Acne Geography-Treatments for Various Unique Location

Despite its persistence as a facial blight, acne doesn’t necessarily respect bodily borders and confine its geographical reach to the T-zone. Despite winning the overall war against zits, you may still find yourself fighting the occasional battle on your chin, back and butt. Sticking with a good skin care routine that keeps your skin clean, but not stripped, exfoliated, but not raw, and using a topical agent such as benzoyl peroxide or salycilic acid is good practice. However, if your breakouts seem to crop up where you least expect them, a little sleuthing might help you uncover the culprit.

The zone: Jaw and chin

The culprits: your phone or resting your chin in your hand.

Dirty hands cradling your face throughout the day constantly deposit dirt and oil from your hands directly on to your face. Add to that the pressure and you’ve set the stage for a pimple. Telephones, oily from constant use and tucked against your face, create a welcome environment for acne.

The fix: Regularly swab down your home phone, cell phone, work phone, whatever phone you use, with an alcohol soaked cotton pad to cut grease and kill bacteria lingering on these heavy-use surfaces. When speaking on the phone remember not to rest your face on the receiver. Wear an excellent oil-control gel that will be there to absorb the oils, not your skin. Gel can be re-applied throughout the day - even over makeup! We can make recommendations on a gel for your problem

The zone: Hairline, scalp, forehead, and temples

The culprits: So common is this flare-up destination that it even has it’s own name: pomade acne. Many hair products designed to defy gravity and the nature of your hair to get it to mold into the desired style of the day can also clog pores and lead to acne.

The fix: If you can’t forgo using the hair product altogether, try to at least keep it from having direct contact with your skin by limiting the amount that comes into contact with your hairline and scalp. Look for brands that tout their noncomodogenic (won’t clog pores) qualities such as many water-based formulations. Keeping oily hair clean by using a good, grease-busting shampoo. Glycolic acid facial cleansers such as NeoStrata alone or combined periodically with a good facial chemical peel or microdermabrasion can go a long way to keeping skin clean. Add a dab of retinol used solo every other night to stubborn troublesome areas.

The zone: Cheeks

The culprits: Hair, hands, pillows, and makeup.

The fix: Compared to other regions of your face, cheeks generally are less prone to breakouts, so a flare up can be particularly frustrating. Luckily, a little self-discipline may be all it takes to get your complexion back in shape. If your hair is oily and regularly dragging across your cheeks, try using a shampoo formulated for oily hair and then keep your hair tied back, off of your face, to prevent transferring oil from your hair to your skin. Likewise, change your pillowcase frequently. Dirt and oil build-up on bed linens can aggravate acne.

If you are a blush or bronzer user check the label for mica. Mica is a mineral that even when ground finely for cosmetics retains its irregular shape. Its jagged edges can irritate and clog pores leading to acne. We recommend mineral oil based cosmetic line like Glo Minerals as a daily use make-up that is safe and preventative.

A dirty blush brush can harbor disturbing amounts of acne causing bacteria so remember to wash out your cosmetic brushes regularly or switch to a non-comodogenic gel or water-based formula.

Kill skin bacteria and open pores with a well-rounded acne masque such the NeoStrata antibacterial soap and moisturizer used a few nights each week.


The zone: Back and shoulders, chest

The culprit: Sweat and friction.

The fix: Wear workout clothes, especially sports bras, that breathe and wick sweat away from the skin, and aren’t binding or abrading to the skin, both of which can promote an acne-positive environment. Make sure to shower after sweating with a cleanser that will lift grime away from the skin such as Murad Activating Body Scrub and change into clean, dry clothes that aren’t tight fitting.

If you find that you’re breaking out along your bra-strap line, on the shoulder where you carry your handbag, or shoulders that take the weight of your backpack, rethink those items (i.e. use a handbag or tote instead of a shoulder bag) to reduce what is called acne mechanica. This pressure-induced acne can also show up on the chins of violin players and where sports equipment chaffes (like bike helmets).

If you are experiencing acne on your back, Murad allows you to treat this hard to reach area. If after controlling the acute and chronic acne formation, microdermabrasion, chemical peel or pixel laser are all options for eliminating acne scarring, pitting and discoloration.

The zone: Lip line

The culprit: Pore clogging lip balms/lipstick/lip gloss. All those concoctions that make your lips feel slick and silky can also leave you broken out.

The fix: Switch to formulations that don’t have the high concentrations of waxes and petroleum. A Lip Plumping Pencil is a great option; apply to lip line and fill-in. Don´t forget to remove lipstick residue at the end of the day.

The zone: Your, uh, bum

The culprit: Tight clothes that don’t breathe and tough behind skin that doesn’t slough off pore clogging dead skin cells.

The fix: First, ditch tight pants and undergarments, including tights and stockings, for garb which gives skin a little space and a chance to breathe. Then, invest in an exfoliant and use it regularly. Medicated scrub is an ideal way to keep pores "down there" clean and fresh, but remember, that this is delicate skin; don´t over do it!