Butt Pimples... Yes, we are going there!
Butt pimples…. Why would I write about those you ask?
Well I probably wouldn’t if it weren’t for the fact that I found a few small red bumps on my rump that got me thinking that maybe you too had the occasional break out of the derrière variety.
I’m a skin expert, skin. The title itself proves I’m not just dealing with faces.
Our body is covered with a gazillion skin cells so of course, anything of an epidermal concern from the top of your head to the tip of your toes is basically my domain!
They say a burden shared is a burden lightened so here goes… from sharing to bordering on oversharing!
Butt Pimples. What are they and how come we get them.
The Hair Affair.
Well interestingly enough, sometimes those spots are not your common garden variety pimple, but small fine vellus (baby like hairs) hairs that become ingrown or stuck if the follicle is blocked.
These peach fuzzy, booty hairs aren’t strong enough to break through to the surface and so get bumpy and red and render to touch.
These most often occur on friction points- like where your underwear chafes or your skin touches back on itself, like where the crease where your leg ends and your butt starts.
The easiest trick for clearing these is to exfoliate on a weekly basis and avoid clothing (like tights or stockings that cause friction against our skin).
Sweat and Humitidty.
Butt pimples can also be from sweaty or humid conditions- the weather if it’s humid or if you are a sweater, the moisture on our skin can create small pimples. (I like to blame my recent find on time in a country famous for tropical monsoon rains that never end!)
To avoid this, try to wear cotton underwear as polyester, microfibres and less ‘breathable’ fabrics can prevent sweat and moisture from evaporating and drying.
Also avoid sitting in sweaty gym clothes for longer than you really have to can do it. If you can shower and change straight after your workout, this will go a long way to keeping those pesky pimples at bay.
Hormonal Butt Pimples.
Just like the skin on our face, other areas of our body can be affected by hormone induced breakouts, most commonly are the neck and chest, back and buttocks. Sometimes they can be ‘blind’ red sores, others can be more like a whitehead pimple, like those you may have seen on your face from time to time. These can come and go based on hormonal fluctuations.
The best way to tackle these are to have a chat with your naturopath about balancing your hormones (our skin is a site of response. That means if there something happening inside our bodies, our skin will subtly try to tell us to do something about it!).
Wether you have had the occasional bump or lump on the rump or if these pesky patootie pimples are a weekly occurrence, you can help by taking these three measures:
1:Use your face wash as your butt wash- (and anywhere else you’re getting breakouts).
It’s designed to clean your skin well without over drying so is perfect for these pesky spots. Follow this with fragrance and preservative free body lotion- your behind needs hydration too!
2: Exfoliate your entire body on a weekly basis-
Using an enzyme based exfoliant is great because you aren’t manually scrubbing which can inflame your breakouts further. You will still get the exfoliating of blocked follicles without the friction of a granular scrub. This will help reduce the occurrence of butt breakouts.
3: Think about your wardrobe options-
Tight, synthetic clothing that rubs, friction and sweat from your gym gear all can all contribute to pimples and red spots on your behind so choose breathable options.
Thanks for sticking with me.
Cheers to smooth, spot free buns!
Robyn xx