Baking Soda for Back Acne
Back acne is one of the most stubborn forms of acne, especially since your treatment options are usually limited by the fact that your back is simply hard to reach. There are some soaps and body washes that are intended to help treat body acne while in the shower, but for many, these formulas are simply too weak to give results. Thankfully, there are other options.
Baking soda is one of those “at home” alternative acne treatments that’s been getting a lot of good press. It’s traditionally been used to treat facial acne, either as a mask or exfoliating scrub. However, it can also be remarkably effective when used to treat body acne. Baking soda provides benefits such as neutralizing pH levels, reducing inflammation, and dislodging clogged bacteria.
To prepare it, slowly mix warm water into baking soda powder until the solution becomes a paste. Since you have to apply it to your back, you may want to purchase a body sponge for this purpose. A foam sponge will usually work better than a net sponge or loofah. Apply the paste to the sponge and spread the solution liberally over the problem areas of your back. Allow the paste to dry. Some users with sensitive skin may start to feel a slight burning sensation, in which case go ahead and rinse off to avoid over-drying. Otherwise, simply wait until the paste has fully dried and then rinse it off. The baking soda needs at least some time to penetrate your skin in order to give best results.
Back acne is no fun, and even with an effective internal treatment that prevents new zits, current acne can stick around for a long time in the thick layers of skin on your back. Even baking soda may not give immediate results. Most users see improvement within a week, but keep in mind that it can take a few weeks depending on your skin’s resistance. Still, there are a lot of users reporting good results, so it’s worth a shot. Thankfully, baking soda is fairly inexpensive. The main downside is the same as most external treatments for body acne: they can be a bit of a pain to regularly apply.
