Top 10 Common Acne Mistakes You Need to Avoid
You’re eating clean, using “dermatologist-approved” products, getting regular facials…
So why won’t your acne go away — no matter what you try?
Here’s what I’ve seen over the last 20 years of treating acne (and going through it myself): There’s usually one sneaky mistake that’s keeping your skin stuck — and you don’t even know you’re making it.
These are the 10 most common acne mistakes I see with most new clients — and the exact things that finally helped their skin clear up.
1. Over-cleansing and scrubbing your skin
That tight, squeaky-clean feeling after washing your face? Not a good thing.
It means your skin barrier has been stripped — which leads to more oil production, more inflammation, and ultimately, more breakouts.
You don’t need to wash more. You need to wash smarter.
Using a gentle, hydrating, acne-safe cleanser twice a day is key to keeping your barrier hydrated and balanced enough to tolerate the treatment products needed to control your acne.
Avoid medicated cleansers, scrubs, and rotary brushes. Exfoliating inflamed, active acne will only make things worse.
2. Spot treating instead of treating your whole face
If you’re only applying acne treatment products to pimples once you see them, it’s too late. By the time you see that breakout, it’s already been forming for weeks. Prevention is key.
Acne forms under the surface of your skin for weeks before you see it, so if you're not treating the entire breakout-prone area daily, you’re one step behind.
To prevent breakouts before they show up, apply your products to the whole area or your entire face— not just the pimples you can see.
3. Assuming your acne is “hormonal”
Most of my female clients think their acne is hormonal. But unless you have PCOS or are on acne-causing birth control, chances are your habits—not your hormones—are the real problem.
How do I know this? Once my clients change their products and make a few small lifestyle shifts, their “hormonal acne” suddenly disappears.
Yes, your hormones will fluctuate. But when you’re using the right products as prevention, those breakouts will never reach the surface of your skin.
4. Thinking “natural and organic” means “safe”
Personally, I try to have as clean and natural lifestyle as possible… but when it comes to skin care, “natural” does not equal acne-safe.
Some of the worst pore-clogging ingredients are straight from the earth — like coconut oil, shea butter, algae. And I learned this the hard way.
I’ve had clients switch to high-end, organic products and break out worse than before.
If you have acne, it’s important to check every ingredient, no matter how promising the label looks.
5. You need a strict diet to control your acne
Should you cut out sugar, dairy, caffeine, and gluten?
Nope. You don’t need to overhaul your entire diet to get clear skin.
In almost 20 years of treating acne, I’ve never put a client on a special “acne diet.” And guess what? My clients get amazing results without giving up pizza, coffee or sugar.
Yes — there are a few specific foods and ingredients you may need to cut back on. But you can fully clear your skin without an extreme diet. So, you can relax and enjoy most of your favorite foods.
6. Not checking your makeup, hair, or body products
This one is missed often.
If your conditioner, foundation, or body lotion has pore-clogging ingredients, it can undo all the work you’re doing with your skincare.
I’ve had clients switch just their conditioner — and suddenly their forehead or back acne completely cleared up.
Things like dryer sheets, fabric softener and body lotion can cause breakouts if they’re touching your face or pillowcase.
It’s not just your face routine that matters — it’s everything that touches your skin regularly.
7. Treating your acne “on and off”
Here’s the truth: acne isn’t like a rash that goes away and never comes back. It’s something you have to manage daily — like brushing your teeth or exercising.
If you stop using your products once your skin clears up, your acne will usually come right back.
This is because acne-prone skin sheds too many skin cells inside your pores every day, and that buildup doesn’t stop unless you make it stop.
My favorite product to do this is mandelic acid.
My best advice? Once you find products that work — stick with them. Acne-prone skin does not respond well to change.
8. Assuming acne will go away on its own
This is one of the biggest mindset mistakes I see.
Acne is genetic. It’s like a switch that turns “on” at some point in your life — and eventually turns off. When the acne gene is “on,” your pores over-shed dead skin cells.
When it’s off, your pores will go back to functioning normally, and you’ll no longer have to deal with acne.
But until then, waiting it out usually means years of frustration and breakouts.
It’s so much easier to prevent acne from forming now with the right products and routine — instead of hoping it disappears one day.
9. Not knowing about pore-clogging ingredients
This is the #1 biggest acne mistake I see, and the one that caused my acne for 15 years — that no one ever told me about.
Pore-clogging ingredients cause about 90% of acne.
And here’s what you need to know: you can not trust the claims made on your skin care products.
“Non-comedogenic,” “dermatologist-approved,” or even “acne-safe” — these terms aren’t regulated by the FDA — they don’t guarantee a product won’t cause acne.
Companies can put anything they want on their product labels.
If you’re not checking the ingredient list on every product you use, you could be breaking out from something as simple as your moisturizer or foundation.
I check every single product my clients use. It means the difference between clear skin, or not.
10. You need medication to treat acne
A lot of people think medication is the only option for their acne.
I did too.
But I’ve worked with so many clients who’ve been through multiple rounds of antibiotics, birth control, topical prescriptions, and even Accutane — and they either didn’t work, or their acne came back.
Even when a medication works, it’s usually temporary.
The real solution is preventing the daily buildup inside the pores — and you can do that with the right products.
One of my favorite products for this? Mandelic acid. It’s gentle, effective, and helps clear your pores effectively, preventing acne from developing in the first place.
Your acne is not your fault
When you have acne, it’s normal to feel like you’re doing everything wrong. Like solutions work for everyone else, but not for you.
But that’s not true.
Acne is simply a dysfunction of your pores, and only then can certain things you do trigger breakouts. It’s not caused by everything you eat, every product you use, your high-stress job or your hormones.
Once you understand the real cause and the few specific triggers — like pore-clogging ingredients or iodine in your vitamins— you can let go of your anxiety about your breakouts being your fault.
