Chest Acne: Causes and Home Remedies

If you go for swimming or to a beach and often wear a low-cut top, the acne on your chest can make you feel self-conscious. The appearance of these pimples, acne on your upper part of the body can be very embarrassing and often draws unwelcomed attention.

Acne occurs when your hair follicles get plugged with dead skin cells and oil produced by your sebaceous gland. This condition also causes whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples. Acne commonly occurs on your face, shoulders, and back but if the sebaceous gland on your chest produces excess oil causing clogged pores, you can get acne on your chest too. Women commonly experience chest acne right before the beginning of their periods. It may be a result of your fluctuating hormonal levels or friction caused by wearing tight clothes.

It’s a very bad situation when you’ve to deal with your face breakouts but when this acne spreads over your body too; you throw your hands up in frustration. Too much exposure to the sun makes your skin dry as a result of which your glands produce more oil clogging your pores. Also, if you have a habit of spraying perfume under your neck and putting lotions and sunscreens, you may clog your pores that could definitely cause chest acne.

Trying to cover those pimples and acne with concealer and foundation will do no good rather exacerbate the problem. Washing your chest twice a day with gentle exfoliating products having salicylic acid helps to treat your acne. Since salicylic acid is a natural exfoliating agent, it gently cleans the pores of your skin without causing irritation. Leaving your chest acne untreated for a longer duration may cause scarring.

Before you can treat your chest acne, you have to know as to why you’ve got them. Here are some of the reasons:

1. Wearing tight, fitted workout gear may look good but can cause sweat accumulation and friction which later leads to breakouts.
2. Too much exposure to the sun can make your skin dry which leads to overproduction of oil that clogs your pores and forms acne.
3. Consuming foods that are oily and unhealthy increases the risk of developing chest acne.
4. Sleep deprivation causes acne since your skin gets no time to heal and recover.

Now that you already know as to why you’re getting acne on your chest. Here’s how you can treat them by using home remedies:

1. Oatmeal

It’s not just a perfect option for your breakfast but also to treat your skin. Since oatmeal helps to absorb the extra oil from your pores and dirt which gets accumulated in your skin, it is used as a home remedy for treating your acne. It acts as an astringent which devoid the growth of bacteria and adds proteins which benefits your skin. Oatmeal has rich content of anti-oxidants that helps undo the damage caused by pollution and acne. Using it to treat your acne is a good option because it not only reduces itching but also soothes your skin. Here’s how you can prepare this oatmeal pack to treat your chest acne:

• Take a saucepan, add 1 cup of water with a pinch of salt.
• Stir in ½ cup of oats and reduce the heat to minimum.
• Cook it for a minute and then remove from heat.
• Let it cool for a while.
• Now add 1 teaspoon each of honey and lemon juice.
• Mix the ingredients well.
• Now apply it on your chest and leave it for 20-30 minutes.
• Wash it off with warm water and pat dry.
• After that use an oil-free moisturizer and repeat this regularly to get better results.

2. Lemon juice

Lemons are an excellent source of calcium, Vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, minerals, and antioxidants which are beneficial for our hair and skin. The citric acid in lemon helps to remove the dead skin cells and oil to reveal the new layers of skin. Lemon has long been used to treat various skin conditions because it has the properties of astringent which helps in drying out the acne. Here’s how you can use lemon juice on your chest acne:

• Take a lemon and cut it into two halves.
• Rub the lemon on your chest where there’s acne.
• Leave the lemon juice for an hour.
• Wash it off with clean water and pat dry.
• You can do this twice a week for better results.
• Make sure you don’t go out in the sun when you apply lemon juice as it may cause an adverse effect on your skin.

3. Baking soda

Baking soda acts as an exfoliating agent that helps to clear the dirt and excess oil from your pores. Fabhow says you can use baking soda along with honey to treat your chest acne. The mild antiseptic property of baking soda helps to fight against fungus and bacteria that can cause acne and other skin infections. Plus, its anti-inflammatory property reduces redness and itching. Here’s how you can use baking soda to get rid of chest acne:

• Take 1 tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl.
• Add 1 tablespoon of honey to make a paste.
• Apply it on your chest acne.
• Gently massage for 5 minutes.
• Leave it for 10 minutes to get dry.
• Now wash it off with warm water and pat dry.
• You can do this thrice a week.

4. Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar does wonders for your skin and chest acne is no exception. Since ACV has antibacterial and anti-viral properties, it helps to fight against the bacteria in your pores that cause acne and other skin infections. It’s a natural astringent that absorbs excess oil from your skin, tightens pores, reduces inflammation, removes dirt and softens your skin. Here’s how it can be used to treat chest acne:

• Take 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a bowl.
• Dib the cotton ball into it.
• Now rub it on the area where you have acne.
• Leave it for 30 minutes to get dry.
• Wash it off with clean water and pat dry.
• You can do this regularly to get better results.

5. Aloe vera

Aloe has anti-inflammatory and cooling properties which provide a protective layer to retain the moisture. It is a rich source of vitamin C, E, and beta-carotene which helps in reducing the acne from your chest area. The polysaccharides in aloe stimulate the growth of new cells, while glycoproteins reduce the inflammation and redness. This herb also comes with soothing and moisturizing properties to increase the elasticity of damaged tissues and minimize inflammation. Here’s how you should use aloe to get rid of your chest acne:

• Cut an aloe vera leaf into several pieces.
• Scoop out the gel from the pieces using a spoon.
• Apply the aloe vera gel to the affected areas and leave it on for 10 minutes.
• Wash off the gel with clean water.
• Repeat the application twice in a day.

6. Turmeric

Since ages, turmeric has been used for its healing properties and cosmetic benefits. Curcumin, a compound in turmeric has an anti-inflammatory property which reduces irritation and itching on the acne. Plus, turmeric draws out the excess of oil from deep inside the skin pores and keeps it hydrated. Here’s how you can use turmeric on your chest acne:

a.    Turmeric and honey

Using turmeric with honey is sought beneficial in case of chest acne. Since honey has anti-bacterial properties, it helps to kill and restrict the growth of bacteria in your skin. Here’s how you can use it on your acne:

• Take 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder in a bowl.
• Add 2 teaspoons of honey into it.
• Now apply it to the affected areas.
• Leave it for 20 minutes to get dry.
• Wash it off with warm water and pat dry.
• You can repeat this process daily to get better results.

b.    Turmeric and milk

Milk has a deep cleansing property which helps to remove oil, dead skin cells and impurities from your skin pores. Using milk with turmeric helps to get rid of acne from your chest and here’s how you can prepare and use it:

• Take 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder in a bowl.
• Add 2 teaspoons of fresh milk into it.
• Mix the ingredients well.
• Apply this mixture to the affected areas and leave it for 15 minutes.
• Wash it off with water and pat dry.
• After that apply an oil-free moisturizer.
• Repeat this process daily to get rid of acne.

Additional information:

• Do not go out in the sun when you have applied lemon juice on your acne. UV rays of the sun can cause an adverse effect on your skin.
• Avoid using too many lotions and moisturizers on your skin which can clog your pores and enhances acne production.
• If you sweat a lot, make sure you clean those areas twice a day with water. Since sweat can increase bacterial growth which leads to acne production.