ButtocksPeel.

The treatment nobody wants to ask about

Body breakouts on the buttocks are extremely common and almost never discussed, which means most people arrive having already tried a series of scrubs, body washes and internet suggestions that made the texture worse rather than better.

The first useful thing we do is tell you what you actually have, because three different problems present in almost exactly the same way.

Folliculitis is inflammation of the hair follicle, driven by friction, occlusion, sweat and sometimes bacteria. It looks like acne and is not.

Keratosis pilaris is a build-up of keratin around the follicle, producing rough, bumpy skin that often feels like sandpaper. It is genetic, it is not an infection, and scrubbing it aggravates it.

Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is the flat brown or grey mark left after any of the above has settled. For many people this is the real complaint. The bumps have gone; the marks have not.

What the peel does

Body skin is thicker than facial skin and it turns over more slowly, so a facial peel applied to the buttocks does very little. This uses a body-appropriate formulation, applied to loosen the bonds holding dead keratin and debris in and around the follicles, clear the surface, and speed the turnover that clears discolouration.

Where the result actually comes from

Honestly, half of it is behavioural, and we would rather tell you that than sell you a series of peels that get undone every week.

Sitting for long periods in damp gym clothing, tight synthetic fabrics, occlusive body products and shaving or waxing the area all keep the process going. Loose cotton, showering promptly after exercise, and stopping the scrubbing regime you are probably on will do a substantial part of the work. We go through this at your appointment.

Who this suits, and who it does not

It suits you if you have rough texture, congestion, folliculitis or the marks left after them, and you are willing to make a couple of practical changes alongside the treatment.

It does not suit you if you have deep, painful cystic lesions or an infection, both of which need a prescriber rather than a peel. It does not suit you if you have an unexplained rash, which should be looked at properly before anything is applied to it. And it will not correct raised or indented scarring.

At the appointment

The area is assessed and cleansed and you are positioned comfortably and draped, with only the treatment area exposed. The solution is applied evenly and timed, and your clinician watches for the endpoint rather than working to the clock alone. You will feel warmth and stinging. The peel is then neutralised or allowed to self-neutralise and a soothing preparation is applied.

Afterwards

Expect pinkness, warmth and then flaking over the following days. Wear loose clothing. Keep the area clean and dry, avoid heat, sweating and friction for the period you are advised, and do not shave or wax until it has settled.

Do not exfoliate the flaking skin off. Pulling it early is the fastest route to a new dark mark in place of the one you came in to treat.