When looking for a back acne treatment you will usually have to choose between the following 2 options: topical or oral treatments.
Topical back acne treatments
Topical back acne treatments can either be obtained over-the-counter (OTC) or with a prescription. Topical means that the treatment is applied directly to the skin.
Most over-the-counter (OTC) topical back acne treatments include the following active ingredients: benzoyl peroxide at concentrations of 10% or lower, salicylic acid, lactic acid or glycolic acid, resorcinol and sulfur. These products are usually very effective to treat light to moderate back acne.
For more information, see our Body Acne Products page.
Topical prescription back acne treatments include topical antibiotics. What they do is they kill p. acnes, the bacteria that causes acne, and they also reduce inflammation. Their main action is thus on pimples, but they can also have some effect on blackheads and whiteheads.
Topical antibiotics include erythromycin, clindamycin and tetracycline. Erythromycin and clindamycin have been demonstrated in clinical trials to be as effective as benzoyl peroxide and combinations of erythromycin with benzoyl peroxide or zinc are shown to be more effective than the antibiotics used on its own.
Topical prescription back acne treatments also include topical retinoids such as retinoic (vitamin A), isotretinoin gel, and adapalene. They are usually effective for mild to moderate back acne. They help to unclog pores and reduce acne bacteria, reduce inflammation and also have an effect on blackheads and whiteheads.
Oral treatments for back acne
Oral back acne treatments are taken by mouth and are not available over-the-counter but only with a prescription. They include oral antibiotics, which were the first effective treatment for acne. These antibiotics are the most widely prescribed oral treatments for severe acne, as well as extensive back and chest acne.
Another well-known but not harmless back acne treatment is isotretinoin (Accutane). It is a synthetic vitamin A that usually works well for moderate to severe back acne. It is the most clinically effective back acne treatment available. However, you should know that it also have a lot of side-effects that can be life long.
There is not one single best back acne treatment, however once you determine you acne severity as well as your skin type, you should be able to find a suitable treatment that will work for you.
Acne. University of Wisconsin. 8 Oct. 2008
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