How To Get Rid Of Bumps On Your Forehead

Everyone has experienced forehead bumps at least once in their life. I know I’ve had a couple over the years. Forehead bumps are typically acne or pimples, but sometimes they are not. 

There are several ways to get rid of forehead bumps. If you have acne or pimples, cleaning your face and using home remedies like aloe vera or tea tree oil can work. Over-the-counter medications can also help reduce the inflammation of your acne.

To understand how to get rid of forehead bumps better, you have to know what the bumps on your face are. It could be acne or something else.  In this article, we will talk about what causes forehead bumps and what you can do to get rid of them.

What Causes Small Bumps On Your Forehead

Forehead bumps are more commonly known as pimples or acne. These small bumps on the forehead can be caused by clogged and inflamed pores. Forehead acne is usually uncomfortable and can be painful.

However, not all forehead bumps are acne or pimples. The small bumps on your forehead can also be caused by other things.

Symptoms of forehead bumps depend on their appearance and what causes them to appear. If you suddenly have small bumps on your forehead, you may experience some itching or burning feeling.

There are home remedies and over-the-counter (OTC) medication for forehead bumps but, if symptoms persist, you should visit a doctor. Let us take a look at what causes the forehead to have small bumps.

Acne

As we said earlier, forehead bumps are typically acne or pimples. Acne does not only appear on the forehead but can also appear in other parts of the face, chest, shoulders, and upper back.

Our bodies have sebaceous glands that produce an oily substance which is sebum. This substance hydrates the skin but, too much sebum production will cause the pores to clog. Clogged pores and dead skin cells will lead to pimples or zits.

Hormonal changes can also cause acne to develop on the skin. When you experience hormonal changes, the body will also increase oil production which causes acne to appear. For example, some women typically break out in zits before the start of their menstrual cycle. This is because the estrogen and progesterone level drops causing the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum.

Milia

Milia is often mistaken as white heads as these bumps are small white cysts that appear on the skin. Milia, or milk spots, are commonly found on the face and are completely harmless.

These spots are caused by dead skin cells that form cysts under the skin. However, it can also be caused by having too much exposure to the sun. Wearing sunscreen will protect the skin from sun damage and can prevent milk spots from appearing.

Contact Dermatitis

The keyword for this condition is the word “contact”. Forehead bumps can be caused by coming into direct contact with a substance and having an allergic reaction to said substance.

These substances could be your skin care products, fragrances, or topical ointments. However, contact dermatitis in the skin can also be caused by wearing pieces of jewelry or having contact with plants.

Contact dermatitis will cause your skin to have red bumps. These bumps can be uncomfortable and itchy. This condition is not contagious and will typically clear up in 2 to 4 weeks if you avoid the substance that causes the rash to appear.

Folliculitis

This condition happens when the hair follicles in the body become inflamed. When the hair follicles are inflamed, this allows bacteria to be able to get into the skin and small bumps will form on the skin.

Folliculitis can look like small pimples. These bumps are uncomfortable to the skin as you can experience soreness and itchiness from these bumps.

Certain Medications

Drug-induced acne is caused by taking medications such as corticosteroids, lithium, thyroid hormones, antibiotics, and other systemic drugs [1]. If you are taking systemic drugs and developed drug-induced acne, it is best to talk about it to your doctor. The doctor may advise you to stop taking the medication or give you other treatments if the medication cannot be stopped.

Stress

Stress causes the hormones to rise which can increase the production of sebum by the sebaceous glands. If you are stressed because of work, school, or other stuff, this may result in mild or moderate acne [2].

Poor Hygiene

Breakouts typically happen because of clogged pores. Not washing your face regularly will cause oils to clog your pores and this can result in acne appearing on your face.

How To Get Rid Of Bumps On Forehead

There are several things you can do to get rid of the bumps on your forehead. Some of these are home remedies while others are OTC medication. 

If home remedies and OTC medications do not work for you, consulting a dermatologist can help assess your situation and give you the appropriate treatment.

Here are the things you can do to get rid of forehead bumps.

Wash Your Face Regularly

Cleaning your face daily can help get rid of any excess oils that are clogging up your pores. Using a facial cleanser that is compatible with your skin will also remove dirt and sweat that are on your face.  There are also cleansers that are formulated for irritated or inflamed skin if a regular cleanser does not work for your condition.

Aloe Vera

Using aloe vera can help reduce tenderness and pain if you have an inflamed pimple. Aloe vera has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammation properties which can also help reduce swelling and bacteria caused by acne.

You can apply aloe vera to your forehead before you sleep and leave it on your face overnight. Make sure that your face is clean and use clean hands or a soft cotton pad when applying aloe vera. Rinse the aloe vera gel in the morning after you wake up. Repeat the process until you see improvements on your forehead.

Tea Tree Oil

Aside from aloe vera, using tea tree oil can also reduce your forehead bumps. Tea tree oil has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties that can help treat acne-prone skin.

Before you apply tea tree oil to your acne, make sure to wash your face with a gentle cleanser first. Dilute the tea tree oil or apply it directly on your acne using a cotton pad, cotton buds, or with clean fingers.

This is best done at night before you sleep so you can leave it overnight and rinse it off in the morning. But, you can also leave it on for a couple of hours and apply the oil twice a day.

Azelaic Acid

If you find that home remedies do nothing to reduce your forehead bumps, using OTC medication can help. Azelaic acid can be used to treat mild to moderately inflamed acne as it has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. This is a topical gel that you can apply to the affected area.

OTC medications have instructions included so you know how much to apply and how many times a day the medication should be applied. Since Azelaic acid can be easily bought over the counter, you have to be careful as you may have an allergic reaction to the formula.

Make sure to do a patch test first to make sure that your face won’t react badly to the medication. If your skin reacted badly to the Azelaic acid, it can cause skin irritation and can further aggravate acne. Make sure to use a gentle cleanser, especially if you have sensitive skin, to wash your face before applying the medication.

Chemical Peels

There are chemical peels that you can get over the counter which can help treat acne and reduce small to mild acne scars. There are also chemical peel treatments that you can get that are performed by board-certified dermatologists. Salicylic acid is often used for chemical peel treatments and this can help fight acne-causing bacteria

This treatment can rejuvenate and exfoliate your skin to remove the dead cells and excess oils on your face. It is a non-invasive cosmetic treatment that can be done to your face or areas in your body that has acne.

Consult A Doctor

Forehead bumps like acne, milia, contact dermatitis, and folliculitis typically go away after treating them for a couple of weeks. There are home remedies and OTC medications available to treat these bumps.

If home remedies and OTC medications are not effective in treating acne after a couple of weeks, visit a dermatologist. A dermatologist can help assess your skin condition and give you the appropriate treatment to help reduce your forehead bumps.

Visits to a dermatologist usually have follow-up appointments so they can see if the medication is working or not. If the prescribed medication does not work, the dermatologist can prescribe a different medication. Forehead acne treatment can take several weeks to a couple of months depending on your skin’s condition.

Wrap Up

Tiny forehead bumps can be caused by acne, sun damage, or direct contact with substances that your skin has a bad reaction to. These bumps are not permanent and can go away with treatment.

There are several ways to get rid of forehead bumps and we have talked about them in this article. If you are concerned about your forehead bumps, we hope this article helped give you ideas on how to treat them. If you have any questions, let us know how we can help!