How to Treat Every Type of Adult Acne at Home

You don’t always need a dermatologist to treat the bumps and blemishes that pop up on your skin. Here, the experts explain how to determine what type of pimples you have and how to safely heal them without a doctor’s appointment.

If it feels like you need an advanced-chemistry degree to treat your acne at home, you’re not alone. Acne comes in many forms and doctors have all sorts of medieval-sounding words to describe it: lesions, papules, pustules, cysts, comedones … you get the idea. But when you’re dealing with breakouts, whether chronic, cyclical, or very occasional in nature, you don’t have time to sit through a MasterClass in dermatology. You just want relief.

The expert-approved solutions below will help you diagnose and treat your acne without a doctor’s appointment. But with great DIY power comes great responsibility: First, a little patience is required. In general, your skin cells turn over every 30 to 45 days, which means whenever you try a new product, you should give it at least a month to see improvements. If you notice positive changes, stick with it. “It’s easier to prevent new acne formation than to wait until acne forms then spot treat it aggressively,” says Brian Hibler, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York City.

And even if you have oily skin, don’t skip moisturizer. “Like many skin conditions, acne is a barrier issue,” says Caroline Robinson, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Chicago. “When the skin’s moisture barrier is compromised, one of the consequences is more breakouts.” Look for a lotion that doesn’t contain active ingredients such as acids or retinol since you’ll likely be getting those from your cleanser or serum.

While you wait to see improvements, try to keep your hands off your skin — but we also get that you’re only human and who can leave a big, juicy whitehead that’s smack dab in the middle of their face alone? If you must pop or prod, do it the right way: Apply a warm compress to the area for 10 or 15 seconds to soften the skin, then use two cotton swabs to apply gentle, even pressure on either side of the pimple. If you don’t have success immediately, stop, and walk away from the mirror.

With the guidelines below, you should start to see some improvement after a month. If you don’t, make an appointment with a dermatologist — especially if you think you have cystic acne (painful, deep bumps under the skin that are especially likely to cause scarring), says Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Hamden, Connecticut. “There are ways to bring down the inflammation of cystic acne at home,” she says, but it’s tricky and often requires a dermatologist’s intervention. Other forms of acne are easier to fix at home. In fact, breakouts caused by a hair product or a new lipstick (it happens — see below!) may resolve in as little as a week or so after you tweak your routine to remove the acne trigger.

In this Story

Cystic acne
Blackheads
Whiteheads
Hormonal acne
Back acne
Forehead acne
Lip pimples
Acne scars

Cystic Acne

How to ID It: The giveaway that you’re dealing with cystic acne is that the bumps are large, tender — even painful — and red (though not always; it depends on your skin tone). The lesions sometimes group together, so it can be hard to tell where one blemish starts and another stops.

How to Treat It: Your goal at home is to reduce inflammation and the best way to do that is by washing at least once a day with a benzoyl peroxide face wash such as PanOxyl Acne Creamy Wash Benzoyl Peroxide 4%. In addition to being anti-inflammatory, benzoyl peroxide is antiseptic (it kills bacteria that contributes to acne) and keratolytic (it softens the outer layer of skin). “A dab of a topical steroid,” such as 1% hydrocortisone cream, “can also deflate things,” says Dr. Gohara. Just apply a tiny bit on inflamed spots morning and night (as if you were treating a bug bite) until the bumps go down. Don’t apply hydrocortisone cream all over your face or for more than a few days at a time because the active ingredient can cause skin to become thinner and lead to more acne if you overuse it. Whatever you do, don’t pick or pop the blemishes because this type of acne is notorious for its ability to scar.

PanOxyl Acne Creamy Wash Benzoyl Peroxide 4%

Cortizone 10 Maximum Strength 1% Hydrocortisone Anti-Itch Creme

Blackheads

How to ID Them: Blackheads are small, black or brown, open comedones that form because debris is blocking the sebaceous duct and hair follicle or pore. The clogs are made of sebum, bacteria, and debris that oxidizes (turns darker) when exposed to air, explains Dr. Hibler.

How to Treat Them: Wash morning and night with a cleanser that contains salicylic acid, an ingredient that can penetrate and dissolve the oily build-up in your pores. “I’d suggest Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash [with Salicylic Acid] or Clearasil [Ultra Daily Face Wash],” says Jeanine Downie, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Montclair, New Jersey. Use your face wash as directed. If it says to massage it in or create lather, then take the time (think 30 – 60 seconds) to do that gently, giving the active ingredient a chance to work. If your skin starts to feel dry, dial back to using the medicated face wash once a day and use a gentle, active-free product any other time you cleanse. A serum with retinol can also improve the appearance of blackheads. “Retinol speeds up cell turnover, helping to reduce the stickiness between your cells that can clog pores,” says Dr. Gohara. Try applying Olay Regenerist Retinol24 Night serum before bed.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash with Salicylic Acid

Clearasil Ultra Daily Face Wash

Olay Regenerist Retinol24 Night Serum

Whiteheads

How to ID Them: These are skin-colored, cream, or yellowish bumps (they don’t necessarily need to be white!). A key characteristic of whiteheads is that the comedones are closed rather than open as they are in blackheads. “The debris isn’t exposed to air so it doesn’t oxidize,” says Dr. Gohara.

How to Treat Them: Dr. Downie says blackheads and whiteheads aren’t that different, so you can treat them with similar products. Dr. Gohara’s suggested protocol is a benzoyl peroxide wash and a topical retinol serum. Use those every day and spot-treat with a salicylic acid gel such as FAB Pharma BHA Acne Spot Treatment Gel 2% Salicylic Acid if any new blemishes form.

First Aid Beauty FAB Pharma BHA Acne Spot Treatment Gel 2% Salicylic Acid

Hormonal Acne

How to ID It: If your blemishes appeared (or changed significantly) when you started or stopped birth control or got pregnant, or they come and go at regular intervals throughout your menstrual cycle, they could be hormonal. Another hint, according to Carmen Castilla, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City: The blemishes appear around your mouth, chin, or along your jawline.

How to Treat It: Like cystic acne, hormonal acne can be hard to treat at home since it often requires prescription oral medications. There are also underlying medical conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome that contribute to hormonal acne — another reason doctor intervention may be necessary here. To get some relief at home, treat occasional breakouts based on what the pimples look like: Deflate large, inflamed blemishes with a topical steroid (as Dr. Gohara suggests above for cystic acne) and spot-treat whiteheads and blackheads with a salicylic acid gel such as Dr. Dennis Gross DRx Blemish Solutions Acne Eliminating Gel. Dr. Gohara also recommends using a benzoyl peroxide face wash at least once a day (PanOxyl Acne Creamy Wash Benzoyl Peroxide 4% is a derm favorite).

Dr. Dennis Gross DRx Blemish Solutions Acne Eliminating Gel

Back Acne

How to ID It: It’s on your back — obviously. Dr. Gohara says this type of acne can sometimes be caused or exacerbated by friction from wearing sports bras or tight-fitting clothing. If your blemishes appear in the same areas where the straps or bands of your tank tops and bras lie then you know what you’re dealing with.

How to Treat It: If clothing is the culprit, loosen up the fit. For all other types of back acne, Dr. Downie recommends switching your regular body wash for one with glycolic acid, an anti-inflammatory ingredient that helps to exfoliate and clear clogged pores. (You may not be able to apply it directly to the affected areas, but at least use it on your shoulders and the top of your back and let the medicated suds run over the acne before rinsing.) Naturium The Smoother Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Body Wash is a good option.

Naturium The Smoother Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Body Wash

Forehead Acne

How to ID It: Cystic acne, blackheads, and whiteheads can show up anywhere including your forehead. But if you have comedones above your brows or near your hairline that aren’t painful or inflamed — or that started when you switched hair products — you might be dealing with acne cosmetica, aka, blemishes caused by pore-clogging cosmetic products. These days, most makeup and skin care is formulated and tested to be noncomedogenic (meaning it won’t clog your pores), but hair products, especially conditioner, aren’t always held to the same standards.

How to Treat It: First, tilt your head back in the shower to make sure your shampoo and conditioner aren’t running down your forehead, says Dr. Gohara. She also recommends avoiding hats or headbands that can cause friction. If your pimples don’t clear up after those adjustments, switch to noncomedogenic hair products, such as the shampoos and conditioners from Seen or Vanicream. If that doesn’t help, identify the form of acne you have (blackhead, whitehead, or cystic) in the sections above and treat it with the corresponding guidelines.

Seen Shampoo and Conditioner

Vanicream Shampoo and Conditioner

Lip Pimples

How to ID It: Lips don’t have hair follicles (aka, pores), but the skin along your lip lines does — and it’s susceptible to pimples. “These usually look like blackheads or whiteheads [see above] and can be caused by greasy lip products,” says Dr. Downie. Coconut oil, for example, is common in lip products — and also highly comedogenic. Or it’s possible it’s another type of acne that happens to be really close to your mouth, so it looks like it’s on your lip.

How to Treat It: If your bump erupted after wearing a new lipstick, liner, or balm, stop using that product until your skin clears. You can try the same product again later, but if you get another lip pimple it’s safe to say a pore-clogging ingredient is the culprit and you shouldn’t use it again. To clear the debris that’s causing the bump, use a cotton swab to dot on a spot treatment with salicylic acid as precisely as possible (try Mario Badescu Drying Lotion). And stop using the treatment as soon as the blemish clears — salicylic acid can be drying and lips don’t produce sebum, so they’re already dryer than your other skin to begin with.

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion

Acne Scars

How to ID Them: If you have a spot that’s slightly darker than your surrounding skin, isn’t raised or inflamed, and is located where you used to have a pimple, you’re most likely dealing with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). These “scars” are actually an overproduction of melanin (pigment) and can last much longer than the pimples themselves.

How to Treat Them: To expedite healing time and prevent these spots from darkening further, always wear sunscreen with SPF 30, indoors and out (exposure to any UV light, even minimal amounts, can exacerbate PIH). Dr. Hibler says acne scar treatments with topical azelaic acid or retinol can improve the appearance of this type of blemish. You can find both ingredients in Sesderma Azelac Ru Facial Serum, which also has antioxidants that can help to fade the discoloration. Apply it after washing your face, morning and night.

Sesderma Azelac Ru Facial Serum

Acne is hard — and when you’re an adult with acne, it can be especially frustrating when much of the information out there doesn’t take into account the nuances of treating it in adulthood. This story is part of Allure’s Adult Acne Guide, which includes the best tips and product recommendations for treating adult acne. From the products dermatologists use on their own breakouts to first-person reviews of the newest, most promising in-office treatments for stubborn hormonal acne, we’ve got you covered.

DQH Knowledge drop: In your 20s, your skin cell turnover decreases. (Cell turnover is a key component in keeping your skin youthful.) You know what else slows down? Your collagen production. Starting in your 20s, collagen decreases by about 1 percent per year. Should you want to prevent fine lines and wrinkles, start by eliminating behaviors that contribute to premature aging. “If it’s bad for you, it’s bad for your skin,” says dermatologist Michel Somenek. “Cigarette smoking reduces blood flow to the skin and causes premature wrinkling and a dull skin texture. Making the repeated pursed motion to inhale can also cause smoker’s lines. Alcohol and recreational drugs are toxins for the skin that damage its cellular structure and DNA,” Somenek tells us. “The faster you eliminate vices while you are young, the better chance your skin and body have to recuperate.” Also, adopting an anti-aging routine in your 20s is key. After all, the best offense is a good defense. We spoke to Somenek and experts Joshua Ross and Audrey Kunin to find out more. Keep reading for the best anti-aging products for your 20s, according to skincare professionals. Sunscreen “We all know that the sun is the number one cause of skin aging and starting the prevention in your 20s is very important,” Ross says. “The majority of your sun damage won’t start to appear until you’re in your 30s, so don’t wait until you see it surface or you’ll be behind the curve. Stay ahead of it with a good-quality zinc-based sunscreen worn daily.” Farmacy Green Defense Daily Mineral Sunscreen An invisible sunscreen with SPF 30, plus botanical extracts meant to protect skin with tons of antioxidants. Bonus: It’s clean and fine to use under makeup. Bareminerals Complexion Rescue™ Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Although we recommend you use your SPF and moisturizer separately, we also understand moments when you don’t have time or energy for that extra step. For those times, this bareMinerals moisturizer is a great thing to have on hand. Vitamin C Serum “A great introduction to anti-aging is to start with a vitamin C serum in your morning skincare routine,” Ross says. “It’s a powerful antioxidant that will neutralize free radicals and brighten the skin.” He adds that it’s a great way to counteract the effects of the sun’s harmful rays, which, as previously mentioned, are among the biggest causes of premature aging. Drunk Elephant C-Firma™ Vitamin C Day Serum The Drunk Elephant C-Firma is a lightweight serum that promises to give skin a glow by combining the brightening powers of vitamin C with ferulic acid, l-ascorbic acid, and vitamin E. The included sodium hyaluronate is meant to replace hydration loss, so you shouldn’t have to deal with any irritation. Sunday Riley C.E.O. Rapid Flash Brightening Serum This potent serum is jam-packed with vitamin C (15 percent, to be exact), which means it’s a potential superstar at both brightening skin and dousing it in antioxidants. Peptides Using peptides on your skin has many benefits, says Somenek. “The skin barrier is what defends the body against pollution, UV rays, bacteria, and toxins. It can be damaged by several everyday factors. Using topical peptides aids in building a stronger barrier,” he says. “Peptides comprise elastic fibers, which are a type of protein. These fibers help to make skin appear taut and firm. Peptides can also help repair damaged skin, relieve inflammation, and even out skin tone. Some peptides can kill acne-causing bacteria that is common in 20-somethings.” Kunin agrees, saying, “Peptides are an excellent entry point for supporting collagen.” She recommends looking for face and eye treatments that contain these collagen-boosting powerhouses. Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue Cream This Charlotte Tilbury super-emollient eye cream has a base of coconut oil and shea butter (read: it’s incredibly hydrating). Botanicals plus peptides are meant to help reduce dark circles and boost collagen, respectively. This creamy moisturizer serves up potent collagen-boosting peptides and pycnogenol, and antioxidant-rich vitamin C. “Instead of sitting on top of the skin, peptides penetrate the outer layer so they go deep. The ‘signals’ they send tell the cells to produce elastin and collagen, which are needed for youthful-looking skin,” explains Somenek. At-Home Peel Pads Remember that skin cell turnover fiasco we talked about earlier? One way to help support it is by exfoliating. “Exfoliation is important to help keep skin fresh and luminous,” Kunin says. She recommends using at-home peel pads as an easy and effective way to exfoliate. “The goal in your 20s is to fight the slowing pace of cell turnover. It is wise to use products that gently exfoliate, yet still remove oil and other impurities. Products that have Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) or Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA) are a good choice.” According to Somenek, you should only exfoliate two to three times a week. “People of all ages are guilty of over-exfoliating and that can be too much of a good thing,” he says. Dermadoctor Kakadu C Intensive Vitamin C Peel Pad A few swipes of this Derma Doctor powerful peel pad promise to leave your skin glowing and smooth, thanks to the seven (yes, seven) types of chemical exfoliants, including AHA and BHA. It also contains vitamin C via Kakadu plum extract for added brightening and antioxidant protection. KEY INGREDIENTS Kakadu plum extract is sourced from the Kakadu plum, a fruit grown in northern Australia. It contains vitamin C, which restores the skin’s natural barrier, increases collagen production, and soothes irritation. Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta® Universal Daily Peel Pads These are the gold standard of peel pads, with a cult following and over 900 five-star reviews on Sephora. They’re easy to use and contain a blend of anti-aging exfoliating acids. Emollient Night Cream “In your 20s, you need to start upping the hydration in your skincare routine. You may have been cautious of over-moisturizing because of acne in your teens, but as you enter your 20s, your skin transitions and becomes drier,” Ross says. “I recommend an emollient night cream added into your evening skincare regimen.” “Twenty-somethings need to make sure that they are not using creams that will clog their pores and cause excess oil production,” says Somenek. Opt for non-comedogenic products. Cerave Skin Renewing Night Cream One great choice is the CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream, which is a non-comedogenic night cream that leaves skin soft and glowy. It combines the moisturizing powers of ceramides and hyaluronic acid. RoC Retinol Correxion Max Hydration Creme “The best night cream ingredients contain retinol, benzoyl peroxide, and/or salicylic acid or hyaluronic acid. The goal is to moisturize, yet remove excess oil,” says Somenek. This Roc Retinol Correxion cream fits the bill as it contains both hyaluronic acid and retinol so it promises to moisturize while also being non-comedogenic.