Combating Body Acne With The Right Body Wash
Just as the soap you use on your face can make a difference, taking care to use the right body wash in the shower can help your skin stay clear in places other than your face. Body acne is a very stubborn problem for many, since acne pustules buried in the thicker skin of places like your pack can remain there for a long time, so it’s worth it to find the best body wash for your skin type.
First things first, don’t simply use a cheap bar soap in the shower. Some high quality bar soaps may be fine, but many cheap bar soaps can leave a filmy residue on your skin, as well as overdry the area. Generally, using an actual body wash is preferable, since you can apply it to a bath sponge or scrubber which helps your skin to exfoliate as you cleanse. Exfoliation is especially important, since body acne can have more to do with the buildup of dead cells than facial acne.
Just as with a soap, choose a quality body wash that is effective but gentle on your skin. For most users, it’s not necessary to find a specific “acne body wash” - the combination of exfoliation and gentle cleansing will be enough (back in college before I found B5, Dove body wash was actually more effective for me than any brand made specifically to fight acne). However, depending on your skin type, an acne body wash may help.
Acne body washes, like typical acne cleansers, usually rely on either salicylic acid (for acid-caused exfoliation) or benzoyl peroxide (to kill acne bacteria). Some are now incorporating tea tree oil as an alternative to BP, which is probably a good choice as it tends to be equally effective but less drying for many users. Since, as I mentioned earlier, body acne typically has to do with a lack of exfoliation, it’s not surprising that the body washes with the most positive reviews tend to be those based on salicylic acid. Salicylic acid based treatments are often too harsh for facial skin, but can work just fine on the thicker skin of your body. For this reason, these are probably the place to start if you really need an acne body wash. Always read the labels and understand the active ingredients so that you’re not blowing money on multiple body washes that basically work the same way.
