Please tell me I’m not the only one breaking out right now. Sad panda! 
I’ve got a few tiny whiteheads along my hairline, my jawline, and some on my chest as well, and this is probably TMI, but I’m going there anyway…but I have one on my left booty cheek, too.
AND IT HURTS.
Anywho! Thank goodness the ones on my face at the moment aren’t the painful red kind I get sometimes on my chin, because those are the worst.
This current breakout is probably half due to not sleeping well at night because of this extreme heatwave we’ve been having (and us not having air conditioning), and half due to Three Twins Salted Caramel Ice Cream, which I’ve been eating A LOT of lately. Whenever I up my dairy intake, I break out, but dangit! — why’s it gotta taste so good?
Is anyone else breaking out right now? Inquiring minds want to know.
In fact, let’s do this as a poll…
Loading ...Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. What are you breakout triggers? My main ones are dairy, hormones and not drinking enough water.
Menopause, I’m almost 56. I blame it for everything. My dry, crocodile-like skin, my mood swings, sleep problems, you name it. My break-outs come and go.
For me its peanuts. I remember that they make me breakout once I’ve devoured them.
It’s good that you know about it though! At least that way you can avoid eating them.
yes i am, on my chin and it is driving me mad. I think it is the heat and sweat.
Awwh, bummer! I hope it clears up soon.
Hi, Karen!
Which one of the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed do you prefer? My skin tone is around yours, and I’m torn between Rose Gold and Opal. I already have Mac msf in Soft and Gentle and the Mary-Lou Manizer by The Balm, but I would like to have a highlighter by Becca as well (because you can’t have enough glow).
Hi Nina!
Both are great, but I wear Opal the more, so I’d recommend that one.
And you’re so right — you can never have enough glow!
I just realized recently that dairy is a big trigger for me too! Another sad panda over here!
Hello…how gorgeous are you without makeup?! This article made me happy…not to hear you have a breakout, but to know I’m not alone. Omg, haven’t been this bad since 6th grade. White pimples on forehead, cheeks and chin, and the most cystic, painful THING right on my spine. It’s actually hard to sleep it’s that painful! Off to buy zit cream ugh! Hang in there w the heat wave!
Oh no, sorry to hear about your body breakout! Those are the worst because they usually hurt, plus they’re not easy to get to. 🙁 What zit cream are you buying? I’m trying these BHA pads by Neutrogena at the moment along with their Stress Control Face wash.
Oh I’ll have to try those!! I just grabbed everything Clearasil mainly for the twin that’s growing on my back! I heard that if you cut open a liquid advil and rub the liquid on pimples, it takes the swelling away! I may try it!
I’ve never heard of that trick. You’ll have to let me know if you try it! I have taken Advil for painful pimples and it does seem to work. Crossing my fingers for ya!
I’ve suffered from planet sized cysts before, and in a moment of sheer desperation I decided to break open an advil… and it works! Pimples that usually hang around for a week or more are gone with twice daily advil application within a few days! I truly hope it works for you, its been a great find for me!
WOW. an advil capsule…. I am so trying this. thank you. <3
Hope it works! I’m about to dissect one right now! 🙂 advil may soon be all of our favorite skin care product!
I feel like I’m jinxing myself to hit “no, not right now,” lol 🙂 My breakout triggers seem to be 1) failing to wash my face at night, and 2) touching my face too much (I’m especially guilty of doing this at my desk, where I prop my elbow on the desk and hold up my chin with my hand). Unhealthy eating probably doesn’t help much, but I haven’t noticed anything specific that triggers an outbreak.
Oh, pimples!
Hi Shannon,
Touching my face is one of mine too. I always end up wanting to pop the pimples once I do this too, boo!
Sorry to hear you’re breaking out 🙁 Have you considered an exfoliating toner? That seems to help me a bit, especially to reduce whiteheads. Some options are First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads (mild), Aveda Botanical Kinetics Exfoliant (mild), Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads (moderate), Pixi Glow Tonic (moderate) or Peter Thomas Roth Glycolic Acid 10% Toning Complex. I use one of these toners and then spritz a hydrating toner like Rose Water or Bobbi Brown’s Extra Hydrating Toner and it helps to balance my irritated skin again. Another option is plain yoghurt – soothes like nothing else.
My triggers are gluten, sugar or feeling overwhelmed.
Take care! I’m sure it will heal soon.
Ahhh I’ve been going through a lot of breakouts this week. 🙁 Mostly just on my face cheeks. I’ve had some forehead acne going but that seems to be going away after drinking lots of water. I’ve noticed my breakouts seem to worsen due to bad eating habits or having too many drinks at the bar. lol. :'(
Perhaps it could be hormonal/stress? I’m a big fan of red tea to balance hormones when I’m stressed/PMSing:
http://www.republicoftea.com/get-gorgeous-herb-tea-for-clear-skin/p/v00725/
I used to have hormonal acne, even cystic at times, and haven’t had a problem since. I just drink a few cups of this when I’m feeling it “coming on” and I’m good to go! No more trips to the dermatologist for cortisone shots!
My breakout triggers are hormones and stress. This upcoming semester’s going to be crazy, and I’m not looking forward to how my skin’s going to react.
I almost always get whiteheads, but what I’ve discovered is if I put coconut oil on them as they’re forming, they come to a head much more quickly. That way I can pop them sooner! (If I just leave acne alone, it can still leave a scar when it finally goes away on its own. I having nothing to lose if I pop them.)
OMG…I’m breaking out too and I was just thinking why.
I think it’s because it’s hot and sweaty and I’ve been too lazy to use my clarisonic at night. I’ve gone back to using it and it seems to be getting better. My breakout triggers are me touching my chin so much while sitting in front of the computer and hormones.
Karen! Yes, I am breaking out right now, and it hurts! I don’t know what is wrong with my skin these last few months, but it is on a rampage. I have not had cystic and inflamed breakouts like this since I was a teenager! My skin is like “oh, you turned 30 this year…time to freak the f out.” lol. Ugh! I have seen a derm, and she put me on the generic version of Retin-A and it seemed to be working well at first, now not so much. Mine also seem to be worsened by dairy, so I switched to almond and soy milk in my coffee, no yogurt, etc. I could not give up cheese though….What products have helped your breakouts in the past? I am looking for any possible suggestions! Especially for inflamed chin breakouts.
So broken out right now! I changed my birth control and my skin changed drastically. Some of it is welcome, because my BC caused excessive sweating and dehydration. However, I’m trying to figure out what my skin likes now.
I tried some Korean products I reacted badly to, and then I attacked the breakouts with harsh stuff, which, of course, backfired. I also picked at things, which never helps.
Funny you should mention it, because I am too! And it’s not hormonal this time, so I’m thinking it might be connected to the crazy heat (which finally broke today, woo!). But I’m thinking the more likely culprit is the Born This Way foundation, which would make me so sad!
I think the Born This Way foundation is causing my breakouts too! 🙁
YES! It makes me feel better to know that I’m not alone, although I’m sorry for you. I think it’s linked to the heat: heat typically causes me to break out because my skin gets oilier and sweaty. Sweat + oil mix ain’t good!
But this time it’s pretty bad. I’m having an attack of cystic acne, it’s really terrible. One huge red monster that hurts like hell after the other. They’re all on my chin and it looks like a battlefield now! The red marks are gonna take months to go away when it’s finally over :((
Worst breakout summer of my life! I’m 40, this isn’t cute anymore! I’ve tried so many different home remedies…apple cider vinegar and coconut oil seem to help the most. :-/
Lol I am too!!! It’s not that time of the month so I have no idea what’s going on!! On my chin and jawline..glad to know I’m not alone!! Lol
It’s getting better but I had an horrible breakout last week from monday to friday, due to fatigue I think (I was working very early in the morning and not sleeping enough, my skin couldn’t take it).
I would say the worst things for me are sleep deprivation, which increases considerably my skin intolerance to… pretty much everything, PMS (but I think it’s the same for everybody), and the use of a new product to which I’m allergic, and the result is plenty of tiny whiteheads all over my forehead and around my cheeks and jawline (and sometimes neck as well).
When one of these things happens, I go for a very simple skincare regimen, like Uriage tolederm hydra- soothing cream and no makeup on my face (sometimes, foundation oxydation makes it worse).And I try to drink more water than usual, to “drain”
What do you do when you have to face a breakout?
I just had 5 pimples on one side of my face finally heal. I think it was because I would put one of my arm up next to my face when I was sleeping. Now that I don’t anymore I’m not breaking out anymore.
Hi, Karen (and ladies) — I had adult acne. Cystic, horrible stuff. Would hang around for three months and hurt like a mother. Started around 7 years ago. I went on my very first round of Accutane; that helped (wasn’t on it very long). Didn’t cure it altogether, though. So my derm put me — and I am still taking — spiranolactone. It is an androgen blocker. Usually, if you have chin/jaw cystic acne, it’s because of hormones. This shut it down completely. I still get the random zit, but it’s nothing like the painful — this must be as big as a VW sitting on my face — zits of yore.
Glad you mention it, because I was breaking out HARDCORE when I was visiting my parents in the Bay Area, and since coming back to Minnesota have only had a couple of whiteheads, nothing nearly as painful. Vacationing in Boston wasn’t too bad either – JUST the Bay Area. Which is both literally and metaphorically painful. Lately I’m triggered way more by PMS than anything else and I’m okay with that! Used to be I just had acne all the time…
I am. My skin was fine until last week, and I know it will be downhill from here for quite a while. Hormones are to blame!
hormones and SOY!!!! i had the worst breakout of my life when i started drinking soy milk a few years ago. now i avoid it like the plague.
Hello Karen,
Yes and for me it is my hormones. After I turned 45 it seems like my face thinks its 13 again.
Katherine
Mine is clearing up. Between using the new Tartegaurd and that time of the month, I got weird bumps all over my face. They are clearing up now, though!
Period zits!!!Never used to have them until I turned 40!!!
Yes, but mine’s PMS related. Though I’m sure the heat isn’t helping.
Yep, I currently have one zit between my chin and cheek. It’s almost gone. It’s nothing compared to the awful breakouts I had all the way through my teens and early twenties.
Not at the moment but “Aunt Flo” will be here soon. Hormones always make me break out. African black soap + Giovanni charcoal facial scrub + Physician’s Formula Argan oil keep my skin pretty happy. I totally recommend each one. Hope you’re well, friend ?
I have a few zits, but worse than that I triggered a nasty rosacea flare up yesterday.
Karen, have you ever tried Bye Bye Blemish? There’s nothing attractive about it – it’s similar to calamine lotion in appearance and smells of sulfur. But if I have a particularly troublesome zit, I’ll dab some on, wait til it dries, then slap on a Nexcare brand waterproof bandage and leave it on overnight. Once it dries, you can’t smell it. But it does noticeably shrink the honkin’ humungous pimples by the next morning. I buy it on Amazon.
Yup! I recently changed up my skincare routine and I broke out on my chin… but its starting to go away now 🙂
In addition to the usual mess, I have a line of pimples where my sunglasses sit on my nose and cheeks – dirty plastic grinding sweat, makeup and sunscreen down into my already clogged pores makes a mess! I always seem to have one or two cystic monsters on my chin. I’m 39 and have had mild to moderate acne continuously for 28 years now. Every pore in my T-zone is clogged, most with a nice blackhead showing, and it’s getting worse as my skin gets older and stretches out. I am so sick of having bad skin.
Same!! I am having horrible breakouts, especially on my chin. It is definitely the ice cream!
I can work long hours (+17 hours), and at the end of the night, my pores are just clogged with sweat, makeup, and dirt. To prevent pimples, I take a warm shower, and let the steam open up the pores and melt some of the gunk off. I dab a little Neutrogena Body Clear Body Wash all over my damp face, let it sit like a mask for a few minutes, then use a Clarisonic. Love the pink grapefruit smell! Afterwards, my pores feel squeaky clean. No pimples. If my pores need extra cleaning, I will also use Peter Thomas Roth 40% Glycolic Acid -it penetrates deep into the pore to dissolve any dirt or oil, and also exfoliates dead skin.
Red painful kind on my chin right now. Hormones are my trigger, so I don’t think there’s much I can do about it! :-/
Somewhat relieved to see so many people are having the same problem! My trigger is hormones (that time of the month). If I’m eating too much sugar and not having enough exercise. Sweating through exercise does wonder for my skin complexion 😛
I’m breaking out like HELL! I knew this would happen though. I knew there was no way I’d have a good skin day on my wedding day. I am just not meant to be that lucky. With my hormones raging and stress levels spiking it’s no wonder I’m covered in acne 🙁 I’m trying to just accept it and make the best of it. It’s not like I can do anything about it anyway, apart from handle/conceal it the best way I can.
Hormones – ovulation, period, and week after period! Gosh… Other triggers are not enough sleep, not enough water, and stress! I’m on vacation now, so I’m working on the sleep, water, and stress thing… and I’m going mostly makeup free for these few days to give my skin some TLC. My skin is looking pretty glowy and goddess-y except for a few cystic breakouts that have been kept at bay by a good quality BHA exfoliant and antioxidant cream.
I have been breaking out for sometime now, it’s hormonal and I can’t do much to it. 🙁
Funny you should mention this- I haven’t had breakout issues in years but, recently I had about two weeks worth in places I have never had spots before. I couldn’t connect it to any cause or usual trigger, not even a reaction to new products(wasn’t trying any). My usual remedies weren’t effective(pure tea tree oil dabbed on at night helped) and I couldn’t figure out if the breakouts were usual pimples or something else entirely, since they seemed to vanish almost as quickly as they appeared. I sterilized all my tools, washed my brushes, nothing was helping. Then I got sick and went a couple of days with no makeup- wow! no bumps! It all started after spending a day outdoors in Marin county, and I am wondering if there was an environmental connection? Some pollutant the air? If this is the case,I am sure you aren’t alone in this issue and I hope the air and your skin is clearer by now!
My cystic acne has come back with a vengeance this summer after 8 months of being clear. I’ve been on antibiotics since May and probably will need to go back on accutane. It’s all hormonal :((.