​Do You Have Buttne (Acne on Your Butt)?

As part of a series of IMPT but weird beauty questions this week, The Cut tackles an oft overlooked problem: Butt acne, more affectionately termed “buttne.” Acne on your butt is what it is. And two out of two doctors confirm that it’s a real condition.

In fact, it’s… normal. More important, though, is it a thing? The Cut reports:

“Dude, it’s a thing,” my friend told me when I asked about her embarrassing beauty problems. It’s a cruel world that permits congested butt pores to exist. Dermatologists I spoke to confirmed that it is, indeed, a real thing — and it’s getting worse as more and more patients seek dermatologists for treatment. “I have seen quite a bit of acne on the buttocks as of late,” said Dr. Carlos Charles, a dermatologist practicing in New York. Another, Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi, agrees: “We are seeing a lot more breakouts on the butt.” Below, everything you need to know to spot (and treat) acne on your bum.

Right, first off, do you even have buttne or are you just trying to be down? Bend over, feel around and investigate:

Red bumps on your butt: not good overall. But sometimes what you think is butt acne could be something else. If they’re tiny red bumps centered around hair follicles, they could instead be hair-infected follicles. If that’s the case, try loosening up your clothes. Try to wear cotton underwear (hey, it’s normcore), which is more breathable than nylon or silk.

Besides switching up your clothing material (personally, I prefer sweatpants 24/7), you could start by not wearing sweaty yoga pants all day long:

…Your yoga pants are tight. They’re sweaty. They stick to your butt when you sit or even when you’re not sitting. So does bacteria and sweat, which clog pores. Dr. Charles puts it this way: “Sweat that sits on the body for extended periods of time leads to the overgrowth of bacteria that can exacerbate acne.”

But the best way to fight buttne, of course, is to use a body wash that contains the ingredients you use for your facial acne, i.e. salicylic acid.

Depending upon the severity of the acne, look for washes with acid percentages of 3 percent and up. A dermatologist can also write you a prescription for an antibacterial cream like Clindamycin and in more extreme cases, even prescribe Accutane.

So who wants to share their buttne story?

Image via Shutterstock