So you’ve either gotten breast implants, or had a breast reduction, and you’re excited to start wearing bikinis and low-cut tops to show off your new chest. But oh no, now you’re breaking out in chest acne!
Usually this breakout doesn’t happen immediately, but rather 3-4 weeks after the surgery. Also, it doesn’t happen to everyone. It is a rather common phenomenon, however, and I’ve put together this page to help you understand why this is happening, as well as clear up some misconceptions and help you figure out the best treatment options for any chest acne you may be getting after having breast augmentation.
First we need to talk about why you are getting acne on your chest after having breast augmentation. It’s important to know that it is not caused by an improperly performed surgery, so don’t go rushing to blame your doctor. In addition, it is most likely not caused by anything you’re doing; either washing too much or too little.
So what is the real cause of this chest acne? It is usually just your skin’s response to the trauma of the surgery. Breast augmentation surgery is something that the skin on your chest was certainly not prepared for, and in response to the trauma and stress of the surgery it sort of goes crazy and you begin breaking out with chest acne.
One treatment option that will work just fine for most people is to do nothing. Once the skin calms down, usually 3-4 weeks after you initially start breaking out, you will probably see a reduction in the amount of acne until your skin ultimately clears up. If you didn’t have chest acne before your surgery, then you will most likely return to a state of clear skin after your post-op surgery flare up.
If you’d like to speed things up, you can try using a body wash with 2% salicylic acid. This is the most common over-the-counter treatment for all types of body acne, including that on the chest. Another option would be to apply a 10% glycolic acid lotion after your shower, which is another common body acne treatment.
Both of these acne treatment options are available over-the-counter, and are found in stores and online. If your chest acne persists for longer than 4-6 weeks after the initial breakout, consider speaking with a dermatologist about further treatment options.