Acne & breakouts.
What this actually is
A spot is a pore that has become blocked with dead cells and oil, then colonised by bacteria that live on everyone's skin and inflamed by the immune response to them. Four things going wrong in sequence — which is why single-ingredient fixes tend to disappoint.
The most common mistake is treating it as a hygiene problem. Acne is not dirt. Washing more, hotter, or with something stronger strips the barrier, and a stripped barrier produces more oil and inflames more easily, so the routine that feels like it is working in week one often makes month three worse. Skin that is tight and shiny at the same time has usually been over-cleansed.
What helps is unglamorous: a gentle cleanser twice a day, one exfoliating acid used consistently rather than three used enthusiastically, a light moisturiser even when skin is oily, and sunscreen — several acne actives increase sun sensitivity and post-spot marks darken without it.
Hormonal acne along the jaw and adult acne that arrives suddenly deserve a GP conversation as well as a skincare one. Cystic, painful, scarring acne needs medical treatment, and no shop can honestly tell you otherwise.
A routine that suits it
Where we would start. Build it up one step at a time rather than all at once.
- Cleanse
Twice a day, gently. If your skin feels tight afterwards, the cleanser is too harsh.
What we use - Exfoliate
One acid, two or three nights a week to start. Consistency beats strength, and more is genuinely worse.
What we use - Protect
A light SPF. Acne actives raise sun sensitivity and marks left behind darken without it.
What we use
Irish owned & operatedDublin-based salonFast local shipping
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Show 21 moreFrequently asked
- Will moisturiser make my breakouts worse?
- Not the right one, and skipping it usually makes things worse rather than better. Skin stripped of water often produces more oil to compensate. Look for something light and non-comedogenic rather than nothing at all — most people with oily, breakout-prone skin do better once they add a light moisturiser than they did without.
- How many acne products should I use at once?
- Fewer than you think. One exfoliating acid and one treatment, introduced one at a time with a fortnight between them, so you can tell what is working and what is causing the irritation. Layering four actives at once is the fastest route to a damaged barrier, and a damaged barrier breaks out more, not less.
- When should I see a doctor instead of buying skincare?
- If the spots are deep, painful and lumpy under the skin, if they are leaving scars, or if this is a sudden change in adulthood. Cystic and scarring acne needs prescription treatment — skincare can support it, but it will not resolve it, and waiting while trying products is time in which scarring becomes permanent. We would rather send you to a GP than sell you a serum.