According to Hadley King, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, body acne, including buttne, is very common. “More than half of people with facial acne have some body acne too,” says Dr. King. Yet you’d be hard-pressed to find a commercial regarding acne-like bumps on the butt. And it’s not a topic that comes up among family and friends very often either. While you can’t see it in public, butt acne is irritating, painful, and can wreak havoc on your confidence. It’s time to burst that taboo. We tapped two experts to weigh in on reasons why you may be getting buttne—and some products that can help get rid of butt acne. “Oil glands on the buttocks can be influenced by fluctuating hormones just like your face,” adds Joshua Zeichner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. “The same hormones that prepare a woman’s body to become pregnant can impact the oil glands, explaining why women develop pimples around the time of their periods.” RELATED: How to Banish Tired Skin - Including Telltale Puffy Eyes Now that you know the causes, you may be frantic for products to help clear your rear. “Treatment for body acne is similar to treatment for facial acne, but the skin on the body tends to be tougher than the skin on the face so it can usually tolerate stronger treatments,” explains King. “Benzoyl peroxide is an organic acid in the peroxide family that has been used to treat acne for years. It is an effective treatment for acne because of its antibacterial properties, which means it not only kills bacteria that contribute to acne, but also helps to prevent and clear out clogged pores.” Salicylic acid is another excellent pore-clearing ingredient because it exfoliates the surface of the skin and penetrates into pores to remove oil, says Dr. King. The acid is a beta hydroxy acid (BHA), which offers a chemical exfoliation to the skin, dissolving the bonds that hold dead skin cells on the surface of the skin. BHAs are also oil soluble, allowing them to penetrate the pore. “BHAs also have anti-inflammatory, skin-calming properties so they are gentle enough even for sensitive skin prone to redness and/or rosacea,” says Dr. King. Topical retinoids are another ingredient to consider, as they have a comedolytic effect, which means they help to prevent and treat clogged pores. “This is because they increase the turnover of skin cells and reduce the tendency of cells to clump together and clog pores,” says Dr. King. “They also decrease the discoloration that can be left after a pimple, and because they increase the turnover of skin cells, this reduces the healing time for acne. Options include over-the-counter adapalene or prescription adapalene, tretinoin, or tazarotene.” If you’re looking for something that can help, here are the products that Dr. King and Dr. Zeichner recommend. To buy: $52; carterandjane.com. To buy: $20; credobeauty.com. To buy: $20; target.com. To buy: $48; maskskincare.com. To buy: $8; walgreens.com.