“What causes acne on the butt?”
I'm 30 years old. I have acne on my butt and it's only getting worse! What is causing it? How can I treat it?
3 Answers
A variant of acne name Hidradenitis Suppurativa. The cause is unknown.
Acne on the buttocks is caused by the same things that cause acne on the face. But (no pun intended), friction and sweat are bigger contributors to acne in this area as compared to other areas. Sitting all day long provides friction and occlusion. This increases your acne. A lot of time what we think is acne on the bottom is actually an irritation/mild infection of the hair follicles called folliculitis. Regardless, we often treat acne on the butt in much the same way as acne on other areas.
Sometimes sweating and friction cause irritation of the hair follicles. Bacteria can cause local infections. An easy treatment is use of benzoyl peroxide over the counter wash in the shower. If bathing 1/4 cup of household bleach in a full tub twice weekly may keep bacterial counts down. If it recurs you may be colonized with methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which is a common bacterium. That may require prescription treatment.
