Acne can appear in nearly any part of the body, but dealing with frustrating eyebrow pimples can be especially challenging. Read on for everything that you need to know about treating eyebrow acne breakouts:

What Causes Eyebrow Pimples?

  • Hair Products - Hair products often cause forehead acne and eyebrow pimples. Especially with aerosol products such as hair spray.  As the product sits on the eyebrow, the chemicals can seep into the pores and clog them. This will lead to the formation of acne, especially because most people are not likely to spend a lot of time deep cleaning this area of the face.
  • Your Own Hair - Your own tresses can be one of the biggest culprits in carrying excess oil to your face. Once this oil and grime land on your face, it will begin to clog the pores in the eyebrow and forehead area. If your hair is long enough to brush across the browline, you may want to consider cutting it or pulling it back to keep the sebum from contaminating that area of the face.
  • Makeup - The abundance of makeup used around the eye can be a big culprit in the clogging of this area of the face. It is imperative that the entire eye area is cleaned each night to rid it of pore-clogging impurities. Especially if you use eyeshadow or eyebrow pencils, this area can become dirty quickly, resulting in eyebrow pimples.
  • Hormones and Puberty - Unfortunately, this is a rite of passage for many adolescents. Since you cannot stop the surge of hormones that lead to the breakouts, the only thing that you can do is to take preventative measures to minimize the threat of acne.
  • Threading and Waxing Eyebrows - Hair removal through waxing or threading makes your eyebrows susceptible to pimples and other acne breakouts. This is due to ingrown hairs. To prevent unwanted breakouts, it is important to wash and lightly exfoliate your eyebrows.

How to Get Rid of Eyebrow Pimples

The best way to get rid of eyebrow pimples is with consistent cleansing, exfoliating and use of spot treatments.

  1. Cleansing Your Eyebrows - A proper cleansing routine is the first line of defense in stopping acne breakouts. Using a gentle drugstore facial cleanser, wash your eyebrows once or twice daily. This will prevent buildup of sebum and other impurities on your eyebrows. Although it may be tempting to scrub the face in an effort to rid it of more irritants, it is not necessary. Once a lather has been worked up, rinse the skin with lukewarm water and pat dry with a clean towel.
  2. Exfoliating Your Eyebrows - Studies have shown that regular exfoliation can also help to reduce the incidence of acne in the eyebrow area. Exfoliants work by stripping away the dead skin cells to reveal younger looking skin in its place. When choosing an exfoliant, look for one with the active ingredient of salicylic acid. This anti-inflammatory can penetrate through the oil and grime on the skin to exfoliate and unclog pores. Not only will it reduce acne flare-ups, but proper exfoliation can also even skin tone and brighten the overall appearance of the face.
  3. Use Spot Treatments - Although skin cleansing and exfoliation are good preventative measures, you will also need a plan to treat active acne. A good spot treatment containing benzoyl peroxide will be effective in reducing the amount of acne-causing bacteria on the surface of the skin.

3 Best Products for Eyebrow Pimples

There are a variety of products on the market designed to combat eyebrow acne and clear up the skin. Here are three leading products to consider:

1. Stridex Maximum Pads

Stridex for Eyebrow Pimples

Stridex (a BHA) is a great first step and preventing and treating existing eyebrow pimples

  • How to use: After cleansing your skin, use 1x Stridex pad and gently swipe it across your eyebrows (and your entire face)
  • What it does: The two percent salicylic acid formula penetrates deep into the skin to remove the oil and dirt that lead to acne flare-ups.
  • How it helps with eyebrow pimples: As one of the most popular cleansing pads available, Stridex has built a reputation for delivering the strongest level of acne-fighting medicine allowed without a prescription. The 2% salicylic acid works to exfoliate the skin, and treat and prevent eyebrow breakouts
  • What to expect: The alcohol-free formula will cleanse without irritating the skin while the specially textured pad feels soothing to the skin. Because this product does contain menthol and fragrance, those with sensitive skin may want to consider the more expensive Paula's Choice fragrance-free option.

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2. Paula's Choice SKIN PERFECTING 2% BHA Liquid

Paulas Choice 2% BHA for Pimples

Paula's Choice 2% BHA is a preferred exfoliant for preventing and getting rid of breakouts. Unlike the Stridex, it does not contain any fragrance

  • How to use: After cleansing your skin, dispense a quarter size amount to a cotton pad and gently wipe your entire face, making sure to cover all areas
  • How it works: The two percent beta hydroxy acid (BHA) unclogs pores while removing dirt and grime to leave clearer skin in its wake
  • How it treats and prevents eyebrow pimples: The BHA works to shed dead layers of skin and reduce redness. This formula is gentle enough to be used twice daily after a cleansing and toning routine. In addition, it will
  • What to expect: Smooth, exfoliated and radiant skin. The salicylic acid works to prevent and get rid of existing breakouts while also reducing redness and other flare ups.

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3. Acne.org 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide

Benzoyl Peroxide for Eyebrow Pimples

Benzoyl peroxide is a spot treatment that works to kill acne causing bacteria. Goodbye eyebrow pimples!

  • How to use: After cleansing and exfoliating, apply a thin layer of product to your inflamed acne lesions. This product works best as a spot treatment, so to prevent unnecessary drying, apply only to active acne.
  • How it works: Benzoyl peroxide is an antimicrobial, which means it helps reduce the amount of acne-causing bacteria on the skin. By reducing bacteria you will ultimately prevent forehead acne.
  • How it treats and prevents eyebrow pimples: The benzoyl peroxide in this product is pharmaceutical grade and triple milled, giving you the confidence that you need to feel good about stopping the flare-ups near the eyebrow area.
  • What to expect: The 2.5 percent solution works to remove eyebrow acne without drying out the skin unnecessarily. Because the product is gel-based, it will not clump up or turn white when you sweat. The fragrance-free and dye-free product is designed for use on all skin types. Therefore making this a good solution for most skin types.

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When to See a Dermatologist for Eyebrow Pimples

You should see a dermatologist for persistent eyebrow breakouts. It is time to call in the professionals if your acne is beginning to affect your self-confidence. A dermatologist can also help if you are not having success clearing up the skin after experimenting with various OTC options. Lastly, if the acne is of the cystic variety, the stronger treatments available through a dermatologist will be more successful.

FAQ

What does it mean if I have eyebrow pimples?

There are no special factors that distinguish eyebrow acne from other types of blemishes. Acne on the eyebrow is just like any other type of facial acne. In short, treat eyebrow pimples just as you would with pimples on other areas of your body.

Why do I get eyebrow pimples?

There is no specific reason that you will end up with pimples along the eyebrow region. Like any other kind of acne, the breakouts can be attributed to a variety of factors. Some of the most common culprits include excess makeup that is not removed nightly, the onset of puberty and hormones, hair products clogging the pores around the eyebrows, ingrown hairs becoming irritated, and more.

Why won't the pimples between my eyebrows ever go away?

If you have researched the various OTC options and the eyebrow pimples keep coming back, it is time to reach out to the professionals for help. A licensed dermatologist can assess your particular skin type and kind of acne to prescribe a course of treatment designed to help you specifically.

How can I get rid of cystic eyebrow pimples?

Also known as nodular acne, cystic acne is notoriously challenging to treat using only OTC options. These inflamed nodules are larger than typical pimples, affecting deeper layers of the skin. Therefore making it more difficult to treat. If you are suffering from cystic eyebrow acne, you should see a dermatologist as soon as possible. This will ensure the breakouts do not lead to permanent acne scarring.

Summary: Eyebrow Pimples (Causes and Treatments)

  • Eyebrow pimples develop as a result of: hair products, make-up, puberty and hair removal
  • The best way to get rid of eyebrow pimples is: cleansing, exfoliating and spot treatments
  • The best products for eyebrow pimples include: a quality cleanser, 2% BHA (Stridex or Paulas Choice), and Acne.org benzoyl peroxide

The Bottom Line

At some point, everyone will experience breakouts in their eyebrow area. If you are dealing with constant breakouts in this area, there are many steps you can take at home to get rid of eyebrow pimples. Start with cleansing, exfoliating and using a benzoyl peroxide containing product. If the eyebrow pimples persist, or are stubborn, consider speaking with a dermatologist.