Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesSymptomsHome TreatmentPrescriptionsMinor ProceduresDécolletage Protection
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Symptoms
Home Treatment
Prescriptions
Minor Procedures
Décolletage Protection
Home treatments can often help improve symptoms of chest acne. Prescribed drugs and topical treatments may help when these remedies don’t work.
Chest acne is part of a group of conditions known as truncal acne, which may involve the back, shoulders, or chest. Truncal acne occurs in about 50% of people with acne.Likeface acne, chest acne (commonly called “chestne”) can appear aswhiteheads,blackheads,pimples, orcystic acne.
FG Trade / Getty Images
This article describes chest acne causes, appearance, and treatments.
Chest Acne vs. Back AcneChest acne, back acne, and shoulder acne are forms of truncal acne, which affects your trunk, or torso. Acne in these areas can extend to other parts of the trunk. Many factors that cause chest acne are also common in back acne and acne on other parts of your body.
Chest Acne vs. Back Acne
Chest acne, back acne, and shoulder acne are forms of truncal acne, which affects your trunk, or torso. Acne in these areas can extend to other parts of the trunk. Many factors that cause chest acne are also common in back acne and acne on other parts of your body.
What Causes Chest Acne Breakouts?
Acne typically affects skin areas like your face and chest, which have a high density ofsebaceous glands. These glands producesebum(oil), a substance that helps your skin regulate temperature, maintain moisture, and prevent infections.
The causes of chest acne are generally thought to be similar to that of facial acne. However, there are differences between the skin on your face and the skin on your chest in thickness,pH(acidity vs. alkalinity), and the distribution of sebaceous glands. The skin on your trunk is more vulnerable to the following acne stimuli than the skin on your face:
The following factors can make you more likely to develop acne:
Why Am I Breaking Out?
How Does Chest Acne Look?
The way your chest acne looks depends on the form of acne that develops. Scarring and pigment problems are common to truncal acne, though the conditions can look and grow differently.
Like other types of truncal acne on your face, back, and shoulders, chest acne can have many forms:
How to Get Rid of Chest Acne at Home
You may be able to get rid of chest acne at home, depending on the type and severity of your chest acne. It is often possible to treat chest acne with treatments similar to those used for facial acne.
Research indicates that the following acne treatment products can help improve or clear mild or moderate chest acne:
What Age Do You Typically Get Acne and When Does It Go Away?
Benzoyl Peroxide
Over-the-counter (OTC) treatments containingbenzoyl peroxideare used as a first-line treatment in treating acne. Benzoyl peroxide is the most commonly purchased OTC acne product.
Benzoyl peroxide is an antimicrobial, meaning it helps reduce the amount of acne-causing bacteria on your skin. It is available in concentrations ranging from 2.5% to 10% in creams, lotions, toners, gels, foams, and washes as leave-on or wash-off products.
Using benzoyl peroxide to treat chest acne presents the possibility of staining and bleaching clothing, other fabric, and hair, especially when applied on large areas like your chest.
Differin
Retinoids promote the shedding of dead skin cells. It boosts the production of new skin cells that push the dead cells and excess oil out of blocked pores.
Natural Remedies for Back Acne
Hydroxy Acids
Hydroxy acids includealpha hydroxy acids (AHAs)andbeta hydroxy acids (BHAs). These products cause exfoliation or shedding of the surface skin to treat acne. At higher concentrations, hydroxy acids can be used as skin peels to remove scars and lighten discolorations.
In OTC topical acne treatments, these substances are available in creams, washes, lotions, and peel kits as the following ingredients:
Azelaic Acid
Azelaic acid is a topical acne treatment that is mildly antibacterial. It helps prevent pores from becoming clogged and allowing pimples to form. In its OTC formulation, azelaic acid can be purchased in 10% strength. It is also effective in treating dark spots that can remain after acne clears.
Lifestyle Changes
If you have acne or acne-prone skin, the following lifestyle changes can support topical and oral treatments. They can also help prevent acne from becoming worse:
Treating Adult Acne
Prescriptions to Treat Chest Acne
When several months of using home and over-the-counter treatments do not improve your chest acne, you may benefit from working with a healthcare provider. They can provide stronger therapies available through acneprescription treatments.
Your prescription treatment depends on the type and extent of your chest acne. Since these medications work differently, finding the one that achieves results may take some trial and error.
Common prescription treatments for chest acne include the following:
Oral Antibiotics
The most commonly prescribed oral antibiotics for acne treatment include the following:
Oral antibiotics for acne should be taken for the shortest time possible (usually three months). This aims to reduce the development ofantibiotic resistance(when bacteria develop defenses against antibiotics, making the drugs no longer effective).
Topical treatments are typically used at the same time and after the completion of oral antibiotics for the best results.
Oral Isotretinoin
Claravis(oralisotretinoin)is a systemic (body-wide) therapy reserved for the treatment of severe nodular acne. It is also used for treatment-resistant acne or the management of acne that is producing physical scarring and/or psychosocial distress.
While effective, the severity of medication-related side effects requires that people using this drug undergo routine monitoring ofliver function testsandlipid panelsto determine their response to this drug.
If you are capable of becoming pregnant, you are encouraged to use two forms of birth control while taking isotretinoin due to the possibility of severe fetal development effects.
Hormonal Agents
For many females,certain oral contraceptivesare effective in treating inflammatory acne when used alone or with other acne treatments, though the effects can take time. Treatment is only effective with the use of estrogen-containing combined oral contraceptives.
(Note that the term “female” used here relates to chromosomal, anatomical, or biological characteristics rather than gender identity.)
Topical Treatments
Topica
ption acne treatmentsare used alone or in combination with oral antibiotics. Most products come in various forms, including lotions, gels, foams, medicated pads, and/or toner-like solutions.
These products work in different ways to treat acne. Depending on the product, they may reduce inflammation, encourage the shedding of dead skin cells, or kill acne-causing bacteria. The most commonly prescribed topical treatments include the following:
Topical antibiotics:
Retinoid acid creams or gels:
Dicarboxylic acids:Azelex (azelaic acid)
Prescription-strength formulas of the following:
Combination treatments that include two acne-fighting ingredients in one application:
Minor Procedures or Treatments
Depending on the type of chest acne you have, its location, and the extent of damage it causes, your condition may benefit from therapy with one of the following physical methods of treatment:
How to Practice Acne Self-Care
Everyday Décolletage Protection
Everydaydécolletage(the skin on your neck and chest) protection can guard this area from ultraviolet (UV) light and other environmental factors. Without protection, these factors can trigger a response that promotes inflammation. The effect can promote or worsen acne on your chest and other areas prone to breakouts.
Protecting your décolletage withsunscreencan significantly improve the symptoms of chest acne or enhance treatment. To achieve optimal results, sunscreens should have emollient, antioxidant, and sebum-controlling properties.
Using these products can help prevent post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (darkened spots left after lesions heal) common with chest acne.
Taking the following precautions can help you protect your décolletage and reduce your risk of chest acne:
Which Facial Sunscreens Do Dermatologists Actually Recommend?
Summary
Chest acne is a common problem that can occur in many forms. It can produce whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, or cystic acne, much like the types of lesions that appear with facial acne.
Chest acne forms due to the overproduction of sebum in the sebaceous glands in your chest. This oil supports a buildup of dead skin cells, allowing bacterial growth and resulting in pimples. Other factors, such as excessive sweating, friction from clothing, and certain skin-care products, can also support chest acne.
Chest acne can often be improved with OTC and/or prescribed treatments. However, finding the right combination of products that work for you can often take weeks to months. Seeking early treatment before your chest acne spreads to larger areas can give you the best results.
17 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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