Breakout On Cheeks And Jawline

Cheeks and Jawline Acne, Sounds Familiar?

Previously, I tackled forehead acne, what they mean and what causes them. If you haven’t read that article, you can check it out here. In this article, we are going to talk about why we have breakouts in the cheeks and jawline. A very common area for acne breakouts and now, we will get to understand the whys and hows for preventing breaking out in our cheek and jawline area.

I’ve mentioned face mapping on the previous article and, we will still include it here. Face mapping is a Traditional Chinese Medicine practice believing that our internal organs have something to do with the breakouts in our faces.

What Causes Breakout On Cheeks And Jawline?

Breakouts On Cheeks

Our cheeks are commonly the home of acne breakouts. Having breakouts in the cheeks is normal, everybody has experienced acne on their cheeks. Cheeks cover a wider coverage, and sebaceous glands are more prominent in this area, resulting in higher production of sebum or oil.

It is said that our cheeks are linked to our respiratory health and your sugar intake. So, you need to reflect if your respiratory system is healthy. Do you smoke? Or are you always near to someone who smokes? Are you always exposed to dust and air pollution? All of which might contribute to the breakouts on your cheeks. Another would be, do you eat sweets most often than usual? Do you drink soft drinks, caffeinated or sugared drinks daily? That might be a cause too.

•  Pollution

When you go to work or to school, you are most likely at a high risk of exposing yourself to air pollution, especially when you take a bus or a train. You can’t really prevent air pollution but what you can do is to bring blotting papers with you and wash your face when you go home.

• Bad Respiratory Habits

If you smoke, breakouts would be pretty reasonable to you. For non-smokers, try to avoid smoking areas or get too close to smokers. Smoking is terrible for your lungs, and for sure, it will also affect your skin and your overall health.

• Allergies

The cheeks tend to get easily irritated, especially if you are prone to allergies like dust allergies, pet allergies, pollen allergies, food allergies and etc. Always double-check the ingredients of what you eat, drink or put on your face if your skin is prone to allergic reactions.

• Rise of temperature

Our cheek area tends to get easily reddish when overexposed to the sun, eating spicy foods and drinking alcohol. The increase in temperature in this area will stimulate more production of oil. So, when too much oil build-up occurs inside your pores, you will likely have acne.

• Too much sugar intake

Sugar is one of the triggering foods you need to avoid or at least minimize intake. Moderate your consumption of sweets, dairy, soft drinks and other foods that are likely to trigger acne breakouts.

• Skincare and Makeup

Check on your skincare and makeup ingredients list, there might be an ingredient that triggered your acne. Always go for non – comedogenic products, especially if you have acne-prone skin.

• Hair

Usually, our hair is parted on one side and in most cases, you will notice that there’s more acne or texture on one side than the other. Your hair also produces oil, and if your hair always touches your cheek area, it will most likely cause a breakout. Another could be the shampoo or hair products that you use that could trigger acne.

• Hormones

If you’re going to puberty, you will most likely have acne due to hormonal imbalance. Puberty and acne go hand in hand. But if you’re an adult and you still have acne, you really need to consult a dermatologist to have your skin checked.

Preventive Measures To Avoid Breakouts On Cheeks

• Change your pillowcases

Change your pillowcases at least 2x a week. When you sleep, also try to rotate your pillow every night. You can even turn your pillowcases inside out if you want to go a little extra. In my case, after 2-3 nights, I changed my pillowcase and then place my pillows outside and let them dry out in the sun. You can also check your washing detergent and fabric conditioner, maybe it contains ingredients like fragrance, that might contribute to your breakouts.

• Keep your hands off your face

Your hands are prone to bacteria and dirt so always keep them away from your face, as much as possible. If you need to touch your face, wash your hands or clean them with wipes or rubbing alcohol.

• As often as possible, clean your phone screen

When you answer a phone call, your phone touches your cheeks, and if your phone is dirty, it will get into your cheeks which will, later on, contribute to breakouts. Let’s be hygienic at all times, okay?

Treatments of Breakout On Cheeks

• Take care of your respiratory health

Steam Inhalation is an excellent home remedy that you can do on your own. Steam inhalation is also known as steam therapy. By inhaling the water vapour, it will open your nasal passages which will help in relieving and soothing sinus and blood vessels. However, it does not cure any sickness, but it will help you feel better.

Meditation or breathing exercises can also help your respiratory health. This allows your body to feel calm and relaxed. You are actually hitting two birds with one stone which are distressing and maintaining your respiratory health. If meditation is not your style, you can do cardio exercises or workouts. Even taking a 20-minute walk or jog would be enough to keep your lungs healthy.

• Lower sugar consumption

Sugar is actually good for the body but too much would bring bad effects not only to your skin but to your overall health too. I know, I know it’s tough to turn your back on those sweets, but you need to hold back okay? You can start by slowly eating only at a maximum twice per week. Some examples of foods that contain processed sugar are soft drinks, sweets, ready-made meals, and canned goods.

• Gentle skin care

Our cheeks are sensitive that is why gentle exfoliating would be best to incorporate in your skincare routine. You can opt to use skincare products that contain natural ingredient perfect for gently exfoliating the skin such as oats. It’s fine to go for acid exfoliants but it will be best to start first to lower doses like 1% AHA or BHA.

 

Breakouts On Jawline

It is said the breakouts in your jawline are mainly because of your hormones. In the jawline area, most of our lymph nodes are located here. Your lymph nodes are an essential part of your immune system, it will engage on whether you have an infection or your body is fighting something. Also, lymph nodes are actually very sensitive to hormonal imbalance and detoxifying, so it makes sense that when your body’s hormones change, you will likely get breakouts in this area.

Common Causes Of Acne On Jawline

• Skincare & Makeup Products

Using comedogenic cosmetic and skincare products such as lotions, makeup, and moisturizers. These products contain heavy oils that can clog pores and causes breakout all over your face.

• Any object or surface that can stay on your jaw for quite some time

Musical instruments like the violin can cause jawline acne especially when the person using it is not hygienic. Helmets with in-strap can also be a cause of jawline acne because the trap that is on standby in your jaw could trap the heat and sweat that your body is producing. It can also trap dust which causes acne breakouts.

For men, shaving can also be a cause of jawline acne because doing such activity can irritate the skin. Using old razor blades can also lead to infection and aggravate breakouts.

• Menstrual Period and PCOS 

1 or 2 weeks before your menstruation cycle, you will notice that you will get acne in your chin or jawline. This is commonly an indication that your period is right around the corner. More like a warning or a signal for you to know that your visitor is coming on its way.

Commonly in women, the hormonal levels of PCOS patients are very imbalanced. A distinguishing symptom of PCOS is acne, particularly in the jawline area. Hormones such as estrogen and testosterone go up and down, and this situation, you will likely have a high risk of having breakouts in your jawline.

Another is the side effect of medicine or pills that you take for your PCOS. It could trigger the appearance of acne in this area.

• Steroids

I think I don’t need to elaborate more on this one since it’s very obvious. Drugs have side effects, and one of which is acne. Drugs, in general, will take a toll on your health, so you need to cut it out of your system.

Preventive Measures of Breakouts on Jawline

•  Wash every corner of your face

 Oftentimes, we focus more on cleansing the centre of our faces, and we forget the outer perimeters on the face, especially that area near your ears. Make sure to cleanse and exfoliate that area as well. Wash it like how you wash the centre of your face, especially if your acne typically grows in that area.

Treatments of Breakouts On Jawline

• Detoxify

By detoxifying, it also means taking care of your liver. The liver is the body’s detoxifier, so it is important to pay close attention to it. Minimize your alcohol intake, oily, greasy and salty foods. Go for foods with high in fibre which is resistant starch such as beans, green bananas and whole grains.

• Proper Hygiene

Keep your hands away from your face. Wipe or disinfect objects such as your violin before putting them near your face. Anything that involves touching your face, you have to make sure that everything is clean to prevent breakouts.

• Hormonal Acne

Hormonal acne usually occurs in a noticeably u-shape, basically, in your jawline and in your cheeks. This type of acne appears due to the hormonal imbalance going around in your body. Usually occurs when you go through certain life phases or have underlying conditions that contribute to your body’s hormonal imbalance.

Life Periods that causes Hormonal Acne

• Puberty

A lot of bodily changes is going on your body during your puberty. Your sex hormones are your primary triggers for having acne breakouts. Androgen, present in both sex, is primarily active in our sebaceous glands leading to more productions of oil or sebum. This sebum is removed from the pores, but some stay and accumulate on your pores, resulting in acne.

• Menstrual Period

For women, before and during their menstrual cycle, estrogen and progesterone are prominent during this period. Estrogen is a hormone responsible for stimulating the production of collagen on our skin, and it also controls oil production. Progesterone is mainly once of the causes of excessive sebum secretion. Progesterone is active on ovulation days and estrogen is more active on period days, causing hormonal imbalance. Having this hormonal imbalance on your period, breakouts will be more likely to occur.

For pregnant women, progesterone acts as a hormone to maintain the pregnancy period. It is production continuously increases, which causes acne.

• Stress

 When you are stressed out, you are naturally secreting a hormone called cortisol. This hormone is secreted from the adrenal gland, which also where androgen comes from. So, basically when they are present when you are stressed, causing you acne and hair loss.

Underlying Conditions That Contribute To Hormonal Acne

•  PCOS

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a reproductive condition among women where their ovaries are enlarged that may form cysts. Hormonal levels with women who have PCOS are imbalanced since estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels fluctuate and drop inconsistently. This hormonal imbalance will lead to slow ovulation, irregular periods, hirsutism, weight gain or loss and of course acne.

Treatment of PCOS is actually a very complex topic but to give you a general idea of how the treatment works, you can change your diet, exercise regularly, stay hydrated and take birth control pills. Those are a few ways you to fight against PCOS. However, everybody is different, so it is important to know what works best for you.

Treatment for Breakouts On Jawline

• Relax!

Distress your mind and do something that calms your nerves. Go on a spa day or binge-watch your favourite Netflix TV Show. Take your worries away for the day, have a break first. Your skin is already telling you to chill for a bit. So, you better listen to your body, okay? You don’t want it to get any worse.

• Cleanse and exfoliate regularly

To all ladies out there, a week before your period, you have to cleanse your face using a cleanser that suits your skin. Make sure to deep cleanse since your oil production during this period is going nuts. Always be gentle on your skin when you wash and exfoliate to avoid aggravating and irritating your skin.

Keep track of your food intake.

Especially for women with PCOS, it is crucial to always take note of your diet. PCOS could cause weight gain or weight loss, so it is important to eat the right kinds of food to help balance out your hormone levels. Avoid too much sugar intake and processed food. Go for more foods rich in fibre and anti-oxidants.

In conclusion, acne on your cheeks and jawline mainly reflects on your sugar intake, hygiene and your hormonal imbalance. Acne can be treated but it tends to reoccur which means you have to maintain a consistent skincare routine, hygienic practices and your diet at all times. Superficial treatments can work but if you really want to treat your acne from its roots, you have to take care of your body holistically. Your body responds in a different way than others so you have to be really patient.

You’ll get that clear skin, okay? You’re doing fantastic! Also, you’re already stunning anyway. So take your own steps, everything will come into place later on.

A list of Korean Skin Care Products That May Help Your Breakout:

Made from natural oils extracted from Black Bean, the Klairs Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil has the ability to control oil and soothe the skin. Black Sesame has the antioxidant ingredients and Black Currant Seed are full of vitamins and minerals. This product provides gentle deep cleansing without irritating the skin.

Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask 2x claims to be one of the top clay masks in Korea. It has AHA ingredient that helps in exfoliating dead skin cells.

Containing the star ingredient of Guaiazulene that gives the pastel blue color of the cream, Guaiazulene is a natural component of Chamomile Oil, able to have calming effects. Centella Asiatica is another notable ingredient that helps hydrate the skin and relieve skin redness. You can also read my review on Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream here.

Laneige is a brand that needs no introduction. It’s Water Sleeping Mask has an intensive moisturizing effect that makes skin clear, glowing, and revitalized in the morning.  It uses the Moisture-Wrap technology that increases skin’s own absorption and sustaining capabilities using its hydro-ion mineral water ingredients contained in the mineral network, evening primrose extract, and apricot extract.

Cosrx Acne Pimple Master Patch is a hydrocolloid spot patch that provides concentrated spot care. It comes in three sizes to suit the shape and size of the acne.