Chin acne is the worst, and it usually involves big, painful pimples that continue to pop up again and again. These types of breakouts can cause excessive pimples along the jawline that multiply seemingly overnight. (And you’re not alone: Celebs from Miley Cyrus to Demi Lovato have talked publicly about dealing with breakouts.) There sometimes isn’t a straightforward explanation for why chin acne has sprouted up, but there are some variables to consider.
Chin acne is usually caused by hormones, which might make it seem like the problem is out of your control. But is it really? It turns out that educating yourself and taking the right steps toward a skincare routine specifically targeted to chin acne can go a long way. We talked to board-certified dermatologists and leading skincare experts to help us understand what causes chin acne, how to treat it, and how to prevent it.
But first, let’s start with the fundamentals.
In this article:
What is Chin Acne
Types of Chin Acne
How to Get Rid of Chin Acne
What is Chin Acne?
The chin area is incredibly susceptible to acne compared to other regions of the face. There are more sebaceous glands—the ones that produce oil—in this spot than others. This density is why we often experience acne more often here than other parts of the body, like elbows or ankles. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases¹, acne occurs when hair follicles under the skin become clogged. These follicles are clogged with dead skin cells and sebum, an oil that keeps skin moisturized. When the balance is thrown off, pimples can appear on your chin.
Types of Chin Acne
You’ve probably noticed that some zits look different than others. There are two ways common acne tends to manifest: blackheads and whiteheads. But it does go a bit deeper than that. Here are the four main types of acne:
Fungal Acne
Also known as pityrosporum folliculitis, this form of acne occurs when there’s a yeast build-up in your follicles. Fungal acne is often very itchy and appears inflamed.
Cystic Acne
Cystic acne occurs deep under the surface of your skin as pus-filled nodules that cause surface-level inflammation. It’s important not to attempt popping this kind of acne, as it often can cause scarring. Cystic acne on the chin can be extremely painful and often sticks around for a long time, often interfering with everyday activities like eating and drinking.
Hormonal Acne
Hormonal acne is caused by an excess of sebum oil—this is a very common cause of acne on the chin area, including those pesky whiteheads. As you can guess from the name, this type of acne emerges due to an imbalance of hormones caused by stress, lack of sleep, certain skincare and haircare products, medications including birth control or testosterone treatments, and certain medical conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Nodular Acne
Severe and less common, nodular acne presents as both a pimple at the surface of the skin and a deeper pus-filled nodule under the skin (similar to cystic acne). This type of acne often requires medical intervention to relieve people of those painful nodules that form.
Chin Acne Causes
Hormones are typically behind cystic acne along the chin and jawline. When hormone levels surge, so does the production of sebum. Sebum is an oil, and that is what’s causing the hormonal acne on your chin. Hormone production is in overdrive for teens, which is why teens are more susceptible to this type of acne. It’s also common for women of all ages to have acne flare-ups throughout the month due to their menstrual cycle (and the hormonal fluctuations that come along with that).
“Women tend to break out on the lower third of the face, especially the jawline and chin, but the neck may also be involved,” says Dr. Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Medical Center. “This pattern, which I affectionately refer to as the ‘beard of acne,’ is a hormonally responsive area. Hormones stimulate oil production, which promote acne causing bacteria to grow and encourage pores to become clogged.”
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