Persistent acne: is it your significant other’s fault?

5 ways to eliminate “consort acne”

You might not have heard of the name “consort acne,” but might have experienced it. Your skin is in the clear then after a night (or day) of making out and intimacy, you see an unfamiliar blemish or a patch of irritation that then leads to blemishes. Or you start dating someone new and suddenly you’re breaking out. Or you’re in the same relationship you’ve been in for years now, but notice a newfound case of persistent acne.

It could be consort acne.

Basically, when two people come in close contact, sweat, oils, bacteria, and products can also intermingle from skin-to-skin or skin-to-sheets-to-skin. This can irritate skin, break down the skin barrier, and upset the skin’s balance, which can all lead to blemishes and breakouts. And if your significant other has stubble or even a longer beard, the thicker-than-vellous-hair-hairs can sand-paper your skin and cause irritation, which can then lead to breakouts.

Here are our top five tips to keep your relationship acne-free:

1. Before being intimate, take a shower to get products off, so that they don’t intermingle.
2. If #1 didn’t happen, after the fact, we recommend washing up. A quick-and-easy way to do it, if you’re realistically not going to get up and wash up – bedside facial cleansing wipes and a spray on moisturizing mist to soothe skin. We recommend the Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water Cloth for being so gentle, and The Lotus Lotus Leaf & Camelia Mist as a soothing, moisturizing mist.
3. Wash and change your linens at least weekly and/or invest in anti-microbial pillowcases.
4. If applicable, ask your significant other to be stubble or beard-free, or recommend using softening beard products for the irritating stubble/beard.
5. Use soothing and restoring products like this calming sheet mask.

These tips sound basic, but can go a long way in keeping skin clear amidst intermingling of hearts, bodies, and oils.

If you experienced consort acne before or have any tips of your own, we’d love to hear from you!

Cheers to radiance!
PIBUU