Face Mapping for Zits—Recurring Breakouts Within the Similar Place

Let’s face it, breaking out in the identical areas over and over is irritating. On the finish of the day, all breakouts are technically attributable to the identical factor—a mixture of extra oil and useless pores and skin cells builds up contained in the pores, inflicting them to turn out to be clogged. This creates a extra hospitable surroundings for micro organism, which may trigger irritation that results in a full-on blemish.
With that mentioned, the true nature of zits is advanced, and it may be actually tough to pinpoint precisely what triggers it. Sure, some persons are simply extra susceptible to it than others, however there could be all types of various triggers. Over the past 30 years, I’ve seen extra purchasers for zits than some other pores and skin situation, and it’s undoubtedly taught me a factor or two about these triggers. Whereas no two persons are precisely alike with regards to their zits, I’ve been in a position to observe sure patterns and correlations.
On this submit, I’ll share my very own model of “facemapping” primarily based on widespread zits triggers I’ve seen all through my profession. The placement of your breakouts would possibly simply be telling you one thing, all it’s a must to do is pay attention!
Breakouts On the Chin and Jawline
This may occasionally come as no shock, however when you’re at all times breaking out alongside your chin and jawline, hormonal fluctuations are in all probability the offender. The chin and jawline are the place individuals mostly expertise cystic breakouts (you already know, these laborious, painful bumps underneath the pores and skin that by no means come to a head).
Whereas the hyperlink between meals and zits is considerably tenuous, I’ve seen with my very own eyes that sure meals teams is usually a set off for some individuals. Particularly, there appears to be a hyperlink between cystic zits and sure kinds of dairy, notably skim milk. As a result of sugar can spike glucose ranges, it’s additionally attainable for it to be a contributing issue.
What To Do
For those who suspect a hyperlink between your hormonal zits and the meals you eat, the one approach ahead is experimentation. Once more, not everybody goes to be the identical. Some individuals might be able to deal with reasonable quantities of dairy, whereas some individuals could discover their breakouts triggered by even a small quantity. The identical goes for sugar! My recommendation is to chop out one meals group at a time and to chop every group out for 3 weeks whereas observing breakout exercise.
For those who are likely to solely get cystic breakouts through the week main as much as your interval, attempt adjusting your skincare routine a bit.
If hormonal zits in your chin and alongside your jawline is fixed, try these eight ideas for prevention. Anybody who experiences constant hormonal breakouts wants Anti Bump Solution of their package—it’s non-drying and can be utilized as a spot therapy for particular person cysts, or it may be used all around the chin as a preventative serum. Lastly, when you’re nonetheless not seeing any enchancment from an at-home skincare routine, I extremely advocate seeing a dermatologist. Hormonal zits is difficult, and so they’ll have the ability to advocate prescriptions to handle the hormones themselves.
Breakouts On the Sides of the Face
The very first thing I ask somebody with clogged pores and pimples on the perimeters of their face is “Do you employ hand cream earlier than mattress?”. It might look like an odd query, however I used to see this ALL the time again once I was treating purchasers at my spa. Mainly, individuals had been slathering on thick, greasy hand cream earlier than mattress. By itself, that wasn’t a problem, however some individuals put their faces of their palms once they sleep. This triggered the hand cream to switch, and the heavy elements ended up clogging their pores.
One other attainable challenge is soiled pillowcases. For those who’re acne-prone and have oily pores and skin, switching your pillowcase out recurrently is tremendous essential. In any other case, oils and micro organism out of your face shortly accumulate on the material and may switch again onto your pores and skin whilst you sleep.
What To Do
For those who use a heavy hand cream at evening, cease utilizing it to see if there’s any enchancment in your breakouts. You’ll be able to attempt switching to one thing with a lighter, lotion-like texture. For those who actually wrestle with dry palms and want to make use of one thing thick, attempt light-weight cotton gloves to maintain your palms off your face. Bonus, this can assist lock in your hand cream for much more moisturized palms!
As for pillowcases, I like to recommend switching them out weekly.
Breakouts On the Cheeks
That is form of an odd one, however hear me out. Once I see somebody with redness of their cheeks accompanied by breakouts, I’ll usually advise them to chop down on acidic meals like tomato or citrus fruits. The cheeks include numerous blood vessels, and acidic meals can dilate them inflicting blood to hurry to the world. Folks with zits have already got very lively pores and skin metabolically talking, so additional stimulation could make it worse. This is similar idea behind individuals with lively zits ought to keep away from very lively skilled therapies like microneedling. (That is what occurred to my good friend Heather when she began experiencing sudden breakouts.)
What To Do
You don’t want to surrender acidic meals altogether, simply attempt reducing down on them and seeing if it helps. For those who actually like spicy meals, I might additionally counsel avoiding these in extra. Folks with a lot of redness of their cheeks are sometimes susceptible to rosacea, so make sure you try my ideas for easy methods to handle rosacea and calm redness.
Breakouts On the Brow
For those who’re at all times breaking out in your brow, take into account your alternative of headwear. Hats are a good way to maintain your pores and skin protected against the solar whereas outdoor, however they’ll additionally lure filth, sweat, and micro organism, resulting in clogged pores and breakouts. The identical goes for sweatbands.
One more reason might be your coiffure. You probably have bangs that recurrently contact your brow, oil out of your hair might be transferred onto your pores and skin.
What To Do
Defending your pores and skin from UV injury needs to be your primary precedence, so I wouldn’t advocate giving up hats altogether. Simply attempt to not put on them daily for prolonged intervals, and make sure you wash them recurrently. Earlier than placing your hat on, you may as well swipe on a toner like Rapid Response Detox Toner. This toner reduces oil exercise and discourages micro organism that may trigger breakouts.
As for bangs, make sure you wash them daily and keep away from hair merchandise on this space.
If you have already got clogged pores which are supplying you with a bumpy brow and must do away with them, attempt incorporating a salicylic acid serum a couple of nights every week to assist clear this up.
Breakouts Alongside the Hairline
For those who constantly get away alongside your hairline, I strongly counsel taking a second have a look at the hair merchandise you employ. These merchandise slip round all through the day, and so they usually find yourself accumulating alongside the hairline. Since these merchandise are formulated for hair, not pores and skin, it’s commonplace for them to include elements that may clog our pores. Moreover, elements which are usually utilized in skincare at low percentages with out challenge is perhaps utilized in haircare merchandise at a lot larger percentages, at which level they do begin to turn out to be an issue for pores and skin.
Enjoyable reality, once I was an adolescent I struggled with horrible again zits earlier than switching my conditioner.
What To Do
To determine if a hair product actually is the offender, you’d ideally cease utilizing it for no less than two to a few weeks to see in case your breakouts enhance. If this helps, attempt switching to another. If it’s a hair product you actually love and really feel you’ll be able to’t reside with out, attempt being extra acutely aware of the way you apply it and keep away from getting too near your hairline. Additionally, make sure you wash your hairline space actually completely while you wash your face at evening—it’s one individuals usually overlook.
Breakouts On the Nostril
Whether or not you put on prescription glasses or use sun shades (an essential behavior for defending your imaginative and prescient and stopping eye wrinkles), they sit on part of the face the place sweat and oil accumulate quick. All that sweat and oil being trapped and rubbed round by your glasses is the proper recipe for a breakout.
What To Do
If that is one thing you wrestle with, attempt making use of a skinny layer of Daytime Blemish Gel to the bridge of the nostril earlier than you head out for the day. I created this product to behave as a seal for blemishes, holding micro organism and particles off the affected space. It accommodates salicylic acid to assist maintain pores clear and tea tree oil to discourage micro organism.
Remember to clear your glasses every day in addition to this can assist forestall buildup.
Breakouts On the Higher Lip
Lastly, the higher lip. That is an space the place many individuals apply hair elimination. Whether or not it’s waxing, shaving, or threading, hair elimination causes friction which may result in irritation and bumps or breakouts.
What To Do
One in every of my favourite tips is utilizing Rapid Response Detox Masque to appease the world proper after hair elimination. It’s actually hydrating and cooling, but it surely additionally has antibacterial properties that assist forestall breakouts by holding pores clear. Bonus tip, retailer it within the fridge for some time for an additional cooling impact.
Talking of hair elimination, right here’s my foolproof plan for stopping ingrown hairs from shaving or waxing.
I hope you discovered this beneficial! Figuring out what’s inflicting your breakouts actually could be difficult. Though the situation of your zits can’t at all times inform you what’s inflicting it, it can present clues as to what could also be triggering it or making it worse. I’ve seen these triggers trigger issues in particular areas of the face over and over all through the years, so I hope you discovered one thing that resonated with you.
Subsequent up, 11 widespread causes you’re experiencing grownup zits.

Movie star Esthetician & Skincare Professional
As an esthetician skilled in beauty chemistry, Renée Rouleau has spent 30 years researching pores and skin, educating her viewers, and constructing an award-winning line of merchandise. Her hands-on expertise as an esthetician and trusted skincare skilled has created a real-world answer — merchandise which are formulated for nine different types of skin so your face will get precisely what it must feel and look its finest. Trusted by celebrities, editors, bloggers, and skincare obsessives across the globe, her huge real-world data and fixed analysis are why Marie Claire calls her “probably the most passionate pores and skin practitioner we all know.”