Banishing Embarrassing “Bacne”

Proms, not unlike weddings, come with much preparation and high expectations. Sometimes I wonder if seniors actually focus on schoolwork, as it seems the groundwork for PROM begins the first week of senior year. With all that planning, and preparation, what do you do if you find the dress of your dreams but you’re too self-conscious to wear it because of back acne (or “bacne”)?

Here are some tips for Banishing that Bacne in time to wear your fabulous favorite dress AND be summer-ready for tanks and swimsuits too.

1. Drink water – lots of it. This clears up, detoxes and purifies skin from the inside out.
2. Clean clothes – This sounds redundant, but think about it – if you clean your skin and then put on bras and/or tops that have been worn several days in a row, you’re defeating the purpose. Even worse, if you play sports and re-wear those sweaty, bacteria –infested clothes… well, you get the idea. Wear clean clothes.
3. Clean your skin Daily (preferably twice a day but in the very least at night) –Use an effective anti-acne product such as Rodan + Fields’ Unblemish Regimen. This product, developed by the same Dermatologists who created Proactiv, is a more sophisticated and gentler formula than Proactiv. These highly effective products are based on “Multi-Med Therapy”, which uses the right ingredients in just the right combination and amount for the most successful results. The wash can double as a mask 2-3x/week for deep cleaning of the pores and the spot treatment can be used on active breakouts.
4. Clean out those pores with exfoliation. Use an exfoliating glove, loofah or paste like the Rodan + Micropdermabrasion Paste (which can be used in lieu of the wash) to gently exfoliate the back and further clear out the clogged pores. Keeping pores clear of dead skin and debris can prevent acne from forming.
5. Be consistent, persistent and patient. Acne builds up over time and takes time to heal so a key to successfully treating acne is compliance. Spotty and random treatment will not give you the results you want or at least not as quickly. Give it time because clearing up acne outbreaks can realistically take weeks and sometimes months depending on the severity. But if you start now and stick with it continuously you WILL be able to wear that gorgeous dress and show off your beautiful back with cool confidence.