skin care concerns Why Do I Have Acne Between My Eyebrows?

Chances are, you’ve come face-to-face with acne between your eyebrows at one point or another. Whether you’ve relied on face makeup to hide breakouts, tried your hand at new skin care products, or simply paid extra attention to your eyebrow area in your skin care routine, you’ve likely learned that acne between eyebrows can be an absolute pain to deal with. 

And while there’s no way to get rid of those pesky blemishes overnight, there are ways to get your eyebrow area under control. Part of managing acne between eyebrows starts with understanding its causes. So keep reading to learn more about eyebrow acne, plus our tips to help you get your complexion in order.

What Causes Acne Between Eyebrows?

As it turns out, there are many potential causes for acne between your eyebrows. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), acne can be caused by hair follicles or pores that are clogged with excess oil and dead skin cells. They also share that the bacteria on our skin can sometimes get inside of the clogged pore, allowing blemishes to multiply. 

In addition to this, the Mayo Clinic reveals that certain medications, stress (hello life!), hormonal changes and your diet could also play a role in the development of acne. But one of the main culprits of acne developing between your eyebrows is none other than your hair. 

If you’re working with certain hairstyles that sit at your eyebrows — such as bangs — you might run the risk of clogging your brows with dirt and oil from your hair care products. Not to mention, face and eyebrow makeup that isn’t properly removed can also result in acne. And if you wear glasses and the bridge sits near your brows, not cleaning your specs regularly could also be a potential culprit.

How To Manage Acne Between Your Eyebrows

If acne between your eyebrows is killing your confidence, you don’t have to surrender to it. Below, we’ve rounded up 11 of our favorite skin care tips to help you get your complexion back on track.

1. Use The Right Ingredients

There are certain active ingredients that can make a major difference in the appearance of acne. Per the AAD, these include benzoyl peroxide, which reduces acne-causing bacteria, salicylic acid, which unclogs pores, and retinoids, which can also unclog pores and minimize oiliness (while also fighting wrinkles as a bonus). All three can be found over the counter and may be a good place to start when trying to address acne between your brows.

Editor’s tip: Glycolic acid has also been known to help combat acne as it is effective in exfoliating dead skin cells and impurities from the skin’s surface. The L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives 3.5% Glycolic Acid Cleanser is gentle enough to use every day, morning and night.

2. Use Non-Comedogenic Products

Makeup that is not properly removed could contribute to acne forming between eyebrows. While we wouldn’t say that you should avoid wearing makeup altogether, the AAD suggests using non-comedogenic products, which means they are designed to not clog your pores.

3. Try A Face Scrub

While we’re all for exfoliating, harsh scrubbing can negatively impact your skin. You can always opt for a gentle face scrub to polish away dead skin cells, dirt, and oil from the surface of your skin without irritation. We recommend the L’Oréal Paris Pure-Sugar Resurface & Energize Kona Coffee Scrub, which is formulated with three pure sugars for gentle, yet effective, exfoliation.

4. Always Remove Your Makeup Before Bed

We can’t stress this enough — sleeping in makeup is an absolute no-no. Every time you sleep with makeup on, it can mix with dirt and oil on your face, which could lead to breakouts and acne forming, including between eyebrows. And yes, per the AAD, even non-comedogenic products can cause acne when you sleep in them.

5. Try Double Cleansing

If you find that one cleansing session just doesn’t cut it, you may want to try your hand at double cleansing. This two-step cleansing method may help keep excess oil at bay. Start with a no-rinse cleanser, like the L’Oréal Paris Micellar Cleansing Water Complete Cleanser Waterproof - All Skin Types, simply saturating a cotton pad and wiping the pad over your skin. Follow up with a rinse-off cleanser, like the L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Radiant Smoothing Cream Cleanser which removes any traces of makeup while gently exfoliating your skin.

6. Switch Out Your Pillowcases Regularly

The AAD shares that dead skin cells, bacteria, and dirt can easily build up on your linens and transfer to the surface of your skin. The AAD recommends changing your pillowcases two to three times a week.

7. Change Your Bed Sheets, Too

While you’re switching out those pillowcases you might want to change those sheets, too. No one can guarantee that their face won’t end up on the sheets throughout the night and you run the same risk of transferring bacteria and other unwanted impurities from your sheets to your skin. The AAD recommends also changing your sheets every week.

8. Consider Switching Your Hairstyle

As we said earlier, like it or not, your hair could be the reason you are noticing acne around your brows. Whether you have naturally oily hair or use different hairstyling products, oil can find a way to your eyebrow area and clog pores, according to the AAD. So be sure to wash off hair care product residue or swap out products for oil-free alternatives. 

If you’re currently working with bangs or like to wear your tresses down, consider switching things up with some updo hairstyles (or even half-up hairstyles) that will keep your hair off of your face.

9. Don’t Pop Your Pimples

While you may be tempted to pop, pick, or squeeze the acne between your brows, don’t! This can easily make things worse, which is the last thing you want. From scarring, spreading bacteria and even causing breakouts to take longer to go away, it’s totally not worth it, and you’re better off leaving extractions to the pros. Touching your face is still off limits!

10. Give Your Skin Care Products Time

As much as you wish that your skin care products could have an overnight impact, that’s simply not how things work. The AAD shares that you should give any acne treatment a minimum of four weeks to work. Within four to six weeks, you should be able to tell whether the products are making a difference, but it can take up to two to three months to see a significant improvement in the appearance of your acne. 

So, stay consistent with your routine, and be patient when it comes to results. Switching to different products too soon could have an adverse reaction and result in worse acne between your brows and other places on your face.

11. Visit Your Dermatologist

If the problem persists, consult with a board-certified dermatologist. A professional can help you identify what could be responsible for the acne between your eyebrows and come up with a treatment plan that’s suitable for your specific skin care needs.

Next: How to Treat a Pimple On Your Neck, According to a Dermatologist

Edited and photographed by: Shalwah Evans