14 replies to this topic

[elisadds]

I am a 28 y/o female who has been suffering with jaw and neck acne for about 5 years. I have always had acne, but for the past five years it has been focused on my neck and jaw. I have heard that neck and jaw acne can be caused by stress and hormones. I'm on the pill, and that has helped some. Antibiotics are what's keeping me clear now. I was just wondering if any other long term acne sufferers have had a locational change in their acne too.

[jksl]

Where did you hear that neck and jaw acne can be caused by stress and hormones? I've heard that it's caused by poor liver function. I'd really like to know what the concensus is on neck acne.

I'm dealing with constant breakouts on my thin-skinned neck and around my jaw. a lot of 'em are cysts too. sometimes i get sebum plugs coming out from my neck. i didn't know you could get plugs from such thin skin.

Most of my acne used to be around my temples and in the hairline. yes, they shifted. i'm almost glad that it's winter so that i can start wearing a scarf soon.

[encaskcus]

Well acne in general can be caused by stress and hormones anywhere on the body. It might have to deal with facial hair. I know that sometimes when I don't shave for a bit I tend to break out but that might just be a coincidence. My acne normally is around my chin but sometimes I will break out in the weirdest places. Sometimes I get random pimples on the back of my head but over time it will go away. Maybe ask your dermatologist but I've never heard of a certain cream used only for certain parts of the face but I'm not a doctor so I'm not completely sure.

[elisadds]

Hi jksl. My dermatologist told me that it's quite common for females to start getting acne in the "beard zone" due to increased testosterone as females age. My cousin, who is not a dr., so grain of salt, heard that stress can cause acne in the jawline. I've never heard the poor liver function thing. Maybe I should have my liver tested...

My dermatologist diagnosed me with acne vulgaris. I have cysts on my jawline and neck and around my mouth sometimes. I also have whiteheads in my chin and nose. I used to have acne on my face really bad, but now it's located only in these areas.

In response to encaskcus, my dermatologist prescribed a sulfacetamide solution that she said was especially good for neck acne.

[alternativista]

I used to get cysts on the jawline and neck. Turned out to be an allergic reaction. Also, an anti-inflammatory diet makes them smaller, less red, and heal faster.

[djh123]

might i suggest cleaning your phone before or after you use it

[kb92509]

I am a 28 y/o female who has been suffering with jaw and neck acne for about 5 years. I have always had acne, but for the past five years it has been focused on my neck and jaw. I have heard that neck and jaw acne can be caused by stress and hormones. I'm on the pill, and that has helped some. Antibiotics are what's keeping me clear now. I was just wondering if any other long term acne sufferers have had a locational change in their acne too.

I am 40 and my acne has definately escalated on my jaw and neck for the past 8 or so yrs. I would never get as big and as deep of a blemish on my face as the ones that appear on my jawline and neck. What anitbiotic cleared your face? Do you have to take it every day of your life now? Is that good?
I want an atibiotic to clear my acne. I'll take anything. Im sick of living with acne. Even after 3 yrs, this regiemen is not giving me the nice skin I desire. And Im a slave to it. A pill would be great!

Hi jksl. My dermatologist told me that it's quite common for females to start getting acne in the "beard zone" due to increased testosterone as females age. My cousin, who is not a dr., so grain of salt, heard that stress can cause acne in the jawline. I've never heard the poor liver function thing. Maybe I should have my liver tested...

My dermatologist diagnosed me with acne vulgaris. I have cysts on my jawline and neck and around my mouth sometimes. I also have whiteheads in my chin and nose. I used to have acne on my face really bad, but now it's located only in these areas.

In response to encaskcus, my dermatologist prescribed a sulfacetamide solution that she said was especially good for neck acne.

Your dermatologists explanation is believable. Did the sulfacetamide solution work? Do you still use it? Do you do Dans Regimen? Did you supplement the Regimen with it?

[elisadds]

Hi kb92509, my dermatologist and I have gone through a few antibiotics. The one that I would recommend the most would be Doryx. Doryx is a slow release Doxycycline that is metabolized in your small intestine, instead of your stomach. The reason I so highly recommend Doryx is it not only cleared my skin, but I had zero side effects. The only problem I had was the bacteria grew resistant after 6 months, so I am now taking minocycline with minimal side effects, including nausea for the first two weeks and a swollen tongue, which just feels kind of weird. They have both been effective, as far as clearing my skin. Doryx is a bit more expensive, so that could be an issue. It was worth it for me to not have any side effects.

I was very anti-meds for my acne for many years, but came to a point where I was willing to try anything. That's why I started on the antibiotics. I don't have any regrets, so far. I have heard that acne can worsen once you go off of antibiotics, so that's kind of scary. I'm hoping with the combination of topical and birth control pills that if I do ever go off of the antibiotics, I will not have to deal with that, but all in due time.

The sulfacetamide is very gentle, and I would recommend giving it a try. It's the gentlest prescription topical I've ever used. It's pretty cheap too. I'm doing such a combination, that I don't know if it's effective. I would say, maybe start with the sulfacetamide, and if that doesn't help, maybe try antibiotics.

I have never done the regimen, though in the past, I did find that benzoyl peroxide was the most effective OTC treatment. I was still dissatisfied, like you, with my skin.

[taya_shilah]

I have had neck/jaw acne for about 3 years now (I'm 26). Big huge sore cysts. Most of it is back towards my ears. It seems to come in big clusters. And I managed to clear it overnight. The whole story is in another post if you want to read it.

[elisadds]

Hi taya_shilah. Does the neosporin that you use have mineral oil listed as an ingredient? I went to buy some and looked at the ingredients and saw mineral oil. My skin breaks out whenever I put anything with the word "oil" listed as an ingredient on it.

[saffachick]

I have had acne problems since the age of 12, my problem was more concentrated on my chin and the area just to the side of my chin on both sides. I am now in my 20's and my chin is fine now, I have developed jaw line acne and I usually get the huge blind pimples which don't go away for ages, and the whiteheads too! I am not sure as to what the reason is, but I once read that location of your acne relates to certain organs in your body that are not quite working right or just clogged or loaded with toxins! Who knows!

[ComplexIssues]

Towards my middle to late twenties, I've definitely seen a shift of blemishes towards my neck and jawline and around my ears..It's all very strange to me and I'm not sure why that is happening or what it means...Fortunately right now it seems to be waning, but I've always been curious about it...I've heard that acne on different parts of your face can mean certain things, but can't seem to find a face chart.

[jimmyismyname]

Same place for me, although I would say it spread a bit, it wasn't a "locational change". Some say hormones, some say it is a dietary problem. I'm fit and started taking a multi-vitamin months ago with no results. Hormones might be most probable especially since I just saw that obese people's internal fat can excrete hormones which the body wouldn't normally produce. It's kind of odd though, I was thinking the other day about this. When the last time I saw a over-weight person with acne? I can't even remember, off the bat, in high school people who had acne, not to mention if they were over-weight and had it. I was also thinking that Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids might be essential in treating thin people's acne, possibly due to the lack of hormone production, because of their lack of fat. The thoughts are just interesting theory, if that...

[OnePissedPenguin]

... It's kind of odd though, I was thinking the other day about this. When the last time I saw a over-weight person with acne? I can't even remember, off the bat, in high school people who had acne, not to mention if they were over-weight and had it...

Interesting theory, but after thinking about it for a bit, I did used to live near someone who was overweight (pretty severely) and had acne.

[heatherkay]

I am nearing 40, and have dealt with neck and jaw acne for 10 years now. I never had acne beyond a few blemishes in high school. After my daughter was born, I started getting them. Sometime 2 or 3, sometime 15 to 20. They often take 4-6 weeks to completely heal, and by then more are erupting. I had a hysterectomy 2 years ago.
I went to my GYN, crying, for help. He said I have ovarian cysts, which release large amounts of testosterone.
I put me on tetracyclene (antibiotic for the skin) to help heal the acne.
Also, he put me on the pill for 6 months to shrink the cysts.
AND, he put me on spironalactone, which helps the body rid itself of excess testosterone. This last one, I think is the key.
Yes, it's a handful of pills every night, but to be able to show my face (and neck) in public has been a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.