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As we all know, there are a million different reasons for a sudden breakout—diet, weather change, stress, the list goes on and on.
But when you’re already prone to acne, as many of us are, it’s hard to really pinpoint one single reason why you’re waking up with three pimples out of nowhere.
Wouldn’t it be nice if our pimples could just tell us why they’ve decided to show up? Well, according to dermatologists who recently spoke with Women’s Health, they already do!
Depending on where your pimples are located on your face, dermatologists say you can determine why they’re suddenly appearing.
Here are a few surprising triggers that can cause acne on certain parts of your face:
Red pimples and small whiteheads along your T-zone
Possible Causes: Pollution and Climate
Why This Happens: According to Women’s Health, super tiny soot and polluted liquid particles in the air can penetrate the skin and clog your pores. Even worse, noxious gases called ground-level ozone can cause a chemical reaction with your skin’s natural oils, which in turn, gives you little whiteheads. The same kind of pore clogging effect can happen in humid, muggy climates. For people living in dry climates, the skin tends to get dry, causing dead skin cells to leave flakes that gunk up your pores.
What To Do: Try investing in a cleansing brush and a face cleanser that contains 2 percent salicylic acid to really clean those clogged pores!
Forehead acne around the hairline
Possible Cause: Your workouts
Why This Happens: NYC dermatologist Jeremy Fenton, M.D., spoke to Women’s Health about these pesky zits and cystic pimples. According to Fenton, using a dirty towel to wipe your face at the gym can transfer bacteria onto the skin, while using a clean towel can irritate the skin and cause inflammation that turns into cystic acne
What To Do: All you have to do is immediately change out of your sweaty gym clothes and take a shower after your workout. As long as your get all that dirt and grime off your face quickly, you should be fine.
Cystic acne on the chin and jawline
Possible Causes: Stress and Diet
Why This Happens: Stress stimulates androgen hormones, which messes with your oil glands, causing hormonal cystic acne around your chin, according to NYC dermatologist and psychiatrist Amy Wechsler, M.D., who spoke with Women’s Health. Another possible reason for chin acne? Eating too much sugar and refined carbs, which head straight for your chin.
What To Do: Wechsler suggests practicing slow breathing techniques to alleviate stress and slow down your heart rate. If sugar is the culprit, try cutting as much as you can from your diet for a few weeks and see if that improves your skin.
Do you think these culprits are behind your acne problems? Tell us in the comments!
Photo Copyright © 2014 Maria Morri/Flickr
