What is Bacne?

Bacne is also known as back or body acne.  Bacne normally appears on the following areas: back, upper arms and buttocks.  And it can come in four different forms; pimples, blackheads, pustules, and cysts.

Can I get Bacne?
Bacne seems to be more prevalent in men than it is in women.  Some women have reported having a breakout of bacne after a hard workout and then going to bed without getting a shower. You may be asking yourself, how you get this form of acne?

Bacne normally starts to appear when puberty begins and your sebaceous glands start producing sebum.  Sebum is oil that only a mammal’s skin can produce.  The body produces sebum to create a waterproofing layer on the skin and hair.

The Sebaceous glands go into overdrive when puberty hits, which is why teenagers typically have more problems with bacne/acne than adults.  The extra sebum can create oily hair/skin, acne, and odors.

It is a common misconception that acne or bacne are caused by stress, fatty/oily foods, excessive sweating, wearing tight clothes or even genetics.  However, it is believed by scientists that this does not cause acne, but can intensify it.

What exactly are the different forms of Bacne?
Pimples are simply skin lesions or inflammation caused by a pore being clogged or infected.  Normally pimples occur when there is a surge of hormones in your body.  For men it is around puberty and for women it is around the menstrual cycle.  Pimples normally appear after a blackhead has become infected.

Blackheads are simply a black or yellowish colored “plug” on the surface of your skin.  Blackheads are caused by a buildup of keratin and sebum in the pore.  Why does it turn black or brown?  Because, the blocked pore is becoming oxidized.  This happens when oxygen molecules touch the blocked pore, the same thing happens to an apple when it is left sit out.

A pustule is a lesion that is filled with puss.  Pustules are most commonly found on the face, shoulders, back, breastbone, armpit, and groin areas.  It is said that a pustule is a sign of a bacterial infection.  The puss is formed because white blood cells are flocking to the area trying to fight an infection.

A cyst is a hard, sack like structure is foreign to the original tissue.  Cysts can occur in anyone, at anytime.  The sack of the cyst contains a semi solid liquid that can be under the skin and undetectable, or grow so large that it pushes it surroundings out of the way.

Does the sebaceous gland cause any disorders?
Sebaceous hyperplasia is simply the enlargement of oil cells in your skin.  It is normally a skin or yellowish colored bump, forming on the forehead and nose areas.

There are two types of acne: non-inflammatory and inflammatory.  Non-inflammatory acne is when a white head or blackhead form.  A whitehead is formed when the excess skin cells and oil stay trapped below the skin, and a blackhead is formed when the pore opens and the oils oxidize.  Inflammatory acne occurs when the follicle wall ruptures and forms a papule or a pustule.  A papule occurs when the white blood cells rush the follicle wall and the skin becomes inflamed.  A pustule forms days after the papule when the white blood cells have their way to the skins surface.

Keratosis pilaris occurs when there is an excess accumulation of keratin in your skin follicles.  This creates small red bumps on the surface of the skin.  This is also known chicken skin.