The Butt Acne Nobody Talks About. What Is It? How To Treat It?

When it comes to acne we’re probably all familiar with the stuff that can breakout on your face, chest and back but what about the acne that no-butt-y talks a-butt. I’m talking pimples on our posteriors, zits where we sits, extra lumps on our lady humps. Not only does butt acne aka buttne happen, dermatologists think it’s more common than ever before.

Speaking to New York Magazine for instance, Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi said, quote, “We’re seeing a lot more breakouts on the butt.” What? Technically speaking buttne usually isn’t actually acne. It’s typically folliculitis which is an irritation of the hair follicles which can lead to pimple like lesions. If that folliculitis gets a little out of control then you’ve got a case of carbuncles aka butt boils.

Now do you see why we call it buttne? The likelihood of buttne striking your derriere actually has very little to do with your predisposition to developing acne on other parts of your body. Dermatologists today link it more to things like wearing yoga pants all the time, exercising with thongs on, and not taking a shower right after we get all hot and sweaty at the gym. Or running around outside or just doing a full-blown sprint to the refrigerator. 

Basically what happens is that skin-tight fabric can cause friction, irritating the hair follicles. Add to that bacteria, dead skin cells and sweat that has nowhere to escape and you’ve got a grade A recipe for buttne. The true rewards of exercise.

Now the good news is that again, buttne is totally common, don’t freak out if you get a zit on your butt. It does not make you a disgusting human. And if anyone tells you otherwise, you send them to me!

To treat it dermatologists recommend using things like benzoyl peroxide body wash, non-comedogenic lotion for your bum to make sure you’re not excessively clogging those pores, and again showering regularly after you work out.

Oh, and about those thongs, the reason why those thongs can be the culprit of buttne is that they leave no breathable barrier between your precious tush and that unbreathable, spandex-y workout fabric. So if you’re a workout thong-wearer who has had buttne issues perhaps consider which matters more to you: people seeing visible panty lines or the possibility of pimples on your butt. I don’t care, it’s not my butt.

Now with buttne out of the way perhaps it’s time to next tackle underboobne. Yeah. That exists too.