How to Treat Dog Acne the Natural Way

How to Treat Dog Acne the Natural Way

How to Treat Dog Acne the Natural Way

Did you know dogs can get pimples too? Much like human teenagers, dog acne usually affects young dogs and puppies, causing painful, pus-filled bumps on their face. At the first sign of dog acne, it’s important to take the right steps to clear it up—unresolved outbreaks can cause a great deal of discomfort and agitation, and even scarring if they’re not treated.

Dog acne on a Boxer's chin

Dog acne on a young Boxer’s chin—scroll down to read Dudley’s story!

Symptoms of Dog Acne

Dog acne, chin pyoderma, puppy dermatitis, muzzle folliculitis, no matter what you call it, it’s all the same thing—pup pimples! Outbreaks are most commonly found on the muzzle, chin, and lips, but can also show up around private parts.

Watch for these symptoms if you suspect your dog has canine acne:

  • Red bumps
  • Pus-filled pimples
  • Bleeding sores on the face
  • Redness and inflammation of the lips and chin
  • Rubbing face on carpet or pawing and scratching at the face

Dog acne should be treated as soon as possible to prevent pain, infection, or even scarring.

What Causes Dog Acne?

Pimples form on a dog’s skin when a hair follicle becomes clogged with bacteria, which multiplies within the follicle until it ruptures. Ruptured acne lesions spread this bacteria to the surrounding skin and lead to infection, which is why it’s so important to treat acne quickly!

Diagram showing the formation of a pimple

A number of factors can cause dog acne, including hormones, much like human acne. However, certain breeds are genetically predisposed to this skin condition, usually dogs with short coats and flat or wrinkly faces, including:

  • Boxers
  • English Bulldogs
  • Great Danes
  • German Shorthaired Pointers
  • Weimaraners
  • Mastiffs
  • Rottweilers
  • Doberman Pinschers

Any dog can develop acne regardless of breed, and other factors include stress and damaged hair follicles, similar to ingrown hairs. Bulldogs and other dogs with wrinkly skin are more likely to develop acne because bacteria become trapped between skin folds, creating the perfect environment for pimples to bloom. If you own a young dog of the above breeds, preventative measures such as a healing balm are a good idea.

How to Solve Dog Acne Naturally

From benzoyl peroxide creams to laser-beam zit-killing machines, humans have manufactured a wide variety of treatment options to get rid of human acne. Thankfully, we’ve got a much simpler—and all-natural—solution to dog acne. Wrinkle Balm was originally formulated to treat and prevent stinky, irritated dog wrinkles, but it’s equally powerful against pimples!

Wrinkle Balm‘s innovative blend of ingredients include olive leaf extract—an anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory—and niaouli, an analgesic, anti-bacterial, and antiseptic extract of tree bark. These and other organic essentials combine to treat a variety of canine skin conditions including dog acne, skin fold dermatitis, yeast infections, itchy skin, and more.

If your dog’s acne is particularly red and irritated, or causing an unpleasant odor, a vet visit may be in order to rule out bacterial or fungal infections by performing a skin scraping. Your vet may prescribe oral antibiotics or a topical treatment to help reduce pimples and resolve any infection. It’s important to follow your vet’s directions, but Wrinkle Balm can be used in conjunction with medications to help heal dog acne more quickly. Best of all, Wrinkle Balm is 100% safe to ingest, so no worries if your pup licks it off!

Real Results with Wrinkle Balm

Our customers love our healing balms and we frequently receive amazing reviews, so we’ll let the results speak for themselves…

Photo collage showing a white Boxer's dog acne cured by Wrinkle Balm

Dudley suffers with bad allergies. Being a white Boxer, he is very sensitive. He had horrible acne (which was infected and itched terribly) we couldn’t get rid of. We got the Wrinkle Balm travel stick to try and in less than a week his acne was GONE!!!!! I will be recommending this to all of my dog lovers and my VET!! Awesome stuff!!! And smells so clean! — Jennifer and her Boxer, Dudley