beauty

The way you wash your hair could be causing your back acne.

Image: iStock

As if it’s not frustrating enough to have them sprout on our faces, pimples have a habit of showing up in surprising and difficult-to-reach places. Like our backs, for instance.

Just like facial blemishes, back acne — or “bacne”, for those who love a catchy portmanteau — is a fact of life and nothing to be ashamed of. Even the most glamorous celebrities aren’t immune to it.

As we’ve previously reported on The Glow, genetics are the primary cause of back pimples. However, it seems there’s a common showering habit that also causes them to pop up, as Allure reports.

Christie Kidd is a dermatologist who also happens to be Kendall Jenner’s “skin guru” (and yes, even Ms Jenner deals with acne). In a recent video on the model’s website, Dr Kidd explained how the way many women wash and condition their hair could result in breakouts on their back.

“We wash our hair, we condition it, and when our conditioner is sitting that’s when we wash our body. Then the last we do is rinse out our conditioner,” she said.

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Hands up if this sounds like your routine? Yep, same here. Sounds pretty logical to us.

The problem, Dr Kidd says, is that this causes the oils from your conditioner to sit on your freshly-washed skin, potentially sticking to it and clogging the pores.

To combat this, she recommends washing your hair, applying conditioner, then rinsing it out. When that’s done, clip your hair up off your back and neck, and then commence your body-washing ritual. Don’t forget to do your back. Simple.

This isn’t the first time Dr Kidd has shared her skin expertise on Jenner’s website.

As a younger teenager, Kendall Jenner's acne affected her self esteem. (Image: Instagram)

 

In another video posted in January, she advised acne-prone viewers to be careful when washing their skin.

"I never want you washing your face with anything abrasive. Not a scrub, not a rotating brush, not a washcloth," she said.

"You want to treat it very delicately and just wash with your hands. Wash really well with your hands ... Then I want you to rinse really well, then pat [your skin] dry with a nice, soft towel."

Do you have bacne? How do you treat it?