How to Get Rid of Neck Acne

Getting rid of neck acne is actually easier than you might think. A lot of people have trouble treating it though because it is in a difficult place to see. Many people don’t even realize they have neck acne until someone else tells them about it.

Neck acne can not only be embarrassing, it can be painful as well. One day it can suddenly erupt on your neck while the next day it might just fade away for a long time.

If you’ve been dealing with neck acne like this, you must learn how to limit the growth of these pimples and possibly stop them from growing all together. Below is a list of effective ways on how to get rid of neck acne.

Causes of Neck Acne

The causes of neck acne are the same causes of face acne and body acne. But since the skin on the neck is thicker and generates extra sebum, there tends to be more acne on the neck

how to get rid of neck acne

Clogged pores are commonly found on the neck’s skin. When people exfoliate, they tend to miss scrubbing the oil and dirt from their neck pores. This oil and dirt builds up in the pores to the point where bacteria are harbored, creating inflammation as a result. Then you’ll have swelling, pain, and redness.

Some skin products like facial washes, makeup, and face creams have ingredients which create acne on the skin. A comedogenic ingredient like isopropyl myristate should be avoided.

If you wear accessories or clothes that are tight, such as scarves or collars, then it could create irritation around the neck that causes acne to form.

People with food allergies to dairy products like milk tend to get neck acne. These products have anabolic hormones in them which boost the insulin levels in your body.

Remedies for Neck Acne

There are numerous ways to prevent acne from forming around your neck. Here are the conventional and natural ways of ridding your neck of acne.

Sea Salt Scrub

Sea salt scrub is a home remedy that helps your skin exfoliate in order to prevent more acne breakouts. It can also help dry the skin too.

You can create sea salt scrub at home by first taking a tablespoon of sea salt and mixing it with ½ a tablespoon of olive oil. You can combine water with it too. Apply the scrub on your skin gently at two times each week. If there is a lot of dryness there, only do it once per week.

salt sea scrub

Manuka Honey

Honey is nature’s strongest antibacterial product. It is great for reducing the redness, swelling and pain that you get from acne. If you want something really strong for treating your neck acne, get manuka honey. It has an antiseptic agent called methylglyoxal and it is totally unprocessed.

When you get the honey, apply it to the acne on your neck and let it stay there for 20 minutes. Then wash it off with lukewarm water. Repeat this up to 2 times per week.

Drink Water

Water is an affordable method of acne treatment. It assists the body in boosting and maintaining its natural pH levels. Water also keeps the body hydrated and makes it easier for nutrients to flow throughout the body. It even eliminates toxins in the body too.

Try drinking between 6 and 8 glasses of water per day. You can drink more water if your body desires it.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has lots of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties to it. If you have acne scars, it can help quickly heal them too.

To apply the coconut oil, spread it all over the acne on your neck and massage it thoroughly into it. Do this two times per day, usually in the morning and at night.

You can help your body normalize its hormone levels too.

coconut oil

Aspirin Mask

Aspirin contains salicylic acid which is widely known for treating acne. This acid cleans out the pores, dries out pimples, and exfoliates the skin.

You can make a facial mask out of aspirin by crushing up some aspirin tablets that are uncoated into a bowl and then mix them with water. This will create a paste which can be applied as a mask to your neck acne. Let it stay on there for roughly 7 minutes.

Just make sure you don’t have any aspirin allergies first.

aspirin mask

Prevention Tips

Acne treatments are for those who already have acne on their neck. The best way to treat acne is to prevent yourself from getting it in the first place. Below are some ways you can do that.

Choose Your Products Well

Make sure you don’t purchase skincare products that will make your acne worse. You’ll typically want to look for oil-free and non-comedogenic products. Any product with alcohol you should stay away from too.

Use Sunscreen

Before you go outside, you should apply sunscreen to your face and neck to protect the skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun. If there is zinc oxide in your sunscreen, it will benefit acne-prone skin the best and control your breakouts.

Avoid Tight-fitting Clothes

Do not wear tight collared shirts because this will create irritation and friction around your neck, which will result in acne. If you already have inflammation on the neck then tight collars will make these symptoms even worse. Therefore, chose cotton shirts with no collars or at least collars that are not tight.

Exfoliate Routinely

You should exfoliate your skin thoroughly to remove oil and dirt from the pores. This will help your skin excrete excess sebum and other waste products. Exfoliate up to 2 or 3 times each week. Anyone with sensitive skin can limit this to once per week.

Make sure you don’t scrub too much when you exfoliate or else you could make the skin more irritated. That is why you’ll want to use a gentle exfoliation solution for your neck acne. Just rub the solution in a circular motion on it and then pat it dry. Then moisturize that area afterwards.

Keep Your Hands Clean

Wash your hands frequently to prevent bacteria and dirt from getting onto your neck. Anytime the neck skin makes contact with dirty hands, it will likely result in acne. Aside from introducing bacteria to the neck, any scratching or rubbing you do on your neck skin will start microscopic tears to form. You may not see these right away but the result will be a variety of skin issues that you will notice later on.

Practice Proper Hygiene

You should bathe on a regular basis, including washing your hair, because this can prevent neck acne as well. There are several hair and body products which can help prevent too much oil from building up on the neck. They can also fight bacteria too.


If you want to learn how to get rid of your neck acne then you have to pay more attention to your skin and the triggers which can cause acne there. You may have to go through a lot of trial and error before you learn which products your skin can tolerate and which ones it cannot. Eventually, you will have the right combination of products that will help your neck skin heal itself of acne, resulting in a smooth and healthy look to it. For most people, choosing the right products and maintaining hygiene is enough to treat their neck acne. Maybe it will be for you too.