Why You Get Acne Around the Mouth and How to Stop It (2024)

Acne around the mouth is commonly caused by hormones and genetics. Lifestyle factors can also contribute, such as frequently talking on the phone, wearing a mask, or touching your face often. These habits can trap oil, sweat, and bacteria around your mouth and contribute to acne.

For most people, it takes a combination of good skincare habits, lifestyle changes, and sometimes medications to clear acne around the mouth.

What Causes Acne Around the Mouth?

Acne around the mouth forms like acne in other areas. Normally, the sebaceous glands connected to hair follicles produce sebum (oil) that moves to the skin through the hair follicle pore. Skin cells that line the hair follicle shed and also move to the skin's surface.

When someone has acne, the oil, skin cells, and hair get stuck in the pores. This prevents the movement of oil and skin cells to the surface. Bacteria grow inside the pore, and a pimple forms.

Hormone changes, particularly those that occur during puberty or around the time of your period are well known to cause acne flares. Whereas bacterial acne tends to form on oily skin regions, like the forehead and chin, hormonal acne often forms around the mouth and jawline.

Hygiene and lifestyle factors can also contribute to acne around the mouth, lips, and chin. You might have more acne in this area if you:

• Frequently touch your face
• Scrub the skin around your mouth too hard
• Squeeze or pick at acne lesions
• Use old or unclean makeup
• Share cosmetic products with others
• Use oily hair-care or skincare products
• Don't clean your pillowcases and bed linens regularly
• Often hold your cellphone against your face
• Frequently use helmet straps
• Play an instrument, such as a violin, that is held against your face
• Have a condition that affects your hormones, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Stress, diet, and not enough sleep have been shown to worsen acne. However, it has not been shown to cause the condition.

The underlying cause of acne around the mouth is not always clear. If you aren't sure why you're breaking out or have any other acne concerns, reach out to a dermatologist or healthcare provider.

How to Stop Pimples Around the Mouth

Good skincare and lifestyle habits go a long way in preventing pimples from forming around your mouth, lips, and chin. To stop acne around the mouth:

• Avoid touching your face: Your hands carry oils and bacteria that can transfer to your face and make acne worse. Research shows that people of all ages and sexes touch their faces up to 800 times per day. If you must touch your face, wash your hands first.
• Clean your phone: The combination of cellphone heat, the buildup of bacteria and dirt on the phone's surface, and the phone's friction against your skin can all contribute to acne around your mouth. Use a special phone cleaner to wash your phone each day, particularly if you make frequent phone calls.
• Wash after sweating: Sweat can mix with oils in your skin and contribute to clogged pores. If you play sports, live in a hot climate, or sweat regularly, bring a facial cleanser with you and wash your face after sweating.
• Take cooler showers: Hot water can aggravate acne by increasing inflammation. If you like to take scorching hot showers, turn the dial down a little bit to help soothe inflammation.
• Wash your pillowcase and face mask: Pillowcases and face masks can trap oil and dirt against your skin. Wash these at least once per week, if not more often.
• Don't overuse cosmetic products: Makeup, makeup brushes, and even your makeup bag can trap pore-clogging dirt, oil, and bacteria in them. Switch out your foundations and other facial products every three to six months. Brushes and bags should be cleaned once per week at minimum.
• Choose non-comedogenic products: If something is non-comedogenic, it means it does not contain heavier oils, silicones, or other ingredients that clog pores. Look for products advertised as non-comedogenic, which tend to have acne-fighting ingredients instead, like salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and plant-based oils.
• Eat a balanced diet: Your diet influences your hormones, and hormones can contribute to acne. Sugary foods, dairy, carbohydrates, oily, fatty, and processed foods have all been linked to acne. Switch these out for healthier foods, like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats.
• Moisturize: It may seem counterintuitive to moisturize your skin if it is oily or acne-prone. But if your skin is too dry, it may overproduce oil to compensate. Using a non-comedogenic moisturizing gel can balance oil production and help prevent clogged pores.
• Cleanse gently: Wash your face twice per day. Use a gentle cleanser made specifically for acne prone skin. Look for cleansers that contain acne-fighting ingredients, like benzoyl peroxide and alpha hydroxy acids.
• Exfoliate: Exfoliating removes dead skins cells, unclogs pores, and enhances the skin's ability to grow new skin cells. Try to exfoliate your skin twice per week, but don't overdo it. Exfoliating too much can irritate the skin and potentially lead to more acne breakouts.
• Wear sunscreen: Wearing sunscreen can reduce inflammation and scarring. It can also enhance the effectiveness of acne treatment.
• Don't pick: Do not pick at or pop pimples. This can introduce additional bacteria into the skin and cause scarring.

If you have made changes to your skincare routine and lifestyle and are still breaking out, talk to a dermatologist. Your provider can prescribe a customized treatment plan to fit your individual needs. The treatments can include one or several of these therapies:

• Retinoids are vitamin A derivatives that decrease inflammation, prevent acne, and reduce scarring.
• Benzoyl peroxide is a common acne ingredient applied topically to kill bacteria and decrease sebum production.
• Salicylic acid is another common ingredient in acne treatments that breaks down blackheads and whiteheads and also reduces skin cell shedding within the hair follicles.
• Antibiotics may be prescribed to stop the growth of bacteria and reduce inflammation. Your dermatologist may prescribe an oral antibiotic if the acne around your mouth is particularly stubborn or severe. Topical antibiotic are better suited for mild acne.
• Hormone therapy may be prescribed when acne is linked to a condition that affects hormones, like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
• Isotretinoin is an oral retinoid that treats acne and opens up the pores, allowing medications and antibiotics to move into the hair follicles and treat acne.

Treatments will vary based on the type of acne and severity.

Conditions Similar to Acne Around the Mouth

Redness and bumps around the mouth may look like acne but can be another condition. The conditions commonly mistaken for acne include:

• Perioral dermatitis
• Cold sores
• Hidradenitis suppurativa (acne inversa)
• Rosacea

Summary

Acne around the mouth and chin is a common skin condition. That area sees a lot of touching and use, which can cause additional oil and bacteria on the skin. A dermatologist can help determine the best treatment plan to clear up the skin and prevent acne from recurring. In many cases, a combination of lifestyle changes, good skincare habits, and sometimes medications is effective for clearing acne and preventing breakouts.