What Your Breakouts Are Telling You

Introduction

Everybody breaks out differently when it comes to acne, and you’re no doubt all too familiar with your own pattern by this stage.

Whether your breakouts are triggered by stressful situations, hormonal changes, or any other reason, they all come with a surprisingly in-depth amount of information you can use to get more familiar with your skin and learn better how to take care of it.

One of the major factors that play a part in how you can learn to “read” your breakouts is the location where you tend to break out the worst. This area has actually been the subject of some scientific research lately.

Acne face mapping, which is the current name of the concept, is a theory that splits the face into separate zones. Each of these zones, which are areas such as your cheeks, forehead, or chin, can correspond with particular triggers in your lifestyle or medical history.

The theory is that by mapping the zones on your face during breakouts, there are things you can learn about the way you live that will be helpful as you seek treatment for acne.

A Pinch of Salt

It’s worth bearing in mind that acne face mapping should be taken with a sizable pinch of salt.

As a field, it simply isn’t verified enough for it to be the only way we go about analyzing our skin.

In fact, it should only ever be used as one piece of an overall puzzle that includes more scientific aspects such as genetics, allergies, and so on.

In this article, we’ll only be discussing one area, in fact, of acne face mapping: the forehead and the hairline. We’ll be doing this because it’s the least mystical of all the acne face mapping concepts, but also because it’s a great way to highlight a common problem that can exacerbate existing acne or skin problems.

The Hairline

If you’re experiencing a breakout of acne right along your hairline, it’s possible that you’re not washing your shampoo or conditioner out as thoroughly as you might like.

It could also be a result of a facial cream you’re using that hasn’t been given the chance to be rubbed in all the way. The chemicals in these products can stick around on your skin and clog up the hair follicles.

It’s worth mentioning, however, that this isn’t likely to cause an outbreak of acne itself.

It’s more likely to make an existing situation worse, by increasing the amount of work the pores have to do to keep recycling skin cells and pushing the detritus out.

While it’s not on your face, in the same vein it’s worth checking out the hairline on the opposite of your head — the one at the nape of your neck.

This will obviously vary depending on your own hairstyle, but it’s possible that you’re also not washing products all the way out of the back of your head either.

What’s to Be Done?

No matter on which hairline the acne cropped up, the procedure for sorting things out is pretty much the same. Get used to making a consistent effort when you’re showering or bathing to make sure the area right at your hairline is kept as clean as possible.

If you’re going to use a loofah or some other sort of brush to help accomplish this, make sure it’s kept clean as well to prevent introducing even more bacteria to the equation.

Conclusion

There are a few things you can conclude about your acne situation by having a look at where you tend to break out, but it’s important to only use these as general guides about how your products are interacting with your skin.

As it happens, probably the only one you should pay attention to is the top of your head/your hairline.

If there’s a ridge of acne on your hairline, the chances are that you could be washing out the shampoo or conditioner you use better. It might also be worth looking into whether or not you have any allergies to some other cosmetic product you’re using, which could present a bit like acne but not in fact be a case of the condition.

If you’ve been experiencing acne breakouts and you’re not sure which medication you should be considering, why not take our free acne quiz?

It’s only a few questions, and at the end, you’ll know whether or not you’re a good candidate for Accutane, and what your options are otherwise.