What Causes Forehead Acne? (& How to Solve It)

Dealing with stubborn forehead acne? There are a few potential causes that may be to blame. Perhaps surprisingly, these triggers could be either external or internal. Here are the different culprits to be aware of – and an action plan to help you banish forehead breakouts for good. 

External Causes of Forehead Acne

Here are two common external triggers that may be causing your forehead acne. 

Hair Products

While you might be good about steering clear of comedogenic skin care products, most of us are far less diligent about checking our shampoos, conditioners, gels, and other hair products, which can indeed clog our pores and lead to forehead and scalp breakouts. 

Some common culprits include coconut oil, shea butter, algae extract, and isopropyl myristate. These ingredients can be especially problematic if you have bangs, since there is hair in constant contact with the forehead. 

If you think a hair product you are using may be the problem, eliminate it from your routine for a few weeks to see if you have any improvements in your skin. 

Hats & Headbands

Hats, sweat bands, and any other headwear that sits on the forehead can trigger breakouts – in more ways than one. First, they can trap sweat, bacteria, and other debris against the skin, increasing the likelihood of those impurities clogging the pores.

The second way is a little less obvious. Anything that continuously rubs the skin can cause acne mechanica – a form of acne triggered by friction against the skin. 

As much as possible, try reducing your use of hats and headbands to minimize friction on the skin. When you do need to sport a hat, make sure it's clean and not too tight. If you are playing a sport or sweating in the hat, be sure to take the hat off when you finish and wash your face soon after. 

Internal Causes of Forehead Acne

If you’ve ruled out external triggers, it’s time to look inside. 

Poor Gut Health

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there is a concept called face mapping. According to this practice, imbalances in the body will show up on certain areas of the skin via blemishes, dryness, or other signs of aggravation. TCM face mapping links issues on the forehead to dysfunction within the small intestine and liver, saying that forehead pimples can be tied to digestive issues. 

This isn’t too surprising, given that we know acne patients are more likely to experience gut dysbiosis (AKA an imbalance of the healthy bacteria in your gut), constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and other gastrointestinal problems. In short, if your gut health isn’t optimal, there’s a good chance it is contributing to your forehead breakouts. 

If you have forehead acne, make sure you’re regular and work on addressing any bloating or digestive issues (tips on that, below!). 

Stress 

TCM also links forehead acne to stress and poor sleep. Again, research has confirmed that both of these factors can contribute to breakouts. As for stress, it heightens our levels of cortisol, a hormone that can increase the skin’s oil production – raising your risk of breakouts. Since the forehead (along with the nose and chin – referred to as the T-zone) already naturally produces more oil than other areas of the face, these higher cortisol levels can make matters that much worse. 

Poor Sleep 

Research has also found that breakouts may be triggered by a lack of sleep, likely due to poor sleep’s effects on our cortisol levels. On top of that, the skin barrier repairs itself when we sleep – so if we don’t get the sleep our body needs, our barrier suffers. This is problematic for acne-prone skin, as a weak skin barrier is more prone to breakouts.  

Ultimately, both TCM face mapping and modern research on acne confirm that gut issues, stress, and poor sleep can all contribute to breakouts on your forehead. In order to clear your skin, you’ll want to tackle these problems to get to the underlying root cause. 

How to Reduce Forehead Acne from the Inside Out

In addition to ensuring there aren’t any external factors (like hair products or dirty hats) contributing to your forehead acne, there are a few steps you can take to address internal triggers and clear your skin from within. Here is what we recommend: 

• Improve Your Gut Health: Supporting the health of your gut is one of the most effective ways to tackle acne from the inside out. Research has even confirmed that supplementation with probiotics like L. rhamnosus SP1 and L. acidophilus can help clear breakouts. To give your gut a daily dose of skin-loving “good” bacteria, add a probiotic like Glow Biome to your wellness routine. Designed to support the gut and the complexion, Glow Biome has been proven to regulate sebum production and reduce breakouts while simultaneously improving regularity and bloating. 

• Add Fiber to Your Diet: In addition to taking probiotics, adding more fiber to your diet is particularly helpful if you deal with sluggish digestion – which, as we’ve discussed, can contribute to forehead blemishes. A diet packed with fiber-rich foods (like fruits, veggies, beans, lentils, quinoa, and oats) has been shown to relieve constipation. 

• Minimize Stress: It’s easier said than done, but to the best of your ability, try to reduce your stress. Try meditation, breathwork, yoga, spending time in nature, or other stress-busting activities to reduce those elevated cortisol levels. Stress also has a negative impact on our gut health – which means it can also indirectly affect the complexion via our gut…so if you are under a lot of stress, it’s doubly important to support your gut health, too! 

• Get Your Beauty Rest: On a similar note, support healthy skin (and further quell high cortisol levels) by focusing on good sleep. Try to go to bed and wake up around the same time each day and prioritize a good pre-bed wind down routine to prepare yourself for a peaceful sleep.