Nearly all of us have had to deal with acne at some point in our lives. This embarrassing skin problem usually affects the face or quite possibly the neck or down the chest. However some people also develop acne breakouts on their back, usually in the form of pimples, blackheads or other forms of acne similar to what develops on other areas of the body.

Much like facial acne, there is no single cause for the formation of acne on the back. However, experts presume that its formation might be due to the same type of factors as facial acne or other forms of acne, which are possibly causes by overproduction of the sebaceous glands around puberty or during other times when our body experiences significant hormonal changes.

However other factors might contribute to the formation of acne on the back which are specific factors to acne development on this area of the body. For instance, tight clothing might be one possible culprit. By wearing tight clothing, this forces perspiration from the skin to be trapped against your skin which can lead to irritation. Also carrying a heavy bag or backpack can also cause irritation in areas where the strap presses against the back and shoulders. Irritation causes by the rubbing motion of carrying such a bag can cause some people to develop back acne.

Another thing that makes back acne different than other forms of acne is that what you eat doesn't appear to have as much of an affect on acne development on this region of the body as it does in the case of facial acne. Although if you have back acne you might also have acne in other places where diet might play a role in acne development. In addition, since there's no conclusive evidence as to the effect diet has on back acne development, it might not be a bad idea to adjust your diet for a period of time just to see if it improves your results.

Moderate cases of back acne can be treated in much the same way as other acne, by using over-the-counter products or prescription medications. However, when back acne becomes severe, causing cysts and other serious skin damage, it is important to seek out the expertise of a dermatologist or other skin care specialist to prevent possible damage to those areas of the skin. This will help minimize the damage and possible scarring that might result from serious cases of back acne.