Hormonal vs bacterial acne: How do I tell the difference?

One easy way to tell if it is hormonal or bacterial acne is by its position. If you see that you are getting acne in your jawline area or chin area, it is most likely to be a hormonal one. Another way to tell is by topical treatments. You can recover from hormonal acne with topical treatments, but if you don't recover from it, it is possibly a bacterial one.