Butt bumps: How to get rid of backside acne, boils, and more

• A pimple on your butt could be a boil, which is a hair follicle infection.
• It could also be keratosis: a skin condition where dead skin cells build up in your hair follicles.
• Acne on your butt is another common inflammatory skin condition.
• Visit Insider's Health Reference library for more advice.

When red bumps appear on your butt, they most likely aren't caused by the same type of acne you see on your face. It's possible to get pimples on your butt, but more often, the bumps are caused by other skin conditions like folliculitis or keratosis pilaris.

Here are four reasons you may see bumps on your butt and how you can get rid of them.

1. Folliculitis

Most often, butt bumps are caused by folliculitis, which occurs when bacteria on your skin invade a hair follicle.

Folliculitis may look like:

• Small red bumps
• Pus-filled whiteheads

"This is often caused by a combination of sweating and friction which disrupts the outer skin layer and increases the likelihood of bacteria getting into the skin,"says Joshua Zeichner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and professor at Mount Sinai.

For this reason, you should avoid wearing tight clothing, especially during summer, if you're prone to getting butt bumps.

To get rid of mild folliculitis, Zeichner recommends at-home remedies like:

• Use antibacterial skin products like benzoyl peroxide
• Apply an anti-inflammatory skin product like hydrocortisone
• Apply a warm compress made from a washcloth soaked in warm water to the area several times per day
• Change out of sweaty clothing as soon as possible

If these treatments don't work, you may need to see your doctor to get a prescription antibiotic cream.

2. Keratosis pilaris

Keratosis pilaris is a common skin condition that occurs when dead skin cells build up inside your hair follicles. This causes tiny red bumps to appear. It's often referred to as "chicken skin" because of its rough, bumpy appearance, Zeichner says.

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"Keratosis pilaris is determined by your genetics, and while we can't completely get rid of it, we can make it look better," Zeichner says. The best way to do this is to use exfoliating products to help remove the dead cells from your follicles. This can include:

• Chemical exfoliators that contain salicylic, lactic and glycolic acid which can dissolve connections between dead cells so they easily shed from the skin, Zeichner says.
• Manual exfoliators, like a rough sponge, skin brush, or face scrub containing tiny grains, work by physically removing dead cells from your skin.

3. Acne

Acne happens when the pores in your skin become clogged with oil and dead skin cells, causing redness and inflammation. It most often shows up on your face, but it's possible to get acne almost anywhere on your body, including your butt.

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You can treat acne on your butt the same way you treat acne on your face, using methods like:

• Washing the area every day, especially after you sweat a lot
• Cutting down on refined sugars and dairy in your diet
• Using products that exfoliate your skin like salicylic acid

4. Boils

A boil is an infection in your hair follicle that leads to a painful, red bump. "It commonly fills with pus and may rupture if it becomes large enough," Zeichner says.

Boils generally start out small but can grow to more than two inches wide in some cases.

They most often go away on their own within two weeks, but there are a few methods you can try to help clear them up more quickly:

• Apply a warm compress to the skin to help bring the pus to the surface.
• Gently massage the area to help drain the boil, Zeichner says.
• Use antimicrobial skin cleansers to help lower levels of bacteria on the skin.

In some cases, you may need to see your doctor to drain the boil or get oral antibiotic treatment.

When to see a doctor

Reach out to a board-certified dermatologist if:

• The bumps become extremely painful
• The bumps aren't improving or get worse after two weeks of at-home care
• Your symptoms get worse rapidly
• The bumps keep coming back

You should get immediate medical attention if you have any symptoms of more serious infection like fever or chills.

Insider's takeaway

It's possible to get acne on your butt, but butt pimples are most often caused by other conditions like folliculitis or a boil.

There are several at-home remedies you can use to treat mild butt bumps, including exfoliating and antibacterial skin products. For more severe or recurring cases, you may need to see your doctor for treatment.

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