Forehead, cheeks, chin, nose, or neck — breakouts can appear anywhere. But it turns out that where blemishes pop up on your face may be giving you insight into the underlying cause of the acne that you’re experiencing. Knowing these root causes and triggers can then help you prevent breakouts in the first place. So, today we’re covering why you may be breaking out in the same place over and over again, why it could be happening in your t-zone, and what the exact location of acne blemishes could be telling you.
Why Do I Always Break Out in the Same Place?
Constantly breaking out in the same spot? We understand your frustration! Getting one pimple to go away only to have another appear in the same area can feel discouraging and hopeless… but there is hope!
If your acne continues to reoccur in the same location over and over again, it likely means there’s still inflammation or an imbalance in the skin microbiome in that area — or there’s a specific trigger that’s causing acne on that portion of the face.
If you’re prone to popping pimples, it’s important to recognize that may be one of the behaviors contributing to recurring breakouts. When you pop pimples, you risk the breakout not healing properly as well as spreading bacteria to the surrounding skin.
What Is the T-Zone?
Chances are, you may have heard of the t-zone before, especially if you struggle with acne. Close your eyes and picture drawing a capitalized “T” in the center of your face. You’ve just identified your t-zone. It consists of your forehead, nose, and chin. And if you have oily or combination skin, this is likely one of your trouble spots.
Because of the excess sebum that often exists on this area of skin, it’s also quite prone to acne breakouts as a result of clogged pores. However, acne breakouts aren’t confined to this area. Acne can occur on your forehead, chin, and nose — but it also shows up on your cheeks, neck, and beyond. Let’s find out why.
Forehead Acne
Acne on the forehead can take any form, but it often shows up on the skin as small, red bumps known as papules. Blemishes on the forehead can simply be caused by increased oil production, or they can be a result of oily hair, hair products, hats or bangs that sit against the forehead, sweating, or cosmetic products.
How to Prevent and Avoid Breakouts on the Forehead
To prevent acne on the forehead, first, make sure these blemishes aren’t a result of hair or a hat rubbing against your forehead. Keep the area clear of any potential bacteria transfer through touching of hair, hands, or headwear.
Also be sure to check your shampoo, conditioner, and other hair care products for pore-clogging ingredients. If you have concerns that your hair care products may be behind your blemishes, cleanse your face after washing/styling your hair in order to make sure any residue from your hair products is removed.
Jawline & Chin Acne
Acne on the jawline and chin are both often associated with hormones. Acne in these areas can indicate that the sebaceous glands are overreacting to normal hormone levels — or that you are experiencing abnormal hormonal levels.
Fluctuations in your hormones can result from menstruation, menopause, pregnancy, high levels of stress, or conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
How to Prevent and Avoid Breakouts on the Jawline
If you visit a dermatologist, they may recommend hormonal birth control pills or an oral antibiotic to help treat breakouts on your jawline and chin. However, if you want to improve and help prevent these hormonal breakouts at home, you can focus on lowering stress levels, eating a clean, nutrient-rich diet, and practicing healthy skincare.
If you suspect you have a hormonal imbalance, you may want to visit a specialist (such as an endocrinologist), who can help you identify which hormones may be out of whack and what to do about it.
Cheek Acne
If you’re experiencing pimples on your cheeks, you’re not alone. The cheeks are one of the most common places for acne to pop up… There can also be many reasons why you’re experiencing blemishes in this area.
Acne on your cheeks can happen for various reasons, including bacteria on bed pillows, holding your phone to your face while talking, touching your cheeks throughout the day, irritating and clogging cosmetics, etc.
How to Prevent and Avoid Breakouts on the Cheek
Treating and preventing breakouts on your cheeks can be tricky — because there are so many reasons you may be experiencing pimples in this area.
However, some places to start include:
- Avoid touching your face
- Wipe down your cell phone, or use headphones while talking
- Clean your pillow covers weekly
- Always remove your makeup and cleanse your skin with gentle, fragrance-free products
Neck Acne
Neck acne, like jawline and chin acne, is often associated with hormonal factors. Most often, the acne will appear on the upper neck, just below your jawline. While hormones are a common culprit for this form of acne, makeup can be another factor. When you think about washing your face at night, you may not think of your neck… because it’s not part of your face! But if you’ve applied or blended your makeup down your neck and don’t wash it off at night, these cosmetics may be clogging the pores on your neck.
How to Prevent and Avoid Breakouts on the Neck
To help treat and prevent blemishes on your neck, first, make sure you’re including your neck in your nightly cleansing routine. A build-up of makeup and dirt from the day can lead to clogged pores that cause blemishes.
Additionally, you’ll want to focus on balancing your hormones. Lowering your levels of stress, cutting back on sugar, getting sufficient sleep each night, and practicing gentle exercise (like walking or yoga) can all help to restore balance to your hormone levels.
Acne and Your Skin Microbiome
Wherever you may be experiencing acne, you'll want to think about the role your skin microbiome plays in your skin's overall health. Your skin microbiome is the environment on the outermost layer of skin made up of trillions of bacteria, both good and bad, that when in balance help to protect your skin from environmental threats.
But when the bad bacteria on your skin begins to overgrow and overpopulate, the natural protective barrier of your skin can break down and leave you susceptible to skin conditions like acne.
The solution? Bringing balance back to your skin microbiome. (And trust us, it’s easier than it sounds.)
Gladskin Blemish Gel with Micreobalance® (coming soon!) restores balance to your skin microbiome to reduce the appearance of blemishes — without the unwanted side effects. It visibly reduces stubborn blemishes and redness with only the ingredients you need, and none that you don’t, such as ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and retinoids that can irritate your skin.