The cheekiest swimsuits make us all hyper-aware of the skin on our derriere. Finding a blemish on your backside can threaten to ruin your summer day plans.
Your bum skin needs love too. We’ve got all the answers you need about how to deal with embarrassing butt acne.
What Is Butt Acne?
Great news, it’s actually not acne–well, not in the traditional sense. The pimples you see on your face are caused by factors like hormones, excess sebum (skin oil) production, and genetics. The acne bumps you see on your body are often caused by folliculitis.
Folliculitis is an irritation of hair follicles caused by germs or fungus. It looks a lot like regular pimples. But typically, when you see a red bump or even a bump with a white head on your butt, folliculitis is the culprit. Folliculitis can be caused by bacteria or fungus.
Even though the skin on your bottom has sebaceous glands, they usually don’t produce enough oil to make a pimple. Instead, you develop butt acne for other reasons, usually related to your lifestyle habits.
What Butt Acne Looks Like
The breakouts you see on your bottom can look similar to the ones on your face, even if they’re caused by different stressors.
Usually, you’ll see a small cluster of tiny red bumps. Some of these bumps might have whiteheads on them that resemble pimples. These areas can be itchy, swollen, irritated, and can appear to be red. Sometimes the skin can even feel dry or look flaky.
Occasionally, you’ll develop a 100% certified zit that is red, irritating, and pus-filled right on your cheek. We know, cringe-worthy, but don’t worry. We’ve got solutions.
Causes of Butt Acne
A specific type of skin irritation usually causes the bumps you see on your bottom. Irritated and inflamed hair follicles can form small, red bumps that sometimes develop white pustules. To prevent booty blemishes from happening, you need to tackle what’s causing them.
Waxing
We know it’s hot girl summer, and waxing is basically non-optional for some of your sexiest pieces, but waxing too frequently or not taking care to soothe your skin post-wax could be giving you folliculitis. Think of it like razor burn–you can develop unsightly razor burn bumps if you shave too much or use a dull razor.
Instead of waxing, you can use a sugaring method or consider treating yourself to laser hair removal.
Tight Clothing
Anything that spends time directly against your skin has the potential to irritate it. If you find that your blemishes are most often along our panty line, switch to cotton panties or a different style (thongs, for example) that will irritate your skin less.
Leggings, spandex pants, and even tight bathing suits can all cause irritation on your bottom and along the leg openings. You may find you even develop bumps close to the area of skin between your leg and labia.
Sweating
Sweating is natural and necessary, but if you don’t cleanse your skin after an intense workout, you’re setting yourself up for acne bumps not only on your butt but on your chest and back, too.
If you can’t get a shower right away, consider using a wipe on the areas of your body most prone to breakouts. You can also spritz your skin with water and towel it off to remove surface dirt and sweat.
Damp Clothing
Damp bathing suits and gym clothes are known offenders when it comes to causing fungal folliculitis. Fungus, germs, and yeast all grow in damp, warm environments. Wearing your damp swimsuit all day or keeping your gym clothes on after you’ve worked out can create a breeding ground for bumps and blemishes on any skin hidden under your clothing.
Sand
Sandy cheeks are a given for any bikini wearer, but sand is rough and can irritate the skin on your bottom. Grains of sand are large enough to cause abrasions and microtears on your skin. If you must wear a bikini, make sure you remove sand gently from your skin and without rubbing.
How To Get Rid of Butt Acne
Don’t cancel your cookout–we’ve got your complete guide to get rid of butt acne fast and effectively.
1. Wear Loose-Fitting Clothing
When possible, give your bum a break and wear loose-fitting clothing that allows your skin to breathe. The tighter your clothing and undergarments, the more likely it will be to develop irritation from your clothing.
If you have an active breakout, try to avoid wearing anything that will fit closely against it.
2. Change After Swimming and Working Out
Changing your clothes after working out or swimming will help keep bacteria away from your skin and prevent yeast and fungus from growing. When you take your damp clothes off, make sure you hang them to dry, or they could develop mildew and bacteria.
3. Clean Your Clothes With Mild Detergent
Heavy detergents and fabric softeners can irritate your skin and cause itching, rashes, and, yes, breakouts. Opt to wash your clothes in detergent designed for sensitive skin that is fragrance-free.
4. Use Proper Skin Care
If you repeatedly see bumps and blemishes on your backside, try using your favorite facial cleanser on the areas that are most sensitive. Facial cleansers aren’t as harsh as body wash or as drying as soap.
Your facial cleanser also has ingredients that can help keep bacteria and skin oil off your skin.
Fungal folliculitis may not respond to your skin cleansers. Instead, try a mild dandruff shampoo. Massage it into the affected area, allow it to sit for a few minutes, then rinse with water. Side note: be careful; dandruff shampoo can contain tingly chemicals that can be irritating to delicate skin.
5. Treat Your Butt Acne With Pimple Patches
Once your blemishes have already surfaced, you need something that can get rid of them fast; we’re talking hours, not days. The same great hydrocolloid patches that magically erase the acne bumps on your face are now available in a larger size for your back, chest, and, yes, booty.
Rael’s XL Spot Control Cover features all-natural hydrocolloid technology to help gently pull pus, bacteria, and dirt from your bump, flattening it and causing it to vanish. Our medical-grade hydrocolloid pimple patches are formulated without harsh chemicals or overly-drying ingredients, our medical-grade hydrocolloid pimple patches allow you to hit the delete button on your bumps.
Butt Acne: What Not To Do
Just like acne bumps on your skin, there are some things you should never do to try to deal with acne bumps on your bottom.
- Picking. You want that blemish gone, and the obvious solution looks like popping it but don’t try it. First of all, blemishes on your bottom are usually a lot more painful than the ones you get on your face or anywhere else on your body. Second, picking can leave a dark mark that makes your blemish look more noticeable. Swelling from picking your blemish can also cause a small bump to be more eye-catching than it was before you messed with it.
- Don’t scrub. Your initial reaction might be to scrub your skin with an exfoliating product or washcloth. Don’t do it! Remember, folliculitis is caused by skin irritation. Anything you do to irritate your skin can make folliculitis worse, including scrubbing.
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Use a soothing moisturizer after your shower. Every inch of your skin needs moisture, and using a moisturizer on your bottom that is gentle, hydrating, and soothing can help calm down irritating skin.
Rael’s Miracle Clear Barrier Cream works to hydrate gently and absorbs quickly, so you don’t have to worry about it getting on your undergarments.
- Consider going longer between waxes. If you see consistent breakouts immediately after you get a fresh wax, try going longer in between sessions. If you absolutely have to have a wax, make sure your provider is adding a gentle, aloe-based skin treatment to your bottom when you’re done.
- Don’t panic or cancel plans. Even though butt acne can seem humiliating, everyone gets it at some point. If you need to be seen in your swimsuit, use an acne patch and normalize being normal.
Sweet Cheeks, the Rael Way
Bumps and blemishes on your backside can be a pain in the–well, you know the rest. But trust us, it’s nothing you can’t handle.
No matter what your monthly cycle or the summer season brings you, you can be confident and prepared with holistic, effective products from Rael. You can trust Rael to deliver products that work without harming your body or irritating your skin.
Sources:
Folliculitis - Symptoms and causes | Mayo Clinic.org
Folliculitis: Appearance, Causes, Symptoms & Treatment | Cleveland Clinic.org