Acne–Unfortunately Not Limited to the Face

Ah, yes. “Backne.” An unfortunate but catchy word for a skin problem that is–thank heavens–quite easy to deal with!

Get Rid of Dead Skin

In the shower, give your skin a fresh breath by cleansing with a non-irritating body wash or soap. Scrubbing your back gently with a clean loofa or sponge will help exfoliate away bad, dirty, and dead skin cells and allow for fresh ones to come through. Keeping your skin fresh and clean is going to help rebalance your oils and get dirt out of those pores.

Laundry Soap

For better skin, consider using a hypoallergenic or sensitive skin laundry detergent instead of the usual lavender-puppy-meadow scent that is tempting to pick up off the shelf. An unscented laundry detergent will clean your clothes without adding irritants to them. Our back is almost or completely exposed to our shirts and a heavily scented shirt will rub and irritate your clean and sensitive skin cells. This is something that will extend outwards in your awareness once you start washing your bed sheets in sensitive skin detergent as well–just think about how much time we spend in bed. Remember: this applies to dryer sheets too!

Exercise

Always, always, always shower after going to the gym or experiencing any remotely significant sweating. Sweat dries into salt that will dry out and clog your beautiful skin. Tight clothing such as workout clothes trap sweat to the body. Enjoy your workout and then wash off to keep your skin clean, and remember: wear clean workout gear to be less of an irritant for your back (as well as your chest).