There’s lots of stuff that can cause or worsen acne breakouts: skin care products, makeup, hormones, and dirty bedding. But clothes? Can they really be the culprit behind your zits?

Yes, clothes can cause or worsen acne particularly in people who are vulnerable to breakouts because of their skin type, hormonal imbalances and other factors. Here are three ways clothes can trigger body acne. 

Rough or Tight Clothing 

Acne mechanica is the most common type of acne caused by clothing, usually rough or overly tight clothing. It’s a type of acne caused by sustained friction and pressure on the skin. 

Acne mechanica can appear on the back, chest, shoulders, butt or thighs depending on where the clothes are rubbing most against your skin. If you often wear tight pants, acne might appear on your thighs or butt. A rough shirt can cause pimples to appear on your back, especially if you are carrying a backpack. 

Accessories like scarves and hats can also lead to a breakout. The same is true for sports gear such as jockstraps, compression sleeves and helmets.  

Sweaty Clothing

When sweat pools on your skin, it clogs your pores along with dirt, oils and dead skin cells. This can lead to sweat acne, usually on your back, chest or shoulders. Sweat also attracts bacteria, which can get into your pores and cause painful inflamed acne. 

Clothes that trap sweat on the skin rather than wicking it away can contribute to sweat acne. You can also get sweat acne if your clothes stay damp with sweat for too long, a common issue with cotton wear.

Sweat acne is common during hot weather, when you sweat more than usual. Exercise and other physical activities can also cause a breakout, especially if you also have tight or rough clothing on. Carrying a backpack can also trap sweat on your back, leading to sweat pimples that usually go away once the sweat dries off. 

Dirty/Unhygienic Clothing 

Dirty and unhygienic clothing harbors body oils, dead skin cells, dirt and bacteria that can transfer onto your skin and cause breakouts. 

This is why you shouldn’t wear things like underwear or a shirt more than once without washing them. 

How to Prevent Acne From Clothing

It’s all about wearing the right clothing. Here’s what to look for when shopping for skin-friendly clothing. 

1. Soft Fabrics 

When buying clothing that will be in direct contact with your skin like a shirt, under-shirt, underwear or scarf, look for those made with fabrics that are soft and skin-friendly. 

The type of weave is especially important as it’s the one that determines how smooth and soft a fabric feels. Avoid rough weaves, particularly for close fitting clothing as they can cause more friction on the skin. 

Soft weaves like satin, jersey and poplin are great, especially for people with sensitive skin that’s prone to breakouts.

2. Breathable Clothes

Wearing clothes that make you hot and sweaty increases the risk of sweat acne. Natural fabrics like cotton, linen, bamboo and silk offer the best breathability. They are especially helpful in warm weather. 

Synthetic clothing made from polyester, nylon or spandex can still be breathable, but only if it’s lightweight. Clothes with a loose or mesh weave are the best for the gym, hiking, sports and other intense physical activities. 

Tip: Breathable clothes are just as important when it’s cold since you can still get too hot and sweaty if you wear the wrong clothes. 

3. Sweat-wicking Clothes 

Finally, wear clothes that wick sweat away from your skin. This prevents sweat from pooling on your skin, attracting bacteria and clogging pores. 

Synthetic fabrics such as polyester are excellent when it comes to wicking away sweat. They also dry quickly, ensuring your skin is not in contact with damp clothing.  

Synthetic clothing is the best if you are a heavy sweater, or during activities that generate lots of sweat. That’s why most activewear is synthetic. 

Natural fabrics are also good at wicking and absorbing sweat. But be careful with cotton. It does more absorbing than wicking (we explain the difference between sweat-wicking and sweat-absorbing clothing in this article).

Cotton absorbs sweat and holds onto it, so it stays damp for longer and can cause a breakout. If you expect to sweat a lot, avoid cotton. Wear other natural fabrics like wool, silk or linen, or go with synthetics. 

4. Antibacterial Clothing

For extra protection, especially if you know you get acne easily, get antibacterial clothing. It reduces the risk of painful acne breakouts. 

The Hercleon range of antibacterial clothing, including the HercShirt, HercSocks and Kribi underwear, is excellent for folks with sensitive and acne-prone skin. Not only does it protect your skin from breakouts, it also keeps away odor-causing bacteria. So you stay fresh all day.