Acne on the buttocks: causes, types, how to treat and prevent it

Causes of acne on the buttocks

Apart from the face, pimples can also appear on the body, including on your buttocks. Without realizing it, this area tends to be oily and often receives friction, making it prone to breakouts.

Generally, all types of acne occur due to clogged pores with excess oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria. In addition, there are several other factors that trigger buttock acne, namely:

tight underwear triggers the development of bacteria on the skin,
hormonal changes, especially during puberty and menstruation, as well
sitting too long can make the buttocks sweat.

Some of the factors above are preventable. However, the appearance of pimples in sensitive skin areas can actually be caused by other skin problems, namely as follows.

Folliculitis

Folliculitis is a condition when there is inflammation of the hair follicles. When the hair follicles become inflamed, red spots will appear on your skin. One type of folliculitis is acne and can occur anywhere, including the buttocks.

There are many things that can cause folliculitis on the buttocks, namely:

bacterial and fungal infections,
blockage, as well
irritation due to hair growth after waxing or shave.

Usually, folliculitis is characterized by small, red bumps that are itchy and painful. Even though it looks similar to acne, this condition actually requires special treatment. If you are confused, you should consult a doctor.

Boils

Source: Medical News Today

You may have a hard time differentiating between boils and pimples. The reason is, both of these skin problems look red and the lumps are painful. However, boils and pimples are caused by different things.

Boils usually occur when folliculitis causes a deeper skin infection. As a result, pus-filled bumps under the skin similar to cystic acne appear.

The presence of pus in this boil allows infection from strep bacteria, pseudomonas, or fungi.

Keratosis pilaris

If the pimple on the buttocks looks like a rough red rash, it may be a sign of keratosis pilaris.

Keratosis pilaris is a dry skin condition caused by a buildup of keratin in the pores. Meanwhile, keratin is a protein that creates a protective layer on the surface of the skin.

Friction irritation due to friction

Acne is not always caused by a bacterial infection, but also skin irritation due to friction of clothing on the follicles. You see, when you wear tight clothes, it becomes difficult for your skin to "breathe". As a result, you sweat more easily and trigger acne on the buttocks.

This condition usually occurs more often when you wear tight clothes, denim pants, or spandex.

How to get rid of pimples on the butt

Recognizing what causes acne on the buttocks at least makes it easier for you to determine how to treat the acne problem. Even so, there are several ways you can do to treat acne on your butt as follows.

Use of acne medications

Acne medication is one of the effective ways that can be used to treat the problem of acne on the buttocks. However, not all acne medications that are effective for treating acne on the face can also be used on the buttocks.

There are several medicinal ingredients that may help you get rid of stubborn pimples on the buttocks, namely:

Salicylic acid

One method that is often used to get rid of pimples on the buttocks is to use medicated creams containing salicylic acid.

Generally, creams containing salicylic acid help remove dead skin cells. This acne remedy also helps moisturize and soften dry skin.

The use of this drug is quite easy. You only need to apply cream or pads in the area with acne. However, it should be noted that the cream is not affected by the genital area.

Keep in mind that you should always check the composition of the ingredients in the cream. The reason is, the efficacy of overcoming acne on the buttocks requires at least 2% salicylic acid content.

Benzoyl peroxide

Apart from salicylic acid, you can also use benzoyl peroxide as a way to get rid of acne on the buttocks. Benzoyl peroxide is commonly used to reduce inflammation by killing and inhibiting the growth of acne-causing bacteria.

Not only ordinary acne, this drug can also be used for acne caused by folliculitis. Benzoyl peroxide is available in various forms, from creams, soaps, gels, to cleaning fluids. Even so, this drug contains alcohol which makes the skin easier to dry and peel off.

Try using a medication containing a low 4% benzoyl peroxide as the initial treatment. If you have sensitive skin, you should avoid this drug as it can cause irritation.

Use a moisturizer

If the type of pimple on your buttocks contains pus, try to keep the skin moist so that the pus pockets quickly disappear. However, you certainly can't choose just any type of moisturizer because the wrong ones can actually make acne worse.

Instead, choose a moisturizer that does not contain oil. Instead of oil, you can try a moisturizer containing lactic acid to prevent inflammation of the hair follicles.

Try natural ingredients

If you are worried about the side effects of an over-the-counter medication, there are several ingredients to treat acne naturally. Before using the ingredients below, you should first consult with your doctor.

Tea tree oil because it contains antimicrobials that fight bacteria that cause folliculitis.
Turmeric which is said to have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.
Apple cider vinegar because the acetic acid content in it is naturally antibacterial.

Some of the natural ingredients above have actually been proven through a number of studies. However, further studies are still needed to see the efficacy of these ingredients, especially apple cider vinegar.

Tips to prevent acne on the buttocks

In fact, preventing acne on the buttocks is almost the same as preventing acne in other areas. First of all, you need to pay more attention to skin hygiene, especially in sensitive skin areas.

Then, don't forget to keep the area dry. In addition, there are some habits that need to be applied regularly so that acne on the buttocks does not occur.