How To Get Rid Of Neck Acne

Do you have an idea for how to get rid of neck acne? Even though our necks are often left out of our skincare routines, they have the same problems as our faces, like acne.

Anyone who gets acne on their face can also get it on their neck. Cells get stickier and don’t turn over properly in the sebaceous gland, and oil glands make thicker oil and bacteria growth. In other words, clogged pores can cause zits anywhere on the body, even on the neck.

Acne caused by hormones can also show up on the neck. This is not unusual, but it doesn’t make it less annoying.

Acne on the neck can be even more annoying than acne on the face because sweat and clothing rub against the area, making it harder to cover up with makeup. Neck acne can be treated and stopped, which is good news.

However, let’s see how to get rid of neck acne.

01 – Types Of Neck Acne

Pustules are red, painful bumps that are often full of pus.

Papules are solid bumps on the skin that often appear in groups, like a rash. They are often seen around the hairline and on the neck.

Nodules are painful bumps that form deep inside the skin. Nodules don’t always respond to over-the-counter medicines and sometimes must be treated by a doctor.

Hormonal cystic acne is when painful cysts appear on the skin because of an imbalance in hormones. These can happen during pregnancy or when a woman is having her period.

02 – Why Do People Get Acne On Their Necks, And How To Stop It?

• First, you should know that acne on the neck is caused by the same things that cause acne on the face. Even though anyone who gets pimples on their face can get acne on their neck, dermatologists see a lot of neck acne in men’s beard areas and in women who have hirsutism (male pattern hair) and pick at that area too much, irritating the hair follicles.
• Products that clog pores (comedogenic): People who don’t take care of their necks can worsen the problem of too much oil. People forget to treat the neck the same way they treat the face. Makeup, sunscreen, moisturizer, and sweat all mix and move around, even if they are all non-comedogenic.
• Not washing off your makeup. Even if you choose non-comedogenic products, they can still be bad for your skin if you don’t wash them off at night or after the gym. So, clean up the area around your neck after working out and before going to bed. Even a towelette that already has water on it will work. And make sure that any hair products, like leave-in conditioner, gels, or pomades, are removed from the skin of the back of the neck.
• Treatment or exfoliation that is too harsh: Treating breakouts is a slippery slope, and you can have too much of a good thing. Aggressive exfoliation or trying too many products at once, especially those with harsh ingredients like glycolic acid or benzoyl peroxide, could worsen a breakout.
• Stress alone doesn’t usually cause acne, but it doesn’t help either. Research has shown that stress is strongly linked to acne, but it may make your body more sebum and take longer to heal wounds. So, more stress means more problems.

03 – How To Get Rid Of Neck Acne: Treatment

Use products with ingredients that help fight acne

If you treat acne on your face, you should also treat it on your neck. That means you need to use sulfur, benzoyl peroxide, and salicylic acid that help fight acne.

Treat acne on your neck the same way you treat acne on your face. Most cleansers and medicines you can buy over-the-counter have salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide as their main ingredients. Just assume that benzoyl peroxide can bleach fabric, so don’t touch it until it’s dry.

Thus, these acne-fighting ingredients have anti-inflammatory properties and work to stop comedones (blackheads and pimples) from forming. They can also kill acne-causing bacteria under the skin.

In other words, they do two things at once: they dry up current breakouts and stop new ones from happening. Both salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide can dry your skin, making it red and flaky. To avoid this, use a moisturizer every day.

You should wash your clothes often

Because the neck is often in contact with clothing, a shirt that hasn’t been washed or an item of clothing made from a material that doesn’t let air through, like polyester or rayon, could cause a breakout.

People who work out a lot should wear clothes that don’t stick to the skin and pull sweat away from the body. In the same way, a pimple could be caused by an allergy to a detergent.

Look for ones made for sensitive skin and don’t have any dyes or scents. Also, stay away from fabric softeners, which have a lot of additives that could cause breakouts.

Sheets, pillowcases, and cellphones should be cleaned often because they get dirty, oily, and full of junk. Pillowcases should be washed once a week by people with acne-prone and sensitive skin (though every three days is ideal).

Use a laser to get rid of hair

If you have breakouts along the hairline on the back of your neck, it could be because of ingrown hairs. Folliculitis, which looks like acne, often shows up around the neck (or anywhere on the body that contains hair follicles).

Think about getting laser hair removal at a dermatologist’s office so that any inflammation caused by ingrown hairs can be treated simultaneously.

The procedure removes the hair follicle in the targeted area and closes the skin pore, making it less likely to get an infection or have a breakout. Getting rid of hair seems especially helpful for people with acne on their necks who want to get rid of breakouts.

Seek help from an expert

See a dermatologist if you’ve tried most of your options and your neck acne isn’t getting better.

A dermatologist can help figure out what’s causing the problem, but they can also recommend treatment for acne, like a prescription-strength retinoid or a pill like Spironolactone.

Antibiotics are usually only given to people with severe acne, and they shouldn’t be used for a long time because that could lead to antibiotic resistance.

However, antibiotics can make a big difference in the skin. But recently, doctors have started using treatments, such as antibiotics, topical creams, and laser therapy. Researchers have found that using oral antibiotics with other acne treatments like benzoyl peroxide and retinoids can be more useful than using either treatment alone to reduce acne lesions.

Conclusion

Now you may have an idea about how to get rid of neck acne. Most small pimples on the neck can be treated at home or with over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, and they should go away in some days.

People with severe pimples on their necks that don’t go away after a few weeks or don’t get better with the first treatment should talk to a doctor or dermatologist.