Not necessarily. In fact, scrubbing too hard at your face can aggravate your acne, and using alcohol-based astringents can dry out the skin. Acne is triggered by hormones, and while gentle, regular cleansing with soap and warm water can sometimes help with mild breakouts, more significant acne requires more than just good hygiene.

You don’t have to stop wearing makeup, but you should look for make up with the label “noncomedogenic,” meaning that they don’t clog pores.

Since acne is formed below the surface of the skin, it can’t be affected by topical, non-penetrating, cleansing products. Acne is not caused by just by dirt. Hormonal imbalances and diet play a huge role. Usually only products that are specifically designed to penetrate into to the follicle, loosen the blockages and kill bacteria will be successful in clearing up an acne condition.

Often, people with lighter complexions complain about red or purplish marks or spots that remain after their acne has cleared. These spots are called “macules” and will likely fade with time. However, they can be difficult to treat and may or may not fade away completely. Sun usually makes theses marks worse, so always wear sun protection!

YES! Picking, popping, squeezing your spots actually forces infected material deeper into the skin, causing additional inflammation and the risk of scarring. You might get a short term satisfaction, but resulting scarring will be much more difficult to treat and make an already bad situation much worse. DO NOT PICK!