What’s Causing Your Neck Acne?

Last Updated on November 20th, 2021

You probably remember your mother telling you to always wash your neck and behind your ears right? So now you’re wondering: Why do you have neck acne? Preventing and treating acne on the neck, however, is not as simple as keeping the neck clean because almost any form of acne can occur on the neck.

Neck acne can have several different causes.

Summary of Neck Acne Causes and Treatments

• Acne on the neck can be very easy or very hard to treat.
• If you have blemishes on your neck that look like blemishes on your face, you may be able to control them with careful cleansing and a benzoyl peroxide serum like this Acne Treatment Serum.
• If you have pimples on the neck that form around ingrown hairs, you may need to treat them with a skin peel such as 0.05% tretinoin topical. Avoid ingrown hairs by making sure you never use a dull razor to shave your face and neck.
• If you have acne that follows exposure to chlorine-containing chemicals, recovery will be slow. Eating products that contain Olestra may help.
• If you have get acne on the neck where skin has been chafed and irritated by a tight-fitting strap, loosen the strap. Be sure to shower when skin gets sweaty.
• Mild to moderate acne on the neck responds to a complete acne care routine with a simple system. We like Exposed Skin Care for its ease and effectiveness.

Mild to Moderate Common Acne on the Back of the Neck

Mild to moderate common acne, a condition also known as acne vulgaris, usually occurs on the face. However, about 15% of people who have common acne get blemishes on the neck. Whiteheads and blackheads on the neck are caused by the accumulation of dead skin cells, acne bacteria, and excess oil in pores on the skin of the neck. Reducing any three of these components of a clogged pore can reduce the number of blemishes on the neck.

Mom’s advice to wash your neck and to wash behind your ears is sometimes all you really need to do. Since the skin on the back of your neck is a little tougher than the skin on your face, it also responds well to benzoyl peroxide.

The one-two punch of salicylic acid plus benzoyl peroxide will also be very effective, which is why we love combining a salicylic acid body cleanser like this Body Wash from Exposed Skincare with a benzoyl peroxide spot treatment like this Acne Treatment Serum. The combo together will unclog and shrink pores, then kill acne bacteria to prevent new blemishes. Get the kit, which comes with two serums, a Body Wash and a special exfoliating cloth, to see the most bang for your buck.

Quick disclaimer: Be careful using benzoyl peroxide on the back of your neck if you spend lots of time in the sun, or if you have Asian or light brown skin. Benzoyl peroxide is great for neck and back acne, but it can leave permanent spots on the skin of the neck after acne has healed if you have Asian or light brown skin. Use sunscreen if you use any kind of antibacterial gel on your neck.

Pimples Under the Chin in Men

Another target for neck acne in men is under the chin, especially on areas of the neck that are shaved every morning. Many men develop a form of acne called acne keloidalis nuchae where they shave their necks every day. This kind of acne is not triggered by clogged pores. It forms around ingrown hairs, which are attacked by the immune system. The immune system tries to destroy the hair with inflammation, and the skin seals the hair into the skin under raised, pink scar tissue.

Cleansing the skin won’t get rid of neck acne that shaving causes.

It usually takes tretinoin topical to open up the hair follicle so the hair can come out, and careful treatment with antibiotics if the pore gets infected. The antibiotics used to treat common acne won’t usually work in hair follicles, because they are more likely to be infected with staph or strep than with acne bacteria. Neosporin, however, will usually cause the bacteria in pimples under the chin.

It is important not to try opening up pimples that form over ingrown hairs on your own. They can cause serious infections that affect larger areas of skin than common acne, and the bacteria inside the pimple can even get into the bloodstream. If self-treatment doesn’t work in 4 or 5 days, see a doctor.

The way to prevent this kind of neck acne is always to use a fresh safety razor. Dull edges trap hairs beneath the skin.

Chloracne on the Neck

Another kind of neck acne is chloracne, acne that is caused by exposure to chemicals containing chlorine. It is a common problem in China, although it was first observed in Germany when it was developing its chemical industry in the 1880s.

Now that Chinese companies make the majority of the world’s chlorine-based chemicals, the greatest number of cases of chloracne occur in China. Acne caused by exposure to dioxin is also reported in Vietnam, most of Eastern Europe, and Texas. There are people who develop chloracne after swimming in over-chlorinated swimming pools.

This form of acne can occur anywhere on the body, but it is most common on the neck. It usually starts at the sides of the face between the eyes and the ears, then spreads down the neck. The skin in pores fails to mature properly, so they grow large but fill up with sebum and dead skin cells. From the neck, acne may spread to chest, back, buttocks, and genitals. People with light hair color are especially susceptible to chloracne.

There is no cure for chloracne, but two to three years without further toxin exposure will give the skin time to heal. Blemishes are reduced by the use of a treatment that does not work for any other kind of acne—Olestra. This fat substitute binds to the toxins that cause chloracne of the neck. Eating products that contain Olestra sends the toxins out with fecal matter and accelerates recovery from chloracne.

Cystic Acne of the Neck

Cystic acne of the neck is often caused when the skin of the neck is in some ways too healthy. It grows over pores before they get a chance to drain, and the immune system attacks the trapped acne bacteria with inflammation that causes the formation of a cyst.

Picking, probing, needling, lancing, cold treatments, and heat treatments all make this kind of neck acne worse.

The only practical treatment that you can get over-the-counter is tretinoin topical, also known as Renova. This lotion stimulates the maturation of skin cells over the cyst so that they are easy to rinse off the skin. Over a period of 3 to 4 weeks enough skin matures and dies that the cyst opens on its own, and the ordinary skin care helps keep cysts from coming back.

It is important to use sunscreen on the back of the neck during tretinoin treatment to prevent the formation of brown spots on the skin. Using a sunscreen that contains vitamin E in the morning, such as Banana Boat Ultra Defense Sunscreen Faces SPF 30 Lotion (which works on the neck, too), and topical tretinoin in the morning, opens the skin while preventing lasting discoloration.

Because of the many side effects of tretinoin, including crusty and peeling skin, burning and itching, and increased sensitivity to the sun, it is never our first recommendation. We always say to try a simple, safe and science-based acne care routine first. However, if you aren’t seeing results that way, then trying tretinoin could be your next step.

Sports Acne on the Neck

Another kind of neck acne is sports acne, also known as acne mechanica. This condition is caused when the back of the neck is irritated by a strap that also collects sweat. The solution is simple: Loosen the strap.

You must shower immediately after any sporting event to minimize irritation to the neck. This is a great opportunity for a salicylic acid-based body wash. Combine with a Derm-X Body Cloth for gentle exfoliation, which keeps skin clear.

Acne Products for Acne on the Neck

If you have acne keloidalis nuchae, chloracne, cystic acne, or sports acne on the neck, you probably need specialized skin treatment. However, most people just have mild to moderate common blemishes on the neck. Lucky for most of us, this type of neck acne is easy to treat. The solution is usually just in keeping to a consistent and proven acne routine.

Start with the Basic Kit, which gives you a 3-step morning routine and 3-step evening routine.

Morning Routine:

• Step 1: Facial Cleanser
• Step 2: Clearing Tonic
• Step 3: Acne Treatment Serum

For neck acne specifically, make sure to wash your neck with the Facial Cleanser or, for acne on the back of the neck, use the Body Wash.

Evening Routine:

• Step 1: Facial Cleanser
• Step 2: Clearing Tonic
• Step 3: Clear Pore Serum

Taking this simple first step to clearing your neck acne will have results. The system is proven to clear skin within 30 days (or, like we said, you get your money back—seriously!).

Exposed Skincare’s easy, repeatable routine really works.