Acne And Causes

Acne face mapping: What your skin is trying to tell youWhere you experience breakouts could be a clue into not only what’s causing your acne but also how to treat it.

We’re here to share what we know — but don’t take it as medical advice. Talk to your medical provider if you have questions.

Figuring out what causes acne can be tough, and helping to prevent breakouts can feel like detective work. If your blemishes are specific to one spot, you may be able to identify what could be causing your acne. And if you know what’s causing it, you’re one step closer to knowing how to help prevent it in the future.

Pimples: Causes Vs. Acne, Types & Treatment

Think of your face as a map and the areas of your face that are more prone to breakouts as the starting points of a treasure hunt (for clearer skin!). While many factors can lead to acne breakouts, the location on your face can be a revealing clue. Face mapping, as a concept, can be key to help identify the specific cause of your acne.

There are a few possible reasons why pimples would pop up in the same place repeatedly. Acne can come back in the same spot due to certain habits, such as resting your chin in your hand while you’re reading or working on your computer, touching your phone to your face when you’re making a call, or putting certain makeup or skincare products on the same area on a regular basis. 

Picking or squeezing your pimples may also cause worsening breakouts in that area. Why? Well, when you pop, you can push the contents of the pimple deeper into the skin. This can lead to more noticeable and painful acne.¹

Cystic Acne: Causes, Treatments, Prevention

Pimples popping up on your lower cheek, jawline, and chin could be a “hormonal pattern.”² Common factors that can lead to hormonal acne include: 

Similar to jawline and chin breakouts, acne on your neck can be caused by your skin’s oil glands reacting to hormone fluctuations.⁷

These can lead to increased sweating and clogged pores, which, in turn, can result in acne. You can generally treat neck acne like the acne on your face to help clear it up and prevent future breakouts.

What Causes Acne?

It also helps to read up on what can cause acne, including what foods and other factors may lead to an acne-triggering reaction, and how to treat it. 

Blackheads are small clogged pores (aka open comedones) that turn black because the trapped oil and skin cells are exposed to the air.⁹ People often notice blackheads on oily areas (such as the T-zone!), though this isn’t always the case. 

Since your nose might get oilier than other parts of your face, you might not need to apply moisturizer as much there. 

Cystic Acne: What Is It, Symptoms, Causes And Treatment

Our cheeks are one of the more common places to break out, and this can happen for a variety of reasons: touching your face, friction or sweat and product buildup from the pillow you sleep on, sleeping on your hand, or wearing certain makeup products to name a few. There may not be a single specific reason you can pinpoint for cheek acne—in fact, it’s likely a variety of reasons (bummer, we know)!

Forehead pimples can be caused by certain ingredients in hair care products, shampoos, and conditioners, so if you’re breaking out there, check for pore-clogging ingredients such as sodium lauryl sulfate and isopropyl palmitate.¹⁰

Another possible cause of forehead bumps is pityrosporum, a type of fungus. Fungal acne from pityrosporum is easy to confuse with regular acne, ¹¹ so if you’re unsure, consulting with your medical provider is never a bad idea.  Another easy way to help prevent breakouts on your forehead? Keep your hands off of it! If you’re prone to blemishes above your brow, try to catch yourself in the act before you facepalm.

Reasons For Acne (infographic)

If you’re often breaking out around your mouth, check your toothpaste for sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium Laureth sulfate. Some people break out more when their skin comes into contact with toothpaste foam because it’s made with these potentially irritating ingredients.¹² 

If you’re breaking out around your lips, try switching to an SLS-free and fluoride-free toothpaste for a couple of months—it might make a difference! Check out brands such as Tom’s of Maine, Sensodyne, and Jason Natural Cosmetics for SLS-free toothpaste options.

Identifying your types of pimples is another solid game plan for effectively treating acne. Combining that with face mapping clues puts you one step closer to saying goodbye to blemishes. Here are some different types of acne:

Acne: Causes, Types, And Treatments

With face mapping and understanding what type of acne you have, you are armed with the knowledge to tackle your breakouts. When it comes to your skincare products, you can look for a few specific ingredients that can fight your acne. Here are a few ingredients to help keep blemishes away.

Diligently dedicating yourself to a daily skincare routine is crucial to allowing your skin time to benefit from the products. That said, if you don’t see instant results, don’t give up! Think of applying your moisturizer, serums, and SPF as some indulgent self-care to take charge of your skin health.

Seem like a lot to take in? If so, we get it. For being a four-letter word, acne is anything but a simple matter. At , we’re all about empowering you with information when it comes to your skin, and if you want to take some of the hard work out of it, we’re here to help.

Chin Acne Causes In Women

Was founded by dermatologists to make prescription-grade skincare more accessible. All of our products are non-comedogenic, too. So whatever the cause of your acne and whether you have dry, oily, or sensitive skin, your custom formula is made to help you clear it all up.

What is face mapping? Think of your face as a map and the areas of your face that are more prone to breakouts as the starting points of a treasure hunt (for clearer skin!). Face mapping, as a concept, can be key to help identify the specific cause of your acne.

What are the different types of breakouts?Here are some different types of acne: Whiteheads: Small clogged pores that look like a small white bump Blackheads: Small clogged pores that turn black Papules: Tender bumps with redness and swelling Pustules: Large, inflamed pimples Nodules: Large, firm, reddish lumps without pus Cysts: Large, soft, under-the-skin pimples Fungal acne: Small, uniform bumps that tend to spread across a central area

Acne Causes And Treatment Diagram, Vector Flat Style Design Illustration, Stock Vector, Vector And Low Budget Royalty Free Image. Pic. Esy 057245935

Our medical review process: We’re here to tell you what we know. That’s why our information is evidence-based and fact-checked by medical experts. Still, everyone’s skin is unique—the best way to get advice is to talk to your healthcare provider.

Our policy on product links: Empowering you with knowledge is our top priority. Our reviews of other brands’ products in this post are not paid endorsements—but they do meet our medically fact-checked standards for ingredients (at the time of publication).

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Acne: Types, Causes, Symptoms, & Treatment

Popular ArticlesAsk : Is my cold breaking me out?Slugging: the dermatologist approved skincare hack going viral on TikTokTretinoin vs retinol: What’s the difference?How to create a self-care routine that actually sticksYour 2023 skincare horoscopePimples are a common skin condition caused by clogged or inflamed oil glands or an increased presence of pimple-causing bacteria on your skin. They’re a symptom of acne, and there are many different types, including blackheads, whiteheads, cysts and others. Treatments include home remedies and over-the-counter and prescription pills and gels.

Pimples are small growths on the surface of your skin. They may become inflamed or discolored. Acne typically causes pimples to develop, most commonly on your face, chest, shoulders and upper back.

Pimples typically affect teenagers (adolescents) and young adults undergoing hormonal changes. However, they can affect babies, and many adults continue to have pimples into their 20s, 30s and beyond. Some even develop pimples for the first time as adults.

Infographics Of Acne. Causes Of The Disease, Treatment. Types Of Acne. Stock Vektorgrafik

Pimples are very common. Some researchers suggest that pimples affect nearly everyone at some time during their lives. They’re most common during adolescence, but adults may have them, too.

Your face (especially your nose, chin and forehead, and sometimes your cheeks or around your lips), neck, back, chest and upper arms are most likely to develop pimples. However, oil glands are all over your body. They release an oily lubricant called sebum that helps keep your skin and hair hydrated and shiny. As a result, though it isn’t common, pimples sometimes appear on your eyelids (styes), butt, ears, scalp, armpits (axilla) and external genitals (penis or labia).

Pimples don’t seriously affect your physical health, but they can affect you psychosocially (how society and social groups affect your mind) and psychologically (your self-perception and behavior). They’re sometimes associated with anxiety, depression, mood disorders and suicidal thoughts.

Acne Vulgaris: Symptoms & Treatments

Sometimes, skin gets irritated by things it comes in contact with and pimples develop. Most people think of acne when they think of pimples. Oil glands (sebaceous glands) are located all over