We're a generation of brow curators. Where our mums may have plucked theirs into oblivion in the '90s, we've stuck to brows that are bold, bushy and groomed.
Given we keep such a close eye on those suckers, we know what's up as soon as a spot starts sprouting. Small bumps and inflammations can appear in and around the outline of your eyebrows as well as between. Not only is it painful, it's also more of a challenge to get at thanks to all those hairs in the way.
The fact is, spots happen. At least, anywhere you have sebaceous glands or hair follicles – which obviously includes your brows. Whether you're pretty chill about them, or want rid, the first step to keeping on top of brow spots is to work out what's causing them.
We asked Dr Sabrina Shah Desai, a Harley Street oculoplastic surgeon to shed some light on brow pimples. It turns out, the spots in and around our eyebrows are more common than we think thanks to this being an ideal breeding ground for bacteria.
Our brows are in our T-zone, which tends to be oilier
“When it comes to breakouts in and around the eyebrows, the oil gland activity in the T-zone area may be higher than elsewhere on the skin, and so this may result in increased incidence and severity of breakouts.”
Brow grooming can irritate skin and block pores
And we might have our grooming habits to blame. “Tweezing, waxing, and threading all have a tendency to cause breakouts and products like brow gel can also clog and block pores in turn leading to blackheads and inflamed breakouts.”
Brow gels can create more congestion than pencils
If you’re finding constant brow breakouts it might down to the ingredients in that brow gel you’re wearing every day. According to Dr Sabina, "ingredients within brow gels can contribute to acne including silicones, dimethicone and timethicone and petroleum. I'd suggest trying to use pencil or powder-based brow products, which don't tend to include the occlusive ingredients found in gel formulations.”
We might not be cleansing thoroughly enough
Dr Sabina says outbreaks might also be a sign we’re not cleansing thoroughly enough and suggests including products containing salicylic acid in the morning and a retinol in the evening. “These can help to reduce breakouts while also helping to improve the signs of ageing and pigmentation,” adding, “It's also important to clean your makeup brushes regularly and avoid beauty products that contain chemicals which in turn irritate or clog your pores.”
When they happen, here's what to avoid
Her best advice for treating eyebrow spots when they do appear? “Avoid touching the area and similarly avoid aggressive at-home physical scrubs, such as apricot seed cleanser, because they may do more harm than good.”
