Acne affects a large amount of the world’s population; in fact, just about every living person on this earth has or will experience a breakout of acne at some point in their lives. While many people view acne as harmless, it can have devastating effects on a person’s psyche, depending upon their mental stability. One of the worst types of acne one can get is back acne. Not only can back acne be embarrassing, it can also be very painful for the afflicted person, as sitting, laying down and even showering can cause negative sensations to course throughout the body.
The causes of back acne (and acne in general) have constantly been debated by scholars, doctors and intellectuals. The reasoning behind this is 
that there isn’t just one or even a few potential causation factors for acne. In fact, there are so many things that can potentially cause acne that it can be extremely difficult to determine why exactly it is happening to a specific person. Fortunately, the medical and scientific communities have concluded that there are many factors that may determine why one is suffering from back acne. Back acne is generally thought to be caused by blockages in follicles. Depending upon what chemicals are clogging which glands, one can end up with a wide variety of different kinds of acne.
Today, acne is thought to be partially hereditary. Many people who develop acne at an early age have siblings or other family members who also have had acne issues either currently or in the past. As to why acne can be caused by genetics, scientists and doctors are still unsure. The knowledge that acne may “run in your family” so to speak can be very powerful, however, as treatment can begin at an early age to catch the acne before it gets worse.
For males especially, acne at a young age can also have something to do with going through puberty, rather than being strictly hereditary. As males go through puberty, androgen (hormone) levels are increased and can accelerate the clogging of follicles. This makes sense, as many people who suffer with acne begin at this age. While this may not be comforting, the fact that acne will eventually go away after puberty can be very rest-assuring for someone who is dealing with a particularly bad incidence.
One of the common causes for back acne is stress. Stress is terrible for the body as a whole, but can be detrimental to the skin. While acne may not be the determined cause of the acne one may have, it can cause flare-ups that make the acne much worse than what it would be on its own. It is not exactly known what the connection between stress and acne is, but doctors have found that increases in stress can often run parallel with increases in acne flare-ups.
Lastly, it is important not to scratch the area on your back that has acne, as this can cause irreversible scarring. Always be sure to treat the area if it becomes itchy rather than scratch it. Scratching may provide temporary relief but will be detrimental to your skin in the long run. Talk to your family doctor about back acne if you have any more questions or concerns.