I’ve had 2 cycles of inexplicable breakouts in the past few months that stunned me primarily because I had gotten my skin to a level where I was very happy with how it looked, and it had been relatively breakout free for a while. I also was not trialing any new products, relatively speaking and hormones had been ruled out. So suddenly experiencing crazy bouts of acne on the lower half of my face that would not subside despite all ministrations, was bugging me. I’d changed my skincare, started using anti-acne skincare, changed my sheets, gone for facials to no avail.
Naturally, when you get stressed, things get worse. So one day, I sat back and thought about things. Perhaps it was not product related. Perhaps it was internal. The weather had been very hot, perhaps I had not been drinking sufficient water to flush out toxins. Perhaps I had not been eating enough fruits and vegetables. Perhaps it was constipation and a digestive problem. So I took stock of the situation and did a bit of a lifestyle change.
Surprisingly, it helped!
What prompted this thought was when I decided to look up possible causes of acne around the chin, mouth and jawline area. It turned up information on various websites that said it might be either hormonal or linked to the digestive tract. Poor digestion might result in chin and jaw acne, as well as possibly constipation.
I latched onto that thought, because I was having a bit of a problem there. Also, eating out a lot means not eating enough fruits and vegetables so I wasn’t getting a lot of fibre. To solve this problem, I started eating out less, and when I did, made sure that I had a healthy amount of vegetables included in every meal. I also made sure my house was stocked with fruits.
I’d go to the local market once a week and stock up on both fruits and vegetables, where they are cheaper and fresher than buying in the supermarkets. I’d make sure to eat them too. I also made sure I had enough water throughout the day. More than the regulation 8 glasses because the weather here has been baking hot.
Another thing I did was to cut out dairy almost totally from my diet, as well as go on a low gluten diet. I realised that dairy products gave me digestive problems which led me to believe that in my dotage, I’ve developed lactose intolerancy. No more cheesecake, cheesy pizza and ice-cream! 😛 I also cut back on foods like breads and cakes and started a diet of breakfast oats in the morning.
The results were two-fold. Firstly, I became more regular (whew!) and secondly, I started seeing benefits for my skin. It took a little while for the acne spots to go away, but new ones stopped sprouting. Over the course of about 2 weeks, my chin and jawline area cleared up from the worst of the breakouts. Going on a purely hydrating skincare regiment helped clear up the rest and deal with the marks.
This little experience taught me that while sometimes, I might break out from using a new product, not every breakout may be caused by topical contact. Sometimes, it is a sign that something is wrong internally and that you should check your internal plumbing for blockages. Sometimes, it might be certain foods that cause you problems or a health problem.
If you are suffering from breakouts along your jawline or chin area, do consider if you have been having digestive problems, slow digestion or poor digestion or constipation. A small lifestyle change may help more than all the topical acne creams or antibiotics in the world 🙂
Have you thought about this before? Have you had a similar experience as I did, and did a lifestyle change help you clear up your acne and breakouts?
Paris B
Roxanne says
I also suffer from breakouts around my chin/jawline area. It is kinda frustrating because before the current ones are healed, I get new ones. And the marks left behind are hard to lighten. Recently (for past 3 weeks or so), I have been making fresh fruit and vege smoothie every morning for breakfast (first thing I drink in the morning) and have been trying to eat my food raw as much as possible and on low carb diet. I am not sure if that really helps but I can see I have less breakout now and almost to the point that they are clearing up so much (touchwood) that currently, I have no single pimple/acne on this area. I am someone who has no constipation problem. I still take milk with my coffee. I do try to drink more water though (am not good in this department) to flush out toxins and also replenish my body since I live in California which is really dry.
Tori says
Ok so I see I’m not alone! I’ve been having a breakout on my chin area and forehead. these area tend to be inflamed and are sometimes painful. I usually avoid popping them if I can help myself but as of lately they are awful to look at so I do. I am currently detoxing because as you stated digestion has always been an issue of mine as well. Ive consulted a dermatologist but I’m sure there’s more I could be doing at home as well. any ideas ?!?!
Miss I says
Hi!
This is such GREAT advice! 🙂
I have been eating out a bit more often. I never had pimples, maybe the odd one or two but that’s it. And suddenly (maybe since a week ago ) i’ve got some on my cheeks. My boyfriend has a bit too many pimples, do you think it could be a reason? 😀 (although we’ve been together for two years)
Also i’ve started using this new cream on my feet, hands, elbows and knees (NOT on my face) since about a month. It has emulsifying wax, white soft paraffin, liquid paraffin, Diaminomethanal and fragrance listed as ingredients. Do you think this could have any possible cause?
Also my cat sleeps on my bed. :/
Your help will be really appreciated. 🙂
Paris B says
Hi there, breakouts could be caused by anything – food, weather, pollution, change in diet, stress, products so its hard to say what your cause may be. If you think it could be due to the food you are eating, try to keep to a cleaner diet, eat more fruits and vege, drink more water and see if it helps. I’m not sure about the cat thing but sometimes, it could be anything, even hormones 😛
Nina says
i am medical student which i learn about acne is form due to bacteria. Our skin secrete substance and the bacteria break the substance to oily thing that cause acne. So, clean your face with anti bact. may help to set yourself free from acne
Jaclyn Parsons says
Thanks for this article…my face has always been a mess and now I am 31 years old still dealing with acne. 🙁 I got on a new skin regimen which seemed to help for a while. But recently I have broken out terribly and even while taking curcumin which helps with inflammation. Anyhow, my husband and I have a new business and have been eating out a lot and I would agree with you that this is probably the culprit…drank my veggie smoothie this morning, so hopefully I am on the road to recovery. Thanks!
Catrin says
This article has really helped me! I had severe acne when I was about 14 until 18 but I’m now 22 and over the years it has subsided a lot! I had a great skin care regime and I’ve always work a lot of make up but whilst I still had the odd pimple they had calmed down so much! I know it was hormone related and going on the contraceptive pill was one of the main reasons for the clear up. However, last week I had a huge breakout on my chin of painful big pimples and I was so shocked at how suddenly it came on! This has made me realise that my stomach had also become really sluggish and whilst I have always been quite healthy but I recently had a really bad sinus infection and my whole body suffered for it – I was lazy and eating junk and I wasn’t getting much sleep. Today I will start a new regime of drinking 8 glasses of water and I will jam fruit and vegetables into every meal! Thank you 🙂
sofia says
I never knew the suffering acne can cause when i was a teenager, so when i enter the 20s, i was rewarded with acne by God. haha. since it was adult acne, it affected deeper layer of skin and it was very hard to manage those acnes. but the good side of it was that i became more conscious of my lifestyle! despite of those trips to facial frequently, those acnes just wouldn\’t stop, which causes me to do more research on what is causing it. behold, when my beautician suggested me to do lymphatic massage, all those acnes disappears and hyperpigmentation decreases! apparently, my lymphatic system especially around my shoulder and above had been blocked. well, that explain those constant pain around my shoulder and the adventurous acne journey!!! eating fruits like kiwi and it significantly decreases all those annoying little bumps on my skin 😀 so yes, when we got acne, most probably it is a sign sent out by our internal in need of dire help. in my case, it was due to the fact that since my lymphatic system responsible for eliminating toxin had been blocked, my body was forced to find alternative way to eliminate those toxin which is through my skin