Acne Around the Mouth and Chin

by Elizabeth
(Camden, New Jersey)

Do you suffer from acne around the mouth and chin? If you are, here are some possible causes for you to consider:

Hormonal Imbalance

The first cause considered is hormonal imbalance. This is especially true for women who experience hormonal imbalance due to any of the following reasons: their monthly cycle, the intakes of contraceptives or pregnancy. These are factors that contribute to hormonal imbalance which can trigger the excessive production of sebum.

Once this natural skin oil overflows and renders the facial complexion oily, expect the bacteria bearing dirt to interact with the sebum and eventually cause acne breakouts. One of the areas where this often occurs is the mouth and chin.

People tend to touch their mouth and chin areas much too often. One good example is wiping the mouth after eating with a table napkin, paper napkin or a piece of tissue, picked up from the table or a holder. Bacteria can be transported to the skin and cause acne around the mouth and chin area without our being aware of it.

Men may not have as much hormonal imbalance as women, but the hair growth can cause acne causing bacteria to flourish and cause acne breakouts.

Nevertheless, these are just periodic types of breakouts which can be remedied by frequently washing your face with mild soap and warm water once you sense that your skin has become oily. Applying a good amount of lavender or tea tree oil as anti-bacterial protection can help lessen the proneness to acne around the mouth and chin or in any other area for that matter.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

However, there is a more persistent cause for acne around the mouth and chin. Check your toothpaste if it contains sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and if it does, consider changing your brand of toothpaste for one that does not contain this ingredient. This is a synthetic chemical substance that makes your toothpaste foamy which is the same substance being used in harmful detergents.

This substance has been used as foaming ingredient in several toiletries like shampoos, shower gels, hand washes and the likes because it is the cheapest kind of foaming substance. They were found to be harmful as skin irritants particularly to the most sensitive areas of the skin. In worst cases, the ingredient also causes mouth sores or ulcers aside from causing acne around the mouth and chin. There are times when the toothpaste that we used was not properly rinsed-off in these particular areas.

Check out your toothpaste and opt for the SLS-free brand as a way of avoiding acne around the mouth and chin.

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