Why Am I Breaking Out? 15 Acne Causes You Need to Know About

If you’ve noticed more breakouts on your chin, jawline, and cheeks as a result of wearing your cloth face mask, you’re not just seeing things. Turns out, all that sweat, oil, bacteria and humidity trapped under your face covering can create the perfect breeding ground for breakouts. The CDC recommends wearing face masks, so consider switching yours to one that’s made with a breathable fabric and stock up on a few so you always have a clean one ready to go. Oh, and if you’re not washing your face twice a day and your mask after each use, you’re doing it wrong. Remember all that oil and bacteria trapped between your face and mask? Yeah, you don’t want to reintroduce that if you’re trying to avoid breakouts. Lastly, skip makeup. Since you’re covering your face, you won’t need to wear a heavy foundation underneath it that could cause clogged pores anyway.

To make matters even more complicated, sometimes the ‘acne’ you’re trying to treat isn’t *technically* acne, which would explain why your usual acne treatments flat out aren’t working or are maybe even making them worse. If your breakouts are popping up around your hairline, forehead, chest or back and look like small, itchy red bumps that are roughly the same size, you might actually have fungal acne (aka Malassezia Folliculitis). Although it might look like acne to you, this is actually an infection of the hair follicles and needs a different treatment approach.

Your dermatologist could help you determine if you have fungal acne and set you up with a prescription. But if you’re experiencing a mild case of fungal acne, a regular OTC dandruff shampoo that contains zinc pyrithione or selenium sulfide might to do the trick. Apply the formula to the area of skin, wait 10 minutes, then rinse it off. Because fungal acne thrives on sweat, friction and excess sebum, be diligent about washing your sweaty clothes and your sweaty body.

During the day, dirt, oil, makeup and grime build up on the skin. If you don’t wash your face before you go to sleep, all of that garbage then gets transferred to your pillowcase, which gets transferred back to your face again. Board-certified dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD, says long-term exposure of your skin to this type of soiling, along with the friction of the face rubbing against the pillowcase, may promote inflammation and acne breakouts. But that’s not all. An oily environment may be a breeding ground for bacteria that can infect the skin if there are any raw or open areas – one of the many acne causes. Wash your pillowcases every few nights. Oh, and if you haven’t yet, switch to a satin or silk pillowcase to reduce friction (your hair will thank you, too).

Not to bore you to sleep, but our bodies undergo daily circadian rhythms, in which certain activities occur in the morning, and others occur while we’re snoozing. “Sleep is a time of rest and repair, and cortisol levels decrease”, Dr. Zeichner explains. “Not getting enough sleep means that our body is exposed to continuous high levels of cortisol, which can trigger breakouts”. Similar to what happens during stressful moments, cortisol-releasing hormones can actually bind to your oil glands, which send them into overdrive and causes acne. Sleep. It’s that simple (ish). Get off your phone to help you fall asleep faster (it causes blue light damage anyway) and get your eight hours.

Raise your hand if at the first sight of a bump, you load up the area with spot treatments. But Samantha Wright, a licensed aesthetician at the Dangene Institute, suggests not overreacting by over-treating. Topical salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, or sulfur over-the-counter treatments can dry out your skin and trigger it to produce even more oil and, in turn, spots. Additionally, the active ingredients can slightly burn the top layer of your skin, making it look red and raw if you’re using all the things and far too often.

You don’t have to toss your usual spot treatment – just don’t overdo it. Two to three times a week or every other night on your spot should do the trick. If you have a reaction, switch to over-the-counter 1 percent hydrocortisone cream, like Aveeno One Percent Hydrocortisone Anti-Itch Cream, to calm the inflammation in the spot and take down the redness.

Not regularly exfoliating is one of the acne causes, yes, but if you’re of the mindset that the more you scrub your skin, whether with a washcloth, rough acne face washes and face scrubs, loofahs, or cleansing brushes, the smoother it will be, I’m here to tell you that your breakouts are only going to get worse. The idea here is to repair your skin’s protective barrier to keep bacteria out, not to cause further trauma by scrubbing the life out of it. Wash and exfoliate your face with a mild yet effective formula that contains chemical exfoliators and doesn’t require scrubbing, like lactic and glycolic acids.

If you’re frustrated because unlike your friends with perfect complexions, you actually do take care of your skin, your acne trigger could be the sneaky ingredients in your products. According to cosmetic dermatologist Jeanine Downie, MD, mineral oil, for example, is a super-heavy moisturising agent found in some face moisturisers and creams that could clog your pores if you’re prone to blackheads and whiteheads. Coconut oil is also notorious for clogging pores too. Additionally, fragrance (especially irritating for sensitive skin) and sodium lauryl sulfate (an oil-stripping surfactant) can be found in many products and are common acne causes.

‘Read your labels’ is easier said than done if you don’t know what to look for, but a good place to start is by getting rid of any products that contain the aforementioned common irritants, switching to fragrance-free skincare and sulfate-free products. When in doubt, Dr Downie says to shop for products marked as noncomedogenic. If you’ve tried all the above and your breakouts continue to worsen, make an appointment with your dertamatologist to see if you could be allergic to another ingredient.

Those same pore-clogging moisturising agents and sulfates that sneak their way into your skincare products can also be found in your shampoo, conditioner, and hair styling formulas. Similar to how they can cause breakouts on your face, the ingredients can seep into the pores on your body and clog them, resulting in chest acne, back acne, and even spots along your hairline or scalp acne, says Wright. First and foremost, switch to a sulfate-free shampoo already. Once you’ve moved on to the conditioning step, clip your hair up and off your back while you let the formula sit. When you rinse, tilt your head over and to the side to keep the potentially pore-clogging and acne-causing residue off your face, chest and back.

Skipping your shower right after working out or not washing your face allows the mixture of makeup, dirt, bacteria, oil and sweat to find a nice little home in your skin and cause breakouts and clogged pores. Before you start sweating, always wash your face to remove your makeup. After you’ve finished your workout, shower. If you don’t have time, use a facial wipe, like Simple Micellar Cleansing Wipes, to clear away any pore-clogging oil and bacteria.

Per Dr. Downie, some of the chemicals in certain laundry detergents can be too harsh for your skin. Once you slip on your clothes or use your bath towels, your complexion might react to the residue that’s left on the fabric, resulting in breakouts on your face, back, butt, chest, etc. If you recently switched to a new detergent because it was on sale (no judgement) and noticed a few breakouts ever since that might be your problem. Choose a detergent that’s fragrance-free, dye-free and dermatologist-tested for sensitive skin, like Seventh Generation Concentrated Free & Clear Unscented Laundry Detergent.

By now, you know that baking in the sun and in tanning beds causes skin cancer, but if that still hasn’t stopped you from hitting the beach without sunscreen, maybe this will. Contrary to popular belief, the sun isn’t healing your acne, it’s actually making it worse. On top of all the other damage, the sun dries out your skin and triggers excess oil production, which is one of the acne causes. For starters, stop going to tanning beds. Period. If you are in the sun, make sure the slather on a titanium dioxide, or zinc-based sunscreen. These natural sun protectants are less likely to cause irritation than traditional chemicals. Also, wear a hat to shield your face from harsh rays.

According to Dr. Downie, tomatoes and peppers, two common ingredients in spicy foods, contain acidic lycopene, a somewhat common irritant that can throw off the skin’s PH levels and trigger breakouts around the mouth. But it isn’t just spicy foods that are acne causes. Some people have a reaction to dairy, gluten, or other types of foods. How diet affects the skin is totally dependent on the person. Talk to your dermatologist or make an appointment with a gastroenterologist to see if the food you’re eating is the source of your problem or if something more serious is going on in your gastrointestinal tract. While you’re at it, you could always try incorporating a few healthy foods for clear skin into your diet.

Smoking is ruining you in more ways than one, my friend. Every time you light up a cigarette, you decrease the amount of oxygen that goes into the skin on your face, Dr. Downie explains. Smoking not only predisposes you to cancer, but it also causes the breakdown of collagen and elastin that leads to wrinkles and increased pore size. The carcinogens in the smoke also irritate your skin and dry it out, triggering it to produce more oil and, possibly, more breakouts. So what is the fix? Don’t smoke. It’s as simple as that. You’ll live longer and have clearer skin.

Stress causes acne, and acne results in more stress. It’s a very vicious cycle. When you’re under pressure, your skin produces stress hormones, including cortisol, that can stimulate your oil glands to make testosterone. Dr. Downie explains. This then increases your oil production, clogs your pores, and could lead to blind spots. Work out regularly, meditate, get that essential oil diffuser going, and take time out of your busy schedule to focus on yourself, whatever that means to you. All these things will help you release stress so your body doesn’t continue to release hormones that are trying to wreak havoc on your skin.

It’s tempting in the moment, but it’s never a good idea to play dermatologist because it’s nearly impossible to pick your own spot and not make a red mark that could turn into a scar. Even worse, when you try to press the blackheads or pus out of your pore, you run the risk of pushing the bacteria deeper and making the problem worse. Oh, yeah, and you know when you rest your chin in your palm while you’re sitting at your desk? That action of touching your skin also can transfer bacteria from your hand onto your face. Dr. Downie adds. Challenge yourself not to pick or even touch your hands off of it, and to prevent more bacteria from getting to the spot. Try a spot patch, which is a flat, flexible, drug-free patch that protects your spot and allows it to heal faster.

When all else fails, or ideally, before all else begins, head to your dermatologist to find out which of the acne causes is wreaking havoc on your skin. It’s almost like they went to school to fix this kind of thing. Weird!