What Causes Adult Acne? It depends on where you’re breaking out.

You have a complete natural skincare protocol that you use diligently every morning and every night. So why do you still suffer from adult acne? There are several simple lifestyle & habit changes that can improve the look of adult acne that are often overlooked.

When attempting to figure out what’s causing your breakouts, begin by identifying where your pimples are cropping up. Are they mostly on your chin and around your mouth? Do they mainly show up on your forehead? Or do you tend to breakout on your cheeks?

You may be wondering why the location of your blemishes is important. A zit is a zit, right? The truth is, where blemishes tend to show up on the face can solve the mystery to why you may be experiencing acne breakouts.

What’s Causing My Acne?  Find the cause by looking at where you are breaking out.

Causes of Adult Acne on Cheeks

Dirty Makeup Brushes and Pillowcases

If you forget to wash your makeup brushes, you are not alone. It’s easy to skip this task. But makeup and facial oils build up on the brushes, along with dust, and bacteria can begin to grow. Same with pillowcases. If you see acne breakouts on cheeks, these two are likely culprits. Wash your brushes every week by letting them soak in warm water and mild soap. Rinse brushes and allow to air dry. Spritzing your makeup brushes with a brush cleanser and wiping with a tissue after each use also cuts down on oil buildup and bacterial growth. Pillowcases should be changed at least weekly if you are experiencing breakouts.

Phones

If spots are showing up on the area of your cheekbone near the ears or towards the lower cheeks nearing the jawline, try giving your phone a regular wipe down too.

Hands

Do you have a tendency to rest your face in your palms or on one fist when you are sitting? Or touch your lip area when you are thinking or nervous? There’s a lot of bacteria on your fingers that transfer to your face and cause breakouts!

Causes of All Over Acne

Makeup with Silicones

Silicone ingredients are widely used in conventional makeup, appearing in everything from primer and foundation to eyeshadow and blush. They make skin feel super soft and deliver that airbrushed quality. They also create a barrier on top of skin that not only can clog pores but leads to dryness too. All over adult acne or facial breakouts and especially breakouts on cheeks are often due to cosmetics made with silicone. Ditch the dimethicone and opt for makeup made with natural ingredients instead.

Over-Cleansing

Yes, cleansing too much or with harsh ingredients often leads to skin breakouts all over the face, and here’s why. Many acne skincare products are designed to dry out the skin. When skin becomes dry, the flaky top layer hardens and traps oils and bacteria and pimples are the result. Redness and irritation may also appear with over-cleansing. Try using a mild cleanser that is free from sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), and use a light oil cleanser to remove makeup.

Same goes for those post-beach vacation breakouts. Sun and salt makes skin feel dry. Add in sweat, sunscreen (if you use one that is not non-comedogenic), and dry plane air, and you may want to book that facial for the day you return! Using a sunscreen made with natural ingredients that offer light moisture and keep skin looking clear, like Hynt Beauty Sun Prep Broad Spectrum SPF25, is one way to steer clear of blemishes caused by your sun protection.

Skipping Moisturizer

All skin types need proper moisturization and this includes acne prone skin. Going back to the dry skin scenario, lack of moisture can actually create pimples. Certain oils, like jojoba and sunflower, are great for giving oily prone and acneic skin a balanced feel. Aloe vera is another effective option for this skin type, lending a cooling and calming feel with light moisture. Try Hynt Beauty Skin Prep Serum made with natural oils and extracts designed to keep skin feeling nourished and comfortable without looking greasy.

Acne on the Forehead and Nose

Aggressive Exfoliation

Sloughing away dead skin cells is key to keeping skin clear and healthy looking. Remember, skin that is breaking out is inflamed and irritated. Over-doing the exfoliation or exfoliating too vigorously can exacerbate the problem, and often shows up on the forehead and nose. Opt for a gel or mask exfoliant that contains fruit acids to exfoliate skin gently without scrubbing and stick to once weekly until skin clears up.

Acne on Lower cheeks, Jawline, and Chin

Food Sensitivities Certain foods may be the cause of your breakouts. Sugar and dairy can lead to chin breakouts and blemishes around the mouth, zits along the jawline may signal hormonal imbalance, and pimples on your forehead can be from eating over-processed foods. Try eliminating the foods that correspond to the area where you see breakouts and see if your skin looks clearer without them.

Hormonal Imbalance

PMS, menstruation, perimenopause, and menopause can all cause hormonal breakouts. And this type of acne usually shows up on lower cheeks, jawline, chin, and neck. Try the tricks above to clearer looking skin and work on reducing stress as much as possible during times of hormonal upheaval. Meditation, extra sleep, and a little more time for self-care go a long way toward calming the senses.