Back and Trunk Acne Bacne Treatments At A Glance
- Best Results3-12 months
- Treatment Recovery0 days
- Procedure Time10 minutes
- Skin SpecialistNurse, Dermatologist
- Duration of ResultsYears+
- AnaestheticNil required
- Back to WorkImmediately
- Cost$
Back and Trunk Acne - Bacne Treatments
Bacne or back acne is a form of acne affecting the trunk. It is most frequently seen in teenagers, however if left untreated, it can persist well into adult life. This form of acne is commonly associated with facial acne. Bacne occurs in areas with the highest concentrations of oil glands. Bacne is a common condition in Brisbane due to heat and humidity. Effective treatments are readily available.
FactsFacts on Back and Trunk Acne
- Bacne is also known as back acne
- Acne lesions can also occur on the chest, shoulders, neck & face
- This form of acne is most common in teenagers
- Left untreated, it may persist into mid-adult life
- Mild cases of bacne will respond to washes and solutions
- Severe cases of bacne will respond to tablets
- Early treatment of back and truncal acne can reduce scarring
- Bacne scarring can be treated with corticosteroid injections
- Back acne scars respond poorly to laser treatments
What causes Back and Trunk Acne?
Bacne is most commonly seen in teenage years and is due to a number of factors, including genetic & hormonal. Environmental factors such as sweating, heat, and occlusion can also make this form of acne worse. Back and shoulder acne is most commonly seen during the teenage years. Hormones such as testosterone stimulates the sebaceous glands to produce more oil. Sebaceous glands are at the highest concentrations on the face, back, chest & shoulders, hence bacne is commonly associated with facial acne.
The high humidity in Brisbane also provides occlusion and excessive sweating, which can worsen bacne.
What bacne treatments should I try before visiting a Specialist?
Mild to moderate cases of back acne can respond to simple over the counter washes and scrubs. A course of antibiotics prescribed by your GP can also help reduce acne in these areas.
Try the following methods before visiting Cutis Dermatology.
- Exfoliate your back with a loofa such as Buf-Buf pads. You can combine a mild Salicylic Acid scrub such as Neutrogena Orange Wash (sal acid).
- Try some Benzoyl Peroxide. Benzac AC wash is available via most pharmacist in Brisbane. Use as directed, remember to leave on for 1-2 minutes before washing off. Be careful not to scrub too hard if you are using Benzac AC wash, as skin irritation may occur. Do not combine this method with Salicylic Acid washes as skin irritation will occur.
- Visit a GP for a prescription of antibiotics. An 8-16 week course of erythomycin, doxycycline or minocycline may improve your back acne.
Simple post with a clear message- if you are struggling with bacne, consult your physician for effective treatment/s. Bacne scarring is one of the hardest areas to treat🙏🏼
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🔎How to treat acne? Can mix topicals with caution and careful titration
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👉BPO or benzoyl peroxide; 5+% wash, leave on for 60-90 seconds, wash off
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🧴Salicylic acid: 2% wash or 10% salicylic acid +10% P.glycol +1-2% thymol in ETOH
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👍🏻Topical retinoids: The new 4th gen trifarotene- it can take up to 3 months for maximal effect
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💊Oral retinoids: should be considered if recalcitrant to above, cystic or scarring
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👱🏻♀️👩🏽Females: consider OCP or spironolactone (knowing that it may just sweep it under the carpet for a few years)
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😎Davin Lim
Dermatologist
Brisbane, 🇦🇺
#dermatologist #davinlim #drdavinlim #acne #bacne #acnetips #bcanetips #acnewarrior #acneremdies #cureacne #zittreatments #bacnetreatment #retinoids #acnescars #bacnescars
Acne a complex interplay of genetics & extrinsic factors, can’t control much non-pharmacologically bar diet & lifestyle
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🍧Diet: I am quite surprised by how much of an impact diet makes, but unlike a weight loss diet, an anti acne diet is hard to follow, it means a total elimination of flares such as dairy, sugar, hormonal fed produce & refined foods. With caloric restriction, you can have cheat days, or make it up by burning more calories, you can’t do that with an acne free diet. Kudos for the motivated, it’s such a discipline 👊🏻
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😎Davin Lim
Dermatologist
Brisbane🇦🇺
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#dermatology #skincare # #drdavinlim #davinlim #brisbanedermatologist #acne #acnediet #acetips #acnecure #acneremedy #naturalacneremedy #pimples #acnefree #acneskincaretips
Ever wondered how ice pick scars form?
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🔬Skin Science: Ice picks are part of the classic description of acne scars including boxcar, rolling, (atrophic) & hypertrophic. In reality there are many more scar types including saucer, bridging, hypopigmented, & commonly, polymorphic undifferentiated scars
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👍🏻Think histology to effectively revise scars: icepicks are a paradox. They are ‘superficial but deep.’ Going under the scar itself with subcision often releases the base of ice picks, hence in some, pathology is in the subcutaneous layers
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👌🏻Solutions: Contrary to the literature, ice picks are relatively easy to treat. Accurate TCA or phenol placement will improve. It’s a matter of treatment sessions & proper selection.
Faster options include punches. 🔫Small diameter lasers can hit the side walls, causing remodeling in shallower icepicks
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🚬🔥Smoking & scars: anecdotally this scar type is more common in smokers. I suspect changes in the microcirculation may predispose genetically susceptible individuals to this scar morphology
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🎬Action: book an appointment with Alison or Katie @cliniccutis They can assess your scar types & come up with a treatment plan. Alternatively I am more than happy to be involved in more challenging cases
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😎Davin Lim
Dermatologist
Brisbane🇦🇺
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#dermatology #icepickscars #acnescars #drdavinlim #davinlim #scars #acnescartreatment #nomorescars #pockscars #laserdermatology #dermatologist
#skinclinic #brisbanedermatologist
How do we treat back acne?
Specialist treatment of severe or scarring bacne is very different compared to over the counter washes and scrubs. If we detect that your acne is potentially scarring, or if it is severe, or affects your emotional well being, we may use a special drug called Roaccutane, also known as Accutane or Oratane.
Roaccutane is a vitamin A drug, and is restricted for the management of severe cases of acne, including bacne. For facial acne, the course of Roaccutane treatment is around 8 months. For severe cases of trunk acne involving the shoulders, chest, and back, a prolonged course of 12- 16 months is indicated. Treating severe cases of bacne can be tricky as flare-ups can be expected early in the course of Roaccutane. Our Specialists may combine drugs such as EES or Prednisolone to reduce flare-ups.
In 2021 the TGA approved a new topical retinoid for the management of both facial & truncal acne called Akleif. Your dermatologist may elect to use this medication to treat truncal pimples.
What is trifarotene or Akleif?
This topical was released in 2021 in Australia. Trifarotene or Akleif is a generation four retinoid. It is made by Galderma & comes in a 75 ml package. It costs around $80-$90 AUD.
This retinoid is indicated for patients who have both facial & truncal acne. The major disadvantage of this topical is that it take some time before it starts working, typically 4 to 8 weeks. You will continued improvement over 6 months. For more rapid results, your dermatologist may concurrently prescribe you an antibiotic for a brief period of time.
Side effects include dry skin, itchy irritated skin, purging of acne & sun sensitivity. Akleif is not comparable with pregnancy or breastfeeding.
View our Treatment Gallery
Can back acne be related to diet?
Yes, research has shown that acne can be related to diet. Some milder cases of back and trunk acne can respond to dietary changes, however moderate to severe cases may not respond, and medical intervention maybe required.
We encourage all patients to try the acne diet prior to prescription medications. This simple diet can be summarised as ‘consume foods NOT from packets or containers.’ Broad this means a low dairy, low sugar diet, high in grains, protein & unprocessed food. For more detail on calorie intake, speak to a dietician.
Why is it important to treat bacne?
Most cases of bacne or back acne are mild, and over the counter washes and scrubs can be successful. Moderate to severe cases of bacne should be treated as scarring can occur. Unlike facial acne scars, acne scars on the back and chest areas are more difficult to treat, and hence prevention of scarring is very important. Severe cases of bacne and trunk acne can also cause pain, itching and significant social embarrassment.
Adult acne is a unique subset of ‘acne’. Read more, share if you find this post useful, & comment as to what works for you🙏🏼
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🔬Skin Science: #acne has 4 characteristic features- excess oil, inflammation, bacteria overgrowth & abnormal shedding of cells in the oil gland itself. This is modified by hormones, diet, stress, #skincareproducts & lifestyle
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👧🏻Teenage acne is due to hormones (puberty), genetics & diet. In most cases #pimples are self-limiting & simple products including #benzoylperoxide (main ingredient in #proactiv) are effective
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👩🏼🦱Adult acne is more challenging to treat as it is multifactorial; lifestyle factors, hormones, stress & diet are all causes. See below for some helpful hints
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📋Make Up: Oil free, mineral, paraben & talc free; non-comedogenic- many choices. Remember to let your skin breathe - always remove makeup before sleeping!
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🩺When to see a #dermatologist? Treating #adultacne effectively is super important, as this form of acne is usually persistent. #acnecysts are more resistant to treatment compared to #zits & blackheads (more superficial). See a derm early if you have scarring acne, or if OTC products don’t work
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🎬Action: My colleague @dr.hebajibreal is dual Board Certified & will get your acne under control. Appointments @cliniccutis
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😎Davin's Protip: The majority of acne scars in adults are the result of delayed action to control acne; especially important if one picks. If you suffer from late onset acne give home therapy a go for 6 weeks, for those who suffer from persistent & resistant acne, see a medical #dermatologist early. Control/prevention = less or no #acnescars
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Dr Davin Lim
BrisVegas🇦🇺
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#hormonalacne #healthyskin #skincaretips #nomoreacne #blemishfree
Did you know that food plays a significant role in the control of acne? 🥛 🐠 Before spending a whole heap on make up, skin care, or even seeing a dermatologist- work on your diet ❕❕ Diet has been shown to control over 60% of mild to moderate cases of acne, without the need for special #acneskincare 🙂
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TAKE HOME MESSAGE - Work on your diet. Cut down on sugars, and refined foods, including dairy!
▪️ Eat healthy- unrefined foods are best. Fish, vegetables and unrefined carbs.
▪️ Supplement with zinc from a health food shop.
▪️ Only see a #dermatologist if you have #cysticacne or #scarringacne .
▪️ Holistic approach to #acnemanagement can save you money as well as side effects from tablets such as #oratane or #accutane
▪️ More on this entire topic on my YouTube channel!
▪️ Download the FREE acne diet guide from many links that WILL be provided. #acnefree #nomorepimples #flawlessskin #naturalacnecure
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Dr Davin Lim, @cliniccutis @theformulated
Brisbane, AU🇦🇺
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#skincarecommunity #skincareobsessed #skincareaddict #skincarescience #skincareblog #skincaretips #dermatology #drdavinlim #internationaldermatologist #20sskincare #protectyourcollagen #dontcatchchylamidia #normalskin #brisbanedermatologist
Shout out to @carolinehirons
Respect for any bird that rocks camo
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✍🏻I think her quotes are legendary & will be eternally engraved in stone
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👍🏻📖If you haven’t bought the book, buy it. It will save you a lot of grief & money
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😎Davin Lim
Dermatologist
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Brisbane🇦🇺
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#drdavinlim #skincarescience #skinscience #dermalscience #instaskincare #basicaskincare #skincareguide #skincareroutine #bestskincare #skincaretips #carolinehirons #celeberityskincare #dermatologistbrisbane #bestskincaretips #skincare
BACNE is a term to describe extra-facial acne involving the back. Acne can also involve the scalp, chest, arms, and legs. This form of acne is more common in males than females. Bacne & cystic acne can lead to acne scars.
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✏Simple solutions: BPO or benzoyl peroxide can be very effective. Try a wash over cream due to surface area considerations. Is is super important to apply correctly, namely apply BPO to a brush or applicator, apply to the affected areas in the shower, leave on for 90 seconds before washing off. Can be used up to twice a day as tolerated. See below for brand recommendation. Elemental zinc/zinc sulfate can reduce acne. Double dose the recommended daily intake. .
🍔Lifestylechanges: acne diet can improve up to 80% of acne. Eat healthy, reduce dairy, increase intake of raw food, decrease intake of refined foods and sugar. Consume low Gi foods. Refer to diet specific posts @drdavinlim
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🏥 medical dermatologists approach acne: Investigations to exclude endocrine causes based upon history & examination. Antibiotics, anti-hormone medication, & in extreme cases/ scarring acne, Accutane may be considered. Chemical peels, in particular BHA salicylic acid peels can be very effective. A simple compounded solution is 5% sal. acid, 1% thymol, 10% propylene glycol, in 85% ethanol. Don’t smoke near this solution. Sulfur 5% in calamine lotion is an oldie but a goodie. .
🔬Recommend products: benzacac wash, benzoyl peroxide 2.5-10%, Neutrogena oil free salicylic acid wash, compounded salicylic acid topically, compounded sulfur creams/lotions
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😎Davin’s Protip: The use of simple benzoyl peroxide can treat mild to moderate trunkal- chest acne. The stand out brand is Benzac AC as this is more cost effective compared to proactive. Regardless of brand, the trick is to leave on for at least 90 seconds before washing off. If you do not respond within 8 weeks, consider seeing a medical dermatologist for effective solutions early. This will prevent/reduce acne scarring. .
Dr Davin Lim @cliniccutis
BrisVegas,, Australia. 🇦🇺
#acnetips #skincare #dermatologist
What can be done for acne scarring on the back?
The most frequent form of acne scarring on the back, chest and shoulders are lumpy scars known as hypertrophic or keloid scarring. These scars are usually pink- red in colour, lumpy and occasionally itchy or painful. Acne scars in these areas usually respond poorly to laser treatments, however maybe improved with a series of steroid injections. Several injections are needed over many months, but eventually the scars will flatten. Early red scars can respond well to V-Beam vascular laser.
Still astounds me when I see hypertrophic scars right next to atrophic scars. What’s going on? What is the pathology behind it? NFI🤷🏻♂️
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👉This patient: had both atrophic & hypertrophic bacne scars. Hypertrophic treated with ILCS injections & CO2 laser assisted delivery. Atrophic scars treated with CaOh hyperdilute 1.5 ml + 2ml N.S/lidocaine + CO2 10-15% density
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📆Timeline:18 months, special thanks to Katie & Alison for this result💯
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👍🏻Future: looks so bright, he needs sunglasses. I’m certain the end result will be great, needs another 6-12 months
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😎Davin Lim
Dermatologist
Brisbane,🇦🇺
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#acnescars #bacnescars #bacne #acnescarremoval #co2 #fractionallaser #davinlim #drdavinlim #dermatologistbrisbane #backacne #scarsnomore #backacnescars
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…& the keyboard warrior who notices the after result is actually UNDER-EXPOSED goes to… #baiting 😜
Basic acne scar revision concepts
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👉Real life: Is not that simple. Scar signatures vary considerably even within patients.
Scar morphology changes with procedures. Classification however is a great starting point
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🛬Many doors to the same destination: In most cases the rules are not set in stone, & there are various methods to treat each scar type. Add to this the differences in devices & skill sets of operators. If all things are equal, there is a marked variation between each patient’s regenerative & remodeling potential. Furthermore age related atrophy plays an important role in acne scar revision
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👍🏻It’s much more complex than matching scars to procedures, but it is a step in the right direction💯
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😎Dr Davin Lim
Dermatologist
Brisbane 🇦🇺
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#acnescar #scarrevision #acnescartreatment #acnescarcure #icepickscars #drdavinlim #brisbanedermatologist
Acne a complex interplay of genetics & extrinsic factors, can’t control much non-pharmacologically bar diet & lifestyle
.
🍧Diet: I am quite surprised by how much of an impact diet makes, but unlike a weight loss diet, an anti acne diet is hard to follow, it means a total elimination of flares such as dairy, sugar, hormonal fed produce & refined foods. With caloric restriction, you can have cheat days, or make it up by burning more calories, you can’t do that with an acne free diet. Kudos for the motivated, it’s such a discipline 👊🏻
.
😎Davin Lim
Dermatologist
Brisbane🇦🇺
.
#dermatology #skincare # #drdavinlim #davinlim #brisbanedermatologist #acne #acnediet #acetips #acnecure #acneremedy #naturalacneremedy #pimples #acnefree #acneskincaretips
How do I arrange an appointment to have my acne treated at Cutis Clinic?
A referral from your GP is not required, however this is encouraged. A referral will keep your GP up to date with your medical treatments, and also enable you to claim a partial refund from Medicare.
Call Clinic Cutis to make an appointment with one of our medical dermatologists.
Note: I do not treat medical conditions including acne. My work is procedural, namely the revision of severe acne scarring. Please book in with one of my colleagues.
Davin’s Viewpoint on treating back and trunk acne
Most cases of mild bacne can be treated with over the counter washes and scrubs. I encourage patients to try a wash with Benzoyl Peroxide as the first step. Ask your chemist for BENZAC AC wash, and apply as directed. Moderate to severe cases of back acne should be medically treated. Antibiotics such as Doxycycline or Minocycline can help, severe cases are treated with an extended course of isotretinoin (Roaccutane or Oratane).
The new fourth generation topical retinoid known as Akeif or trifarotene heralds new ground. I suspect, much like adapalene, it will offer some improvement in mild & early acne scars involving both face, chest, shoulders & back.
Early treatment of severe cases of back acne is very important, as this can reduce scarring. Unlike acne scarring located on the face, bacne scars are more difficult to treat. Most scars due to trunkal – back acne present as lumpy red scars. A series of steroid injections can reduce the lumpiness, whist vascular V Beam laser can reduce the redness.
Be guided by your dermatologist. Please note, I am a procedural dermatologist and I do not get involved in medical management of acne.
