Last Updated on January 6th, 2020
By Dr. Jaggi Rao, MD, FRCPC, Double board-certified dermatologist
Active people of all ages can develop sports acne, but acne caused by sports activity is usually easy to prevent and treat.
Article Table of Contents
Medical texts usually refer to acne due to sport as acne mechanica, or friction acne. This form acne can occur in elementary school children and in senior citizens, and in active people of all ages in between.
Friction acne is not due to wearing away of skin, although it can occur on patches of skin that have been chafed by tight or rough clothing. This kind of acne is primarily due to the trapping of sweat underneath tight fitting clothes, straps, or pads. The sweat provides a medium for growing bacteria, and the bacteria irritate the skin and clog pores. Whiteheads, blackheads, and, when a pore becomes infected, pimples follow.
Sports acne pops up in unusual places. Women may break out around their breasts when brassieres are too tight. Men may break on the groin under tight jockstraps. Sports acne often breaks out on the neck and shoulders under pads, and on the chin and jawline under straps for hats and helmets. Even the feet can break out in acne when shoes or socks are too tight.
People who have oily skin and black skin tones are especially susceptible to sports acne caused by heat. Wearing tight athletic uniforms in hot or humid conditions causes serious acne breakouts all over the torso and possibly even the buttocks and groin.
People who have Japanese skin types often get pimples after they have allergies to elastic. Those who are allergic to melons, papaya, fish, or latex get especially severe sports acne when they work out in heat and humidity wearing uniforms that are fitted too tight.
Divers and cold-water surfers often get all-over acne when they wear tight wetsuits. Japanese skin types are extra sensitive to this problem.
The obvious way to prevent sports acne is to wear the loosest clothing possible in athletic events. Women who experience breast swelling just before their menstrual period should adjust their bras accordingly. Men should use sweat-absorbing powders under jock straps. Cotton is preferable to Lycra. Helmets should be taken off when the sport permits to relieve tension on the neck and chin.
If you wear a wetsuit, it is important to have a fit at the neck that keeps water out of the suit, but that does not “hug” the skin. The neck is especially prone to acne mechanica when wearing a wetsuit. Wetsuits that are flexible and buoyant will help you swim better, and also reduce friction on the skin. Wetsuits become looser with wear, so it is a good idea to use a wetsuit for short periods to “break it in” before using it for a longer event.
The most important thing you can do to treat sports acne is to shower immediately after your event—especially if it involves a wetsuit. Rinsing your skin stops the inflammation caused by contact of sweat on skin. Gently rubbing your skin with a shower mitt while you shower removes any dead skin cells that clog pores after you towel off.
It also helps to moisturize. Chafed skin is often dry skin. Applying a light, alcohol-free moisturizer to areas of skin where your athletic uniform fits tight can accelerate healing of the skin and also help keep dead skin out of pores.
Japanese scientists have made a study of acne on the feet. Lotions containing eucalyptus can treat acne on top of the foot as well as athlete’s foot between the toes. Foot acne is most common in type 2 diabetics, and in people who wear tight-fitting shoes that do not allow the skin of the feet to dry.
Many people just can’t use benzoyl peroxide for treating acne on their faces. Even the 2% concentration of benzoyl peroxide will make their skin itch, peel, and turn red. The more commonly prescribed 5% concentration is out of the question.
Those same people, however, often get good results from benzoyl peroxide treating pimples on the neck, shoulders, back, chest, and groin. The key is to apply just a dot of benzoyl peroxide on a pimple surrounded by unbroken skin. Never apply benzoyl peroxide to chafed, scratched, or cut skin. Clean the skin first, and wear white clothing over the area you have treated with benzoyl peroxide. This acne treatment can bleach clothing and hair.
Benzoyl peroxide only works on pimples. It is not helpful for whiteheads or blackheads, and it does not kill the bacteria that cause impetigo or staph infections. If you do have a problem with “pimples” that ooze clear yellow pus, commonly caused by staph bacteria you pick up in a locker room, use tea tree oil.
It takes at least 10% tea tree oil to kill staph bacteria on contact. The best way to make sure you are getting this concentration of tea tree oil is to buy pure tea tree oil—not some skin care product that just smells like tea tree oil—and apply directly to the infected area with a clean cotton swab you only use once. Throw away the cotton swab immediately after you use it to avoid infecting other parts of your body.
Body washes made with calendula also help fight staph and impetigo. The first time you use any product, test a tiny dot of the product on the skin of your inner forearm. Leave the product there a few hours to make sure it does not cause inflammation or redness. If it does not cause an adverse reaction on your arm, it is probably safe to use on the rest of your body.
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