What causes acne on my jawline including the neck and chin areas? How can I treat it fast or what are some of its best treatments? Together, let us explore the causes and treatments.
Since acne on jaws is visible and hard to hide even with makeup, it is something everyone will want to get rid of fast. It has many causes which could be internal (something happening to the body) or external (environmental related).
What causes these zits on my jawline
Also, you may end up with the various forms of acne including whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, papules, pustules, and so on.
On who can get these zits, both women and men can fall victims. However, according to thedermreview.com, “women tend to suffer from jawline acne more than men, especially during times of hormonal imbalance” and sometimes these breakouts usually extends to the chin and even neck.
For effective treatment, you first need to know why you have acne on this area. Your dermatologist should help you identify the specific trigger since not knowing them may make it impossible to clear jawline acne fast in a fortnight.
Here we are going to focus on both the triggers and causes. Triggers are simply things that will aggravate breakouts while causes are why they occur.
This one common causes anywhere in the body. This is the reason behind their prevalent among teens and pregnant women. However, note that hormonal imbalances can also affect those on the 30s and above.
When levels of certain hormones such as progesterone rise, the sebaceous gland become very active and thus they secrete surplus sebum. When excess sebum is secreted, it increases the chances of combining with dead skin cells to form a clog.
How severe the breakouts will be is dependent on how deep the clog is and whether it gets infected or not. Treatment is by means that will try to restore your hormones to normal levels and they involve things such as hormonal therapy or use of birth control tablets.
When excess sebum and dead skin cells clog the hair follicles, various types of acne will form. Skincare products and cosmetics used on your face can also worsen the hair follicle blockage.
If the clog is not infected, you will have either whitehead (closed comedone) or blackheads (open comedones). On the other hand, when the clog is infected, inflammatory acne types will emerge such as pimples. If the follicles are clogged deeper in the skin, cysts, nodules or pustules will form.
As already mentioned, when dead skin cells combined with excess sebum, a clog is formed which is how acne is formed. The dead skin cells can also sum up with cosmetics and other skin products to clog the hair follicles.
There are also other factors that can enhance the build-up of the dead skin cells. Factors such as sunburn and harsh climates can enhance the shedding of dead skin cells.
However, note that dead skin cells alone cannot cause acne. The presence of sebum is important. Constant exfoliation depending on your skin type is a way you can reduce the chances of having this skin problem due to the presence of dead skin cells.
When the clogs are infected by bacteria, pimples on jawline emerge. Other types of acne such as nodules, cysts etc. may also result.
Although certain bacteria live on the skin naturally and are harmless, if they multiply beyond the certain limit, they can be dangerous. Sweating and poor hygiene can promote the steady growth of such bacteria on the skin. Always ensure you keep proper hygiene standards.
You should be very careful with what you apply on your skin. Some products and cosmetics may be dangerous especially those that can potentially clog the hair follicles i.e. those with heavy oils.
Also, if they are harsh they can encourage skin drying. To try restoring the oils, sebaceous glands may produce excess sebum and hence trigger acne breakout.
Breakouts can also be because of the side effects of certain medications. Stress and depression medications, epilepsy treatment among others can interfere with the functions of certain hormones in the body. This can lead to overproduction of skin lubricating oil (sebum) and as a result, lead to these breakouts anywhere in the body.
Many medical studies dispute the link between acne and diet while others state that certain foods especially spicy and processed foods have been proved to increase the amount of insulin in the body.
When insulin levels go up, there might excess production of sebum that would in one way or another trigger acne.
Excessive consumption of greasy and dairy foods has also been linked to these breakouts by some researchers.
Smoking and alcoholism trigger skin dehydration and irritation. This can still influence the sebaceous glands to produce more skin oil.
Genetics is also another trigger. This is one of the major reason why acne runs in many families. It is believed that if your close relative has acne then, you are also likely to have it.
Other factors such as wearing helmets with chin straps, very thick shoulder parts, musical instruments that touch your chin, as well as sports equipment could also be triggers.
Many people usually struggle to differentiate between acne and a pimple. A pimple is a type of infected acne i.e. a pimple is an inflammatory type which manifests themselves as small bumps filled with pus. They can also be encircled with red skin.
Cause of pimples on the jawline, cheeks, neck are the same things we have looked at. The only difference being the acne being infected.
Acne on the neck and jawline does happen. The two places are close and that is why the breakouts can easily spread from one place to another.
Besides these zits, you can also get other types of bumps. Razor bump or ingrown hair bumps especially in men are common and should not be confused to be acne bumps.
Breakouts on both these two places can be treated in a similar manner. We are going to look at the various treatments later in our discussion.
Acne spots on the jawline, chin, and cheeks or your entire face are possible. Unless they are other types of bumps. Their causes are the same things we have looked at.
The major cause of such zits involves excess sebum, clogged pores, and bacterial infections and most factors that cause them elsewhere on the body.
Not all bumps on jawline are acne. They could be due to other skin disorders such as keratosis pilaris, insect bites, allergic reactions, ingrown hair bumps, razor bumps, skin growths and many more.
Therefore, if you develop a bump on the jawline on any other place in your body, stop assuming it is acne unless it has been diagnosed by an experienced dermatologist.
Treating such bumps will simply depend on the cause. Ensure you get a proper diagnosis if you are not sure on why you have a bump on jawline which happens not to be pimples or other forms of acne.
Your skin is an important indicator of your overall health. Therefore, persistent jawline acne should never be ignored. Also, the treatment option will depend on how severe breakouts are in this area. Let us see some of the common treatment:
For mild cases over the counter products that contain ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid can be very effective.
They will kill the bacteria and help get rid of the dead skin cells (work as natural exfoliants) and excess sebum. They may help with effective skin cleansing too.
Most of the over the counter acne products are in the form of creams, gels, lotions and even soaps. Some of them contain natural ingredients such as aloe vera, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar among others.
Whiteheads and blackheads can be healed at home. Natural products such as Aloe Vera, apple cider vinegar, treat tree oil, oatmeal, green tea extract, lemon juice among other can be used.
However, if you apply these products and you don’t see any improvement, then you need to see your dermatologists.
Besides home remedies, below are certain behavioral Changes that you can employ to heal acne on jawline:
If you suffer from severe jawline acne or after trying OTC products as well as home remedies and behavioral changes and your breakouts persist. It is time to visit your dermatologist to prescribe stronger treatments.
These treatments are mainly for severe cases. The treatments will include hormonal therapies, oral antibiotics, steroids, laser and light therapies, chemical peels, as well as birth control pills
Other medications such as spironolactone and isotretinoin may be prescribed in case they are so severe.
Acne, whether it is on your jawline, chin, forehead, cheeks, chest, back, neck and other places is a common and widespread skin condition that affects many people globally.
If ignored or not treated in time, severe cases can leave behind scabs, dark marks, and scars which will be unsightly.
While using the various treatments, you need to be a little patient since it is not possible to get rid of jawline acne overnight or acne on any other part of the body.
Always involve your dermatologist instead of self-medicating since you might not be knowing the exact underlying cause for your case.
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