Despite their lofty claims, few skin care products actually give instant results. This you know, especially if you’ve ever had a zit and needed it gone yesterday. So when I stepped out of the shower a few weeks ago and spotted some angry-looking bacne on the backs of my shoulders, I was prepared for a slog. I surveyed my bathroom counter, I slapped on a chemical exfoliant I’d brought home to test (Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 8% AHA Gel, which is technically for your face), and I headed to work ready to deep-dive into Makeup Alley and skin care Reddit for a better game plan.

Yet in an honest twist of fate, the constellation of red spots on my back was gone the next morning. It was like a zitty fairytale. I’m a die-hard fanatic for Paula’s Choice, but the one-day turnaround was surprising nonetheless. Curious about whether there’s any science to slapping the stuff for your face onto your back, I reached out to dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D., for some answers.

While acne on your face and body are similar and trace back to the same factors (sweat, dirt, oil), Zeichner, director of cosmetic and clinical research in the Department of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, says that treating bacne is difficult because of the sheer surface area you need to cover, plus the regular exposure to things like dirty bra straps. So if the skin on your body is constantly breaking out, Zeichner says beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide are the move. If it’s more rare and some days you just wake up with a red shoulder scourge, an AHA like the Paula’s Choice Gel clears your skin without the aftermath of dry, itchy skin.

Real beauty goes beyond the surface—and so do we. Sign up for our newsletter to get honest reviews, personal essays, and more every day.

The Gel is a glycolic acid, which I’ll admit was a gamble. Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) are excellent for brightening your skin and creating that lit-from-within effect, but there’s a reason dermatologists warn to only use them at night, or with a powerful sunscreen. They increase your skin’s photosensitivity, which means they make you more susceptible to sunburn. But my shirt covered my shoulders, so I squirted a few pumps of the gel into my hands, smothered it onto the parts of my back that I could reach (graceful as ever), and continued on my way. The Gel’s combination of green tea, aloe, and glycolic acid flattened out my raised acne, and there were only a few faint red marks where they’d been. Ever since, as soon as I’ve seen a pimply shoulder situation start to arise, I’ve slathered it on and gotten the same results.

As luck (and seasonal weather changes) would have it, the discovery coincided with friends messaging me about the best back acne treatment. (There’s nothing like warm weather sweat, not-washed-enough bra straps, and shoulder-baring outfits to make you suddenly aware of the skin on your back.) Finally I have a great answer.

Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 8% AHA Gel, $29, dermstore.com

Related Stories:
–How to Deal With Every Summer Skin Issue, From Sunburns to Bug Bites
–8 Women of Color on Their Go-To Products for Hyperpigmentation
–This Millennial Blue Face Mask Shrinks Whiteheads Overnight

Source link