Often, acne will occur on specific parts of the face. For instance, while one person may experience acne on their chin, another may notice it on their forehead. Why does acne occur in specific areas, and what does this mean?
Let’s take a closer look at what your breakouts may be telling you. Follow this helpful acne face map to understand the common causes behind your acne and how you can soothe breakouts.
What Is Acne?
Acne is a condition that affects the sebacious glands and hair follicles. When the hair follicles are clogged with dead skin cells and excess sebum produced by those glands, you experience symptoms like pimples and bumps.
There are several different kinds of acne: blackheads, whiteheads, and even cystic acne and spots under the skin. Regardless of the type of acne you may experience, it is most commonly caused by excess sebum production or if your oil glands become blocked.
Acne is very common, so if you experience breakouts, you’re not alone. Most people experience acne at one point in their lives or another. For some, acne occurs during middle school and high school, while for others, acne occurs during later life.
What Do Your Breakouts Mean?
Here’s what your breakouts mean depending on where they’re located as well as how to address each type of acne.
Forehead Acne
Acne on the forehead can be caused or worsened by your hair products and makeup. Serums, gels, and pomades can all contribute to clogging your pores, so use them sparingly and make sure you keep your hair clean. The same goes for makeup — if you don’t clean off all of your makeup, you might be risking clogged pores and breakouts.
If you notice you’re breaking out in that area more than usual after trying out a new product, stop use and see if your skin improves. You can also pay extra attention to making sure you clean all of your cosmetics and any hair products off your skin.
The forehead is also part of your t-zone, which also includes your nose and chin. This area contains more oil glands than the rest of your face, so you’ll produce more sebum here, making acne and clogged pores more likely. There’s no quick fix for this cause, but a skincare routine that’s tailored to your specific needs may help.
Chin Acne
Acne on the jawline and chin area may be a sign of hormonal imbalance and may indicate that you should focus on your gut health. If you experience acne targeted toward the chin and jaw areas, this may be an indication of hormonal fluctuations.
Hormones are complex signals run by the endocrine system. Disruptions to the endocrine system can take place for a variety of reasons. For instance, when you start your menstrual cycle, begin ovulation, or start a new medication, you may experience chin acne as a result—which is why this kind of acne may be called hormonal acne.
If you notice increased breakouts with certain foods, they may be influencing your endocrine and digestive systems. Consider cutting back on foods to determine what foods affect your hormones—for example, if you think dairy might be impacting your acne, you can switch to dairy-free alternatives. You can also focus on supporting overall gut health to balance hormones and chin acne.
Cheek Acne
If you experience acne on your cheeks, an activity that’s part of your standard lifestyle may be the culprit. Our faces come into contact with bacteria each day. When we answer phone calls, our cell phones touch our cheeks and rest on our faces. If you touch your face, you also bring the bacteria and oils on your hands to your face.
We can even contact bacteria while we sleep! Sometimes, dirty pillowcases can be the culprit for cheek acne.
The best ways to combat cheek acne are to avoid touching your face or resting your phone against your cheek and wash your pillowcase frequently. A general rule of thumb is to swap out or wash your pillowcase at least once a week. Face masks could also be breaking you out. Opt for breathable cloth or silk masks and wash them after every use.
You can also clean your hands and phone screen often to prevent as much bacteria transference as possible. By keeping these surfaces clean, you can keep your skin clean too.
Hairline Acne
Hairline acne, sometimes called pomade acne, is one of the most typical types of acne. Depending on how you part your hair, the specific location of your breakouts may differ. This type of acne is located at the very top of the forehead and is especially common if you have oily hair.
Hairline acne is most often caused by the products we use in our hair, like hair oils, hairspray, dry shampoo, and leave-in conditioner. Our hair can collect a lot throughout the week.
Inevitably, the product we put in our hair comes into contact with our skin. If you have bangs, your hair may transfer product to your face when it rubs against your forehead. Products can also seep from your hair and scalp onto the skin around your hairline.
If you’re experiencing hairline acne, there are a few easy ways to help reduce this type of breakout. First, look at the products you’re using. If you’re using hair products with comedogenic ingredients, these may clog your pores and lead to acne.
Look for non-comedogenic hair products to avoid clogging your pores. You can also try washing your face after styling your hair, using a clarifying shampoo, and shielding your face with a hand or cloth when applying spray-on hair products.
How To Address Acne
Understanding the acne face map is a helpful way to understand what’s causing your acne and the most effective way to help address it.
However, this isn’t the only way to soothe breakouts and help your skin. Below are some ways to help address acne and achieve clear, healthy skin.
Use Non-Comedogenic Products
While hormones, gut health, stress, hair products, and dead skin cells can contribute to acne, all acne is caused by clogged pores. Skincare products and hair care products that clog pores are known as comedogenic.
It’s important to avoid these pore-clogging products and ingredients if you’re trying to soothe acne breakouts.
Perfect Your Skincare and Makeup Strategy
One of the best ways to take care of your skin is to find the perfect skincare routine. To customize your own skincare routine, start with a gentle cleanser and moisturizer. Every routine should also include some form of SPF, whether it’s already included in your moisturizer or you’re layering it on top. From there, each person’s skin is different.
For instance, if you’re looking to correct the appearance of acne, our Matcha Color Corrector infused with ingredients such as Matcha, Hibiscus and Seaweed can do that, along with minimizing the appearance of acne scars over time.
Your Journey to Happy Skin
Once you know the cause of your acne, your skincare journey should help address it. That might take a little trial and error, whether you decide to change up your hair products or you work on reducing your stress. Either way, your skincare routine should make things easier, not harder.
Here at Journ, we’re committed to using quality ingredients that you recognize, like Seaweed and Matcha, to help minimize your skin concerns and help you feel like your best self.
Sources:
What is Acne? Definition & Types | NIAMS
What Does Acne Placement Mean? | Cleveland Clinic
What Is Comedogenicity, and What Ingredients Are Comedogenic? | Acne.org
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jocd.13853
Perhaps you’re a full-time student and worker, and the night is the only time you have to study. Maybe your newborn keeps you up during the night, or you just use the night to enjoy your own activities. Whatever your reason for not getting enough sleep is, don’t worry. There are other ways to get rid of undereye circles that don’t involve getting your eight hours of sleep!
If you’ve dealt with undereye circles, you’ve probably tried using an eye mask to get rid of them. Eye masks are an excellent way to minimize the appearance of dark circles and reduce puffiness, while some also address the underlying causes and can help minimize dark circles over time.
This guide showcases the best eye masks for dark circles that will brighten your skin and help you look awake, refreshed, and ready to take on the day.
Before we examine what eye masks are the best for getting rid of dark circles, it’s important to understand what can cause dark circles to develop in the first place. One of the common causes of dark circles is not getting enough sleep, although they may also be caused by genetic factors.
If you’re tired and sleep-deprived, your body will respond by increasing the size of your blood vessels. Similar to how blood vessels cause the skin to darken when you get a bruise, this process darkens the undereye area, causing those dreaded dark circles. This is temporary and is usually easy to treat.
However, there are more permanent conditions that can cause undereye circles too. Allergies are sometimes responsible for creating dark circles under your eyes. Sun damage can lead to dark circles and other dark spots on the skin, and you may even experience more dark circles as you get older.
There are two kinds of eye masks—the fabric ones that you put over your eyes when you’re on an airplane or you’re looking for a little stress relief, and the ones that include skincare ingredients to help lessen the impact of your circles.
We’ve got a few suggestions for both lined up here, starting with skincare.
If you’re looking for a little shimmer in your routine, these Baggage Claim Eye Masks from Wander Beauty come in gold and rose gold options. Thanks to the inclusion of ingredients like calendula extract and aloe leaf extract, these eye masks will brighten, depuff, and hydrate—with style.
These Instagram-worthy eye masks are made with real gold—how’s that for luxury? Caffeine and collagen give these anti-aging masks their lifting and firming abilities.
Packed with hyaluronic acid, these ELEMIS eye masks promise to reduce the appearance of fine lines under your eyes in just 20 minutes. If you’re looking for hydration, these are the masks for you.
GlamGlow is well-known for making creamy, effective face masks, and their expertise extends to your eyes. This eye sheet mask covers the whole top half of your face, and it’s full of nourishing ingredients to hydrate and soothe the delicate skin around your eyes.
If you crave brilliant, glowing skin, check out this Tatcha eye mask. Okinawa red algae and peony extract enrich the eye area and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
If you’re in the market for a little extra relaxation, these fabric eye masks will take the luxury up another notch. Get some rest, and then use the skincare suggestions above to give your eyes the TLC they deserve.
If you’re looking to catch some Zzzs, this fabric sleep mask will put you in an immediate state of luxurious relaxation. Made with slippery-smooth silk, the fabric of this mask won’t catch on your skin or cause unnecessary friction.
You’ve heard of weighted blankets—now it’s time for a weighted eye mask. The Calm + Gravity Weighted Sleep Mask is filled with tiny glass beads that provide just enough pressure to relieve the tension hiding behind your eyes. It’s time to get rested.
While the eye creams and masks above are excellent options when it comes to hydrating skin and getting extra rest, our color correctors have a few added benefits when you add them to the routine.
To start with, they do two jobs in one product. While acting as skincare, they nourish skin and help address the causes of undereye circles over time. In addition to this, they color correct and replace concealers in your makeup routine.
Here at Journ, we carefully formulated two color correctors for different skin tones.
Made with White Lily, Kukui Nut, and Noni, our formula is designed with antioxidants, Vitamins A, B3, C, and E, and linoleic acids to help rejuvenate and hydrate your skin, and minimize the appearance of dark circles.
Made with Sweet Almond, Carrot Seed, and Rose, this formula includes omega-6 and 9 fatty acids, Beta-Carotene, and Vitamins A, B3, C, and E to provide skin with the nutrients, antioxidants, and hydration it needs.
The color of the Marrakech corrector works to cancel out and neutralize dark circles, helping blend in your skin tone and create a smooth, even complexion.
To use our Marrakech or Kauai color corrector, start by cleansing and moisturizing your skin. Apply an apple seed-sized amount on the back of your hand and use your fingers to warm it. Simply pat underneath the eyes using your fingers, a concealer brush, or a makeup sponge until you get the desired coverage you want.
The color correctors help neutralize dark circles underneath your eyes, so you’ll look awake and refreshed.
Once you’ve incorporated our color correctors into your skincare routine, you’ll be surprised by how much simpler your routine can be. We recommend using these products in the place of concealer as they perform the same action without looking cakey, creased, or like you’re wearing a mask.
Here are a few other tips for reducing the appearance of dark circles and avoiding them in the first place that don’t involve an eye mask.
Because dark circles are often caused by not getting enough sleep, the first and most important practice to implement is to sleep.
From the ages of 18 to 64 years old, our bodies need anywhere from seven to nine hours of sleep each night. If you fail to get the recommended amount of sleep once, there likely won’t be many side effects other than general fatigue. However, prolonged sleep deprivation can have serious negative health implications and even lead to illnesses.
Our bodies need sleep to strengthen the immune system, maintain a healthy weight, promote healthy cognitive activity, and keep our bodies strong and healthy. Failing to get enough sleep not only causes annoying undereye circles but can wreak havoc on our health.
Another way you can avoid dark circles under your eyes is to stay hydrated, eat nutritious foods, and make sure you eat a range of fruits and vegetables that contain antioxidants.
Wearing SPF and using moisturizing products on your skin and underneath your eyes is another way you can prevent eye circles from developing. Overexposure to the sun can lead to excess melanin, which can cause the skin around your eyes to darken and circles to appear. Simply being aware of how often you’re in the sun and what protection you’re using is an excellent way to prevent dark circles.
Even if you’re unable to incorporate all of these practices in your life, don’t sweat it. At Journ, we know life gets busy. That’s why we made simple products that can address the underlying skin concerns while color correcting those on the surface.
Dealing with dark circles isn’t anyone’s favorite thing to do. But, after using Journ, you’ll find yourself looking forward to a simple, refreshing skincare routine that enhances your natural beauty while nourishing your skin.
Sources:
Dark circles undereyes Causes | Mayo Clinic
What Are The Physical Effects Of Sleep Deprivation? | Sleep.org
How Much Sleep Do We Really Need? | National Sleep Foundation
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