Are you tired of struggling with acne breakouts and wondering what's causing them? Understanding your skin health is crucial when it comes to preventing breakouts and maintaining clear, healthy skin. You can take control of your skin health and say goodbye to pesky pimples for good. Just follow a consistent skincare routine and pay attention to the clues your skin is giving you.
If you were able to get to the root of the cause, you’d be one step closer to knowing what products to treat your breakouts with.
Enter acne face mapping—an ancient form of deciphering the underlying reasons behind facial blemishes.
If you’ve been searching for a way to solve the mystery behind your acne flare-ups once and for all, pull out your magnifying glass. In this article, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about acne face maps so that you can understand what’s causing your breakouts and how to treat them.
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What Is Acne Face Mapping?
Acne face mapping has become a popular trend for individuals looking to solve the mystery of their blemishes, but the idea behind face mapping is far from new. For centuries, people in China used facial mapping to help them determine what internal conditions they might be suffering from [1].
The ancient acne face map separates your face into different sections and aligns each section with a different part of the body [2].
Of course, acne-face mapping isn’t completely backed by science. You could also be experiencing acne for several other logical reasons, like sleeping on an overused pillow or talking on your cell phone, to name a few.
That said, it’s helpful to take traditional acne-face mapping with a grain of salt. It can be fun to play detective in your own acne-solving mini-mystery series, but if you really want to solve the puzzle, it may be more productive to find answers that also align with modern science.
Uncovering The Potential Causes Of Your Acne By Location: A Guide
There are numerous potential factors that can cause your acne to flare up around certain areas of your face. While traditional face mapping might help you narrow down some of the possible culprits, we’ve rustled up some other science-backed possibilities based on your specific breakout area.
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Potential Causes of Acne on the Forehead and Hairline
A pustule is a formal name for your run-of-the-mill pimple filled with pus [4]. Papules are similar in that they’re also small, inflamed bumps on the skin. However, unlike pustules, they don’t have a soft center containing pus.
There are a few common reasons you may have forehead acne, such as:
- Using hair products that contain acne-causing ingredients – Some shampoos and conditioners (and even hair styling products, like gels and waxes) contain oils or other ingredients that can clog the pores along your hairline [5]. When your pores become clogged with oil, dirt, and other bacteria on your face, it sometimes leads to acne. Switching hair products may alleviate the problem. Also consider a regular hair washing routine to remove the buildup of hair care products that can contribute to clogged pores.
- Having a specific type of fungus on your forehead – Some individuals suffer from facial acne and assume it’s caused by the typical acne-causing bacteria, C. acnes [6]. If common forms of acne treatment don’t improve the blemishes, you may have fungal acne [7]. Malassezia (Pityrosporum) folliculitis occurs when there’s an overgrowth of the otherwise normal amount of yeast that grows on your skin. This can result in papules and pustules in the affected area [8].
- Sporting bangs – You love them when you leave the salon, but after a few days sans wash, you may notice that your bangs start to collect oil and look greasy. Since your bangs act as a makeshift curtain on your forehead, it’s easy for the oil to become trapped inside your pores and cause pimples. Washing your face every night can help remove some of the excess oil from your forehead.
Potential Causes of Acne on the Nose
But just because you feel like you have dirt trapped in your pores, doesn’t mean that your skin is dirty. If you’ve ever noticed that your nose or forehead (or both) appear shiny midway through the day, you’re probably prone to having an oily T-zone. As that extra oil sits on your skin, those areas become more likely to succumb to blackheads.
The solution is to find skincare products that contain the exact combination of ingredients your skin needs. With our personalized skincare set, you can effectively cleanse, exfoliate, moisturize, and treat your skin’s unique challenges.
Potential Causes of Acne on the Cheeks
Ancient face mapping may have pinned cheek blemishes on underlying issues with the stomach, but most of the time, acne on your cheeks is due to clogged pores [11]. To reduce this type of acne, you need to know what’s causing your pores to become blocked. Often, this can occur if you frequently:
- Touch your face – Humans can be touchy-feely when it comes to our own bodies—especially our faces. The second we see a blemish, we often can’t help but to fuss with it. But because our fingers are teeming with germs and bacteria, we only exacerbate the issue by compounding our germs with the dirt and oil that’s already trapped inside our pores.
- Contact with your phone – Placing your phone directly to the side of your face may seem rather innocuous, but since your phone is dirtier than a toilet seat, it might be a catalyst in causing unwanted breakouts on your cheeks [12]. Before putting your phone to your ear next time you take a call, consider using a disinfectant cloth to remove the bulk of the germs there.
- Sleep on a dirty pillowcase – While your bed may be one of your favorite places to relax, it can also be one of the dirtiest, particularly if you don’t take care to wash your sheets and pillowcases on a regular basis. Bacteria, dust mites, and oil from skincare products can all fester on an unwashed pillowcase, and these microscopic items have the potential to cause acne [13]. To ensure you’re sleeping on a clean (and mite-free) pillowcase, try washing your bed linens at least once a week.
Potential Causes of Breakouts on the Chin and Jawline
Oftentimes, acne in this area is caused when your hormone levels change and increase the amount of oil (sebum) your skin produces [15]. When that excess oil mingles with the bacteria on your skin, it can cause acne to form in its wake [16].
Although you can’t control all of the contributing factors, like the hormonal changes that may occur during your period or your family history of hormonal acne, you can work on controlling some of its other sources by:
- Improving your stress levels
- Getting an adequate amount of sleep every night
- Using skincare products that don’t have pore-clogging ingredients
Map Your Path to Clearer Skin with PROVEN
Not knowing the cause of your acne can be beyond frustrating. From using all-natural face masks to cleansing multiple times a day, you may feel like you’ve tried it all. But by finding skincare products that contain the right acne-fighting ingredients for your unique needs, you can be well on your way to clearer and more radiant skin.
That’s where PROVEN Skincare comes in. When you take our 3-minute Skin Genome Quiz, we can determine the exact ingredients your skin needs based on factors like your age, geographic location, and skin type. Then, we use our advanced technology to formulate an easy-to-use 3-step skincare routine tailored to your skin’s unique needs.
Take our skincare quiz today and start your journey toward the clear skin you’ve always dreamed of.
