Head, shoulders, knees and pores
Happy Friday!
Hello! Since we last spoke, I completed another trip around the sun and got my first dose of the vaccine! I also did a halo eye makeup tutorial with Ashley from Restroom Rituals, went live with Joanna Vargas, who taught us how to use her Magic Glow Wand and the Sephora Sale started today. Very exciting few weeks over here.
It’s time to dive into BODY TALK PART II!
Whether it’s your face or the bottoms of your feet, skincare is all about the balancing act between clearing out the excess and replenishing the loss. You want to make sure you are cleansing and gently exfoliating your skin while also keeping it hydrated and protected. But skin also varies depending on where it is on your body.
Compared to your face and neck, the skin on the rest of your body is thicker and often demands stronger exfoliation. You may need more hydration or even a different type of moisturizing agent on different body parts.
Any tips/tricks/product suggestions for body acne? I’m in my 30s and have my face under control (for the most part!), but my chest, arms, and back are a constant struggle.
"Constant struggle” screams to me “go to a dermatologist!!!!” but I know that’s not helpful or always accessible.
You can have a different skin type on your body than on your face, so it is entirely possible that you need to approach your body acne differently than your approach to breakouts on your face. It is also possible that what you are calling acne isn’t acne at all – there are a number of different skin conditions that look very similar. I'll go into more detail below, but to start, here are some basic tips to prevent clogged & irritated pores:
Remember that moisture + friction = bad news. A simple preventative action you can take to prevent irritating your pores is wearing loose fitting clothes & changing them right after sweating. Even if you aren’t sweating from exercise, the same applies to your butt! We’re all working from home, spending most of our lives on our couches and irritating our butts. No one wants an irritated butt!
Use a body wash with acne-fighting ingredients to remove the buildup of dead skin cells, sweat, bacteria and other pore-irritants. If you need to, you may also want to add in an additional physical exfoliant, like a scrub or loofah.
Moisturize right after you shower. Applying moisturizer on damp skin is key to minimizing water loss. Immediately after showering, your pores are open and ready to absorb moisturizer. Prevent that TEWL!
For Keratosis Pilaris, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends applying moisturizer within 5 minutes of getting out of the bath or shower, while your skin is still damp and additionally moisturizing 2-3 times a day by gently massaging the skin with KP. (See more about KP below!)
Outside of the shower, use a leave-on treatment or spray with acne-fighting ingredients – especially helpful for hard to reach areas.
Remember from the last issue that a pore is an opening on the surface of your skin. You have millions of oil and sweat pores on your body except on the palms of your hands, soles of your feet and your lips. Each oil pore has a sebaceous gland which produces sebum and a hair follicle, and anywhere there is an oil pore there can be acne. The amount of oil production varies on different parts of your body which is why you’re more likely to see acne on oilier parts of your body like the face, chest and back. Heat, humidity, sweat and friction can also irritate your pores and cause breakouts.
When we think of a clogged pore, we most commonly think of acne. Acne is caused by a variety of factors but the main two are bacteria and inflammation; the result of any number of things like genetics, hormones, or stress. Excess oil production and/or buildup of bacteria or dead skin cells result in acne.
Time for a horrible game:
It looks like acne, it feels like acne, but is it acne?
Acne on the chest, back and butt is actually folliculitis: an infection of the hair follicles. Most often you’ll see little red bumps, which can be itchy or painful and look a lot like the acne you’re used to. Folliculitis can either be bacterial (like face-acne) or fungal. By the way, “fungal acne” recently became a big topic of discussion on Tik Tok (so I’m told), and Allure helped clear up the confusion about this acne that isn’t actually acne, but fungal folliculitis. The more you know!
Keratosis Pilaris (KP): KP – often called “chicken skin” or “goose flesh,” KP looks like little red, rough bumps. It’s a very common, completely harmless skin condition usually on the backs of your arms, thighs, butt or cheeks. KP is caused by a buildup of keratin in your hair follicle – keratin is a fibrous skin protein found in cells on the surface of your skin. Though it is harmless, it can sometimes be itchy or dry, especially in the winter. KP is inherited and can’t be fully cured or prevented, though it does sometimes go away on its own and there are some products that can help alleviate it (more on those below).
Ingrown hairs: Look like acne, but are actually hairs themselves that grow back into the skin and cause inflammation. Might look like small, raised bumps or pus-filled blisters. Can happen anywhere, but most often occurs in places where you frequently shave and/or have thicker, coarser hair.
Heat rash: Occurs when sweat pores are clogged and sweat is trapped under the skin. Most common when it is hot and humid. Can look like blisters or red bumps and be itchy or sting, but it is usually not dangerous and resolves quickly on its own.
An evergreen reminder: If your skin is not improving, you may need a prescription! Fungal folliculitis will not improve with antibiotics, so you will need something that is antifungal. If something is not going away, a “constant struggle,” or getting worse, CALL A DERMATOLOGIST.
Body Wash:
Neutrogena Body Clear Acne Wash
Yuni Shower Sheets
(if there’s going to be downtime between sweating & showering)
Exfoliating Treatments:
Paula’s Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA
Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Exfoliating Body Treatment
Necessaire The Body Exfoliator
Sprays:
Versed Skincare Back-Up Plan Acne Control Mist
Murad Acne Control Clarifying Body Spray
Paula’s Choice CLEAR Acne Body Spray
Made for KP:
CeraVE SA Cream for Rough & Bumpy Skin
First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser
DERMAdoctor KP Duty Body Scrub
Thank you all so much for filling out testimonials for my Sephora Squad application! They are now reviewing applications & I'll keep you posted, of course :)
Speaking of Sephora, the annual Spring Savings Event started today for Rouge members! VIB and Insiders can get discounts starting next week. I wrote everything you need to know about the sale and you can now also shop our picks here! Did you know shopping through our links — even if you’re not buying our recs — still supports Gee Thanks, Just Bought It? It’s an easy, free and painless way to help us keeping making Gee Thanks! free and accessible for everyone!
See you in two weeks!
xoxo, Jolie
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