How To Get Rid Of Chin Acne?

Acne on the chin is no different than acne on other parts of the face, neck, chest, back, and even bum.

This is a common occurrence that typically manifests itself in the form of solid red or purple bumps that often (but not necessarily) have a collection of pus at the top. 

To get rid of chin acne, you should always start by incorporating good skincare practices and pay extra attention to your cleansing and exfoliating habits.

How To Get Rid of Acne On The Chin

No matter the cause, acne is a condition you should start treating by focusing on having a good skincare routine that works best for your skin type and individual skin concerns. 

The first step in getting rid of hormonal acne is to incorporate ingredients that have been proven over and over again to help with inflammatory conditions.

Here are some of my favorite acne-fighting ingredients: 

Salicylic Acid

Salicylic acid is one of the mildest and most effective acne-treating ingredients you can possibly find.

Salicylic acid works by mimicking the natural exfoliation process of younger skin by helping it shed extra layers of dead skin cells at a quicker rate than normal.

This means that you have fewer dead skin cells on the surface of the skin that can potentially clog your pores and lead to unwanted acne breakouts.

Additionally, salicylic acid is an oil-soluble ingredient, which means it can cut through the surface oil to get inside the pores and remove the buildup of sebum, bacteria, dead skin cells, and white blood cells.

Furthermore, it is a very gentle, anti-inflammatory ingredient that is easily tolerated by the skin and it takes very little time to get used to.

Read my complete guide to salicylic acid to find out how to use this powerful ingredient to your advantage.

Mandelic Acid

Mandelic acid is a little different than salicylic acid because this one is a water-soluble alpha-hydroxy acid.

It also has a larger molecular structure than other alpha-hydroxy acids, which means it doesn’t penetrate the skin as deeply and it delivers a significantly gentler action.

However, mandelic acid has been extensively studied for its uses in treating common skin problems and it has repeatedly shown itself to be a useful ingredient that can help fight both inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne conditions as well as photo-aging and irregular pigmentation on the skin.

Read my full guide on mandelic acid and learn how to use it for different skin concerns.

Benzoyl Peroxide

Benzoyl Peroxide is an ingredient that’s proven to have an antibacterial effect that specifically inhibits and destroys the acne-causing bacteria Cutibacterium acnes that live deep in your pores and survive on your natural oil, dead skin cells, and skin tissue.

It can be quite drying for the skin if not used properly and this is why many people experience side effects that include sensitive skin, burning sensation, redness, peeling, and inflammation.

There are many ways that you can go wrong about using benzoyl peroxide but if used properly, it can successfully heal your acne without having any adverse effects on the skin.

Read my article on how to safely use benzoyl peroxide to get rid of acne.

What Causes Acne on The Chin?

Acne on the chin, as we said earlier, is no different than acne on other parts of your face and body, therefore the main cause for chin breakouts are clogged pores. 

The pore is an opening to a hair follicle and attached inside the top of the follicle are sebaceous glands which are tiny oil-producing glands we have all over the body except on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and lips. 

Pores can become clogged with excess oil, dead skin cells, and white blood cells. When the pore becomes clogged, this creates a perfect, airless environment for the bacteria to thrive and cause acne.

But besides that, some of the most common things that can trigger excess oil production that will then lead to a clog can also be underlying conditions, hormonal changes, using bad skincare products, poor hygiene, bad diet, etc. 

Let’s mention a few of these and explain how they could possibly affect you. 

Underlying conditions

In some cases, a person may not have acne on the chin but instead, they may have an underlying condition that resembles pimples.

Folliculitis, for example, is an infection (usually bacterial or fungal) of the hair follicles that typically happens as a result of shaving, therefore, males are more susceptible to having ingrown hair on the chin than females.

However, anyone can develop folliculitis on the chin or other areas of the face and body. 

Hormonal changes

Hormones can often be blamed for triggering acne breakouts on any area of the face and body and this is almost always the case when it comes to puberty, pregnancy, as well as occasional pimples you get during your period.

Additionally, hormones released during stressful situations can also stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce more oil which then leads to more clogging and acne breakouts.

And while this may sound like something you cannot control, you can definitely lessen the negative effects by avoiding stressful situations and having an excellent skincare routine to support your skin.

Using bad skincare products

Many skincare products contain heavy and pore-clogging ingredients that can worsen those pesky little bumps around the mouth and also contribute to acne starting to appear in other areas, too.

Additionally, there are also products containing ingredients that are too harsh and have the potential to damage your skin barrier so using them might harm the skin’s moisture-holding capacity.

Some of these are drying alcohols such as Alcohol Denat as well as fragrance and other fragrant components that can awfully irritate and dehydrate the skin.

When this happens, the skin can become sensitized and dehydrated, which will inevitably trigger the sebaceous glands into overproducing oil which can then clog the pores and cause more acne.

Additionally, chin acne is also very common in men that have a beard and tend to use heavier balms, creams, and oils to style it. These ingredients can easily get in touch with the skin and clog the pores which will essentially result in breakouts. 

Cell phone use and touching

Nobody ever thinks of this, however, this may very well be the trigger of the acne around your mouth and chin.

Bacteria that are stuck onto your phone screen can easily be transmitted onto your skin, especially if you rest your cell phone on your chin while you talk.

Additionally, I often catch myself resting my chin in my hand while reading, listening to someone, watching TV, and even while using my phone, and I never once realized that this may be triggering my chin acne. 

Once I started becoming more aware of it, my acne did really lessen its appearance on my chin, so I was sure that resting my chin in my hands could’ve had some negative effect on my chin breakouts. 

Your diet can also affect your skin

Processed foods such as sweets can rapidly raise your blood sugar and can contribute to excess production of the hormone insulin which can cause acne around the mouth.

Moreover, having a diet rich in calories, fat, and refined carbohydrates such as burgers, nuggets, fries, etc, can cause acne due to the potential hormone-altering effect.

This, however, isn’t scientifically proven, though it is important to note that most of the research on the connection between fast food and acne has used self-reported data.

What Do Chin Acne Breakouts Mean?

But as with all things in life – it’s not always black and white, so anyone can get pimples on their chin regardless of their age, gender, or lifestyle. 

Therefore, chin breakouts can mean anything and this is why it’s important to dig a little deeper and try to figure out what is it that you’re doing that might be triggering chin acne. 

Acne doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with you. Acne simply means you are doing something your skin doesn’t like, therefore, digging a little bit deeper can perhaps help you figure out what might be causing a problem for you. 

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Although annoying, acne isn’t a condition you are doomed to struggle with your entire life.

It is a condition that indicates you are probably doing something your skin doesn’t like and that you should simply change some habits be it skincare or lifestyle habits. 

This article teaches you how to get rid of chin acne, however, if you need help with choosing skincare products, you are more than welcome to contact me so that we can work together!