Adult acne is on the rise, but despite its prevalence a lot of people are still clueless about how to talk about it.
In a recent Instagram story, singer-songwriter Lorde said she was sick and tired of receiving unsolicited advice from people about the best way to get clear skin. โYou know what sucks? When youโve had acne for years and years and years, done all the drugs, tried all the things, and people are still like: โYou know what worked for me, moisturisingโ,โ she said.
The 21-year-old isnโt the only one whoโs been on the receiving end to these kinds of comments. We spoke to adults affected by acne to find out what they wish other people would stop saying.
โHave you tried drinking more water?โ
โPeople love to suggest this as if itโs some absolutely groundbreaking miracle cure that no one has ever heard of,โ says Sarah Harris, 27, from London.
โYes, staying properly hydrated is important for healthy skin. But it is so unbelievably patronising to suggest Iโm not aware of the health benefits of water (if anything, many acne sufferers probably know far more about skin health than you do - having a chronic condition does that). Drinking more water alone is not going to cure my acne.โ
โMake sure you shower.โ
โI had adult acne for 10 years. Over this time the unqualified โadviceโ I received stretched from being told to cut out dairy to making sure I shower enough,โ says Tome Levi Perrin, 28, from London
โWhile the first stems from plain ignorance and nutritional trends, the latter is just downright offensive. A note to the general public: When someone is struggling with their skin, the personalised advice of a dermatologist is the only one they value.โ
โWear less make up.โ
โI have had a lot of people say this to me, but there is so much more to acne than just cleansing your skin,โ says Holly Whiting, 24, from Leicester. โFor instance my acne is hormonal and as a result of PCOS, so any amount of make up is unlikely to make a difference.
โUnsolicited advice can make us feel like people think we arenโt taking care of ourselves and our skin, but weโre probably making more of an effort than anyone else.โ
โJust put honey and turmeric on it.โ
โSadly for most chronic acne sufferers, thereโs no cure for acne, just methods on how to keep it under control,โ says Dinuki Suraweera, 32, from Philadelphia.
โSo if youโre fortunate enough to be someone who only gets a pimple once a month, please use wisdom before advising a chronic acne sufferer to โjust put honey and turmeric on itโ.โ