Why Acne Appears Even With a Good Skincare Routine
You might be doing everything right with your skincare, yet breakouts still happen. This frustrating reality affects many people and has nothing to do with how well you wash your face. Understanding why acne persists despite a solid routine helps you address the real culprits behind your breakouts.
The truth is that acne is not a cleanliness problem. It develops from a combination of factors including hormones, genetics, oil production, bacteria, and inflammation. Washing your face more frequently or scrubbing harder will not stop acne and may actually make it worse. When you over-wash or use harsh scrubs, you can damage your skin barrier and trigger even more oil production as your skin tries to compensate for the damage.
Hormones play a major role in acne, especially for adults. Hormonal imbalances can result from birth control methods, conditions like polycystic ovarian disease, pregnancy, or menopause. These hormonal shifts increase levels of androgens, which are male hormones that boost oil production and clog pores. This type of acne often appears along the jawline and T-zone, areas where you have more sebaceous glands naturally producing oil.
Your skin type matters too, but not in the way you might think. While oily skin is more prone to bacterial acne, dry and combination skin types can also develop breakouts. When your skin barrier becomes compromised through dryness, your skin may overproduce oil in certain areas to compensate. This reactive oil production combined with inflammation creates ideal conditions for acne to develop.
Diet influences breakouts more than many people realize. Dairy and sugar are two of the biggest dietary culprits. Whey protein and foods with a high glycemic index, including sodas, pastries, and chocolate, can contribute to acne flares. Even if your skincare routine is perfect, what you eat affects your skin from the inside.
Stress and sleep deprivation also trigger acne despite your best skincare efforts. Environmental factors like humidity and pollution further inflame pores, especially when paired with inconsistent cleansing routines. Stress, lack of sleep, and diet can all contribute to flare-ups, so keeping a log of your breakouts helps identify which factors affect you most.
Bacterial acne develops when pores become clogged with excess oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria called Cutibacterium acnes. However, not all acne is bacterial. Fungal acne and hormonal acne require different treatment strategies than bacterial acne. Treating all acne as bacterial can lead to the wrong product choices, irritation, and prolonged breakouts.
Even people with normal skin types can develop occasional breakouts due to hormonal changes, stress, product reactions, or environmental factors. Your skincare routine cannot control all these variables. The products you use matter, but they work best when you choose oil-free, non-comedogenic, or water-based formulas that do not clog pores. Avoid products with sulfates, fragrances, silicones, and dyes if you have sensitive skin, as these can irritate skin further.
The exciting news is that more treatment options exist for acne than ever before. Working with a dermatologist helps identify whether your acne is hormonal, bacterial, fungal, or caused by lifestyle factors. Once you understand the root cause, you can address it directly rather than assuming your skincare routine is the problem. Sometimes the issue lies not with how you care for your skin, but with internal factors your routine alone cannot control.
Sources
https://www.tuftsmedicine.org/about-us/news/acne-over-30
https://worldofasaya.com/blogs/acne/how-to-identify-which-skin-type-causes-pimples
https://fashionmagazine.com/beauty-grooming/adult-acne-causes-treatments/
https://emani.com/blogs/emani-beauty-blog/causes-of-acne-and-sensitive-skin
