Does Facial Hair Cause Acne?

A lot of people are affected by acne and it harbors not only on our faces but also on other parts of our bodies such as our chest and our back. Similarly, the skin under your facial hair is also sensitive to acne and can suffer from breakouts as well.

Beard acne can be caused by several reasons ranging from bacterial infection and clogged pores to ingrown hair and excess dihydrotestosterone hormone. Using beard care products with bad chemicals can also cause acne under your beard.

In this article, we will be showing you how facial hair causes acne and preventative measures you can take to avoid it, whether it is exfoliating or hydrating your skin!

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How Does Facial Hair Cause Acne

The pimples that appear inside or beneath your beard or facial hair are known as beard acne. Folliculitis, which can be bacterial or brought on by ingrown hairs, is another name for it.

Beard acne can be caused by many different reasons and these are listed below for more understanding:

• Bacterial Infection
• Clogged pores
• Ingrown hair
• Dihydrotestosterone
• Beard products

Bacterial Infection

Acne on the beard typically appears as red, inflammatory pimples at the hair follicles which can be brought on by bacterial infection, which explains why they frequently appear in beards. It is important to note that if it’s a bacterial infection, the pimples on your beard acne might include some pus.

Clogged Pores

The hair follicles on our face are large compared to those on our legs, making it simpler for pores to become clogged with extra sebum, skin cells, bacteria, etc. Additionally, facial hair is abrasive meaning it can readily be blocked with germs, oil, and dead skin cells, which can cause acne outbreaks or exacerbate existing lesions

In short, you have a formula for catastrophe when you combine this with the fact that males tend to produce more sebum (oil) than women do on their faces.

Ingrown Hair

Apart from bacteria and clogged pores, ingrown hair is another culprit for beard acne. These are hair that gets trapped under your skin due to the phenomenon of hair curling back into the skin and this leads to inflammation.

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)

DHT is a sex hormone that, as suggested by the name, is a derivative of testosterone. Excess amounts of it can affect hair follicles, which also include your facial hair follicles, by interfering with the hair growth cycle.

Some unhappy people may also experience beard-induced cystic acne because of Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is also harmful to facial hair because it’s directly related to male pattern baldness.

Beard Products

Cleansers, oils, balms, creams, lotions, and gels that you use on your face and beard occasionally create outbreaks. This happens because your skin can become inflamed and sensitive to certain chemicals.

Use items that include as many organic components as you can and avoid products that contain alcohol, sulfites, synthetic oils, and parabens. Likewise, avoid using fragrance wherever possible.

When taken together, these variables suggest that men with facial hair should be more careful about their skincare regimen. For instance, it’s a good idea to cleanse and exfoliate the skin more frequently, and applying salicylic acid treatments will help clear out clogged pores.

How to Get Rid of Beard Acne

There are some preventative measures you can follow to get rid of beard acne and even avoid it altogether. Follow the steps listed below to live a beard-acne-free life!

Exfoliate

Since exfoliation rubs away the dead skin cells that may otherwise get caught in our pores, it has long been one of the most effective strategies to avoid acne. Some chemical exfoliants can accomplish this and go even further: if they contain salicylic acid, the exfoliator can seep into the pore to disintegrate trapped skin cells and sebum while also regulating the skin’s oil production.

Therefore, even though it feels amazing to get a nice, gritty face scrub underneath that beard (even if it just involves using a beard brush), it’s crucial to also have some type of salicylic acid cleanser and/or spot treatment on hand, either to target blemishes that are just beginning to appear or to apply evenly.

But be cautious of the amount of product you use and how frequently you use it because you do not want to irritate your skin by overdoing things. Two times a week is a good amount for physical exfoliation or heavy chemical exfoliation.

On the other hand, if it is more of a gentle cleansing scrub or exfoliant cleanser then you can most likely use it daily without being too worried about irritating your skin.

Hydrate Your Skin

Although adding anything to a scenario where acne is likely to occur may seem paradoxical, hydrated skin is healthy skin. To avoid dryness and dead cell buildup there, use a beard oil or conditioning beard balm.

Shorter beards usually won’t need beard oil; just use your regular moisturizer. Also remember to double down in the winter, particularly with a nighttime moisturizer.

A good quality beard oil or beard balm will provide your hair follicles and fibers with much-needed moisture and hydration. The way beard oil works is that it locks in the moisture from your surroundings as well as also provides extra hydration.

Beard balm on the other hand forms a protective layer over your hair fibers giving it protection against any dirt and grime as well as also locking all that moisture in so your beard remains fresh and healthy.

Keep Your Pillowcases Clean

Your pillowcases are a breeding ground for germs after a few nights of use, which is one of the leading causes of acne. Therefore, keep them as fresh as you can by washing them every week (and of course, wash your beard before bed to prevent prompt proliferation).

Avoid Scratching Your Skin

You shouldn’t reach through your beard to scratch the flesh underneath it for the same reason that you want to keep your pillowcases fresh. Germs, folks! Simply work on moisturizing and softening the beard more, such as using that beard oil or balm we previously recommended, if beard itch is a problem for you.

Use a Trimmer or Electric Shaver

To avoid giving the impression that you are simply extremely lazy and have no plans for your facial hair, you must keep the perimeter of your beard neat as it grows. To avoid ingrown hairs, we advise utilizing an electric device to trim your beard’s neckline and cheek lines, such as an electric shaver or a beard trimmer without any guards.

Using an electric instrument prevents breaking the skin’s surface, which in turn prevents the painful blemishes brought on by ingrown hairs, which are typically created by ordinary blades. So keep this step in mind the next time you are getting ready to trim and clean the edges of your beard.

Cleanse Your Beard Regularly

The most obvious, but also possibly the simplest and most significant, was saved until the end. To put it simply, wash your face!

Touch all of that skin as you work the cleanser around your face since this is the one time we will allow you to do so. And to reiterate the first piece of advice, pick one that contains salicylic acid to reap twice as many advantages.

Two times a day, wash your hands—once in the morning and once in the evening, just before you start your nighttime skincare routine. You can then proceed with the scrub, followed by a rinse, a moisturizing serum or treatment serum, a moisturizer, and finally a beard oil, depending on the sequence of steps you’re following at any particular time.

Change Your Shaving Routine

As was already discussed, exfoliating before shaving can help lower the possibility of clogged pores. As the warm water and steam open pores, soften hair and lower the risk of ingrown hairs, shaving after a shower can also be advantageous.

Regularly switching out razor blades will also lessen discomfort and snagging hairs. Shaving with the hair’s natural direction rather than against it and frequently letting the beard grow longer reduces pseudofolliculitis.

Razors that give a tighter shave are more likely to irritate hair follicles. The likelihood of irritation is also increased when the skin is stretched to achieve a closer shave. So not only the razors and beard care routine products should be important to avoid beard acne, but the timing of when you shave and how you shave is also important.

Conclusion

Growing a beard can come with its downsides such as a smelly beard, patchy beard, and as we discussed above, beard acne. but it is nothing to worry about, you just need to follow a few steps, change up some things here and there and you will be good to go! We hope that this guide provided you with all the possible reasons that cause you to get breakouts and acne under your beard and ways you can avoid them altogether by being a bit more cautious!