In this article:
What are blemishes?
What are fungal blemishes?
What causes blemishes?
How to fight blemishes
Anti-blemish skin care routine
How to get rid of blemish scars
How to prevent blemishes
Blemish prevention skin care routine
Blemishes go beyond visible bumps and clogs; they can have a real, lasting impact on people’s lives. They’re one of the world’s most common skin issues, with a global prevalence of 20.5% (that’s more than 1.5 billion people experiencing breakouts!) (1).
Because of this, there’s a major focus on tackling blemishes, but unfortunately not all the information available out there is clear, or even scientifically accurate. That’s where we come in. We're here with the latest research-backed details you need to know about not only how to prevent, or at least lessen the occurrence of, blemishes and breakouts.
What are blemishes?
Blemishes can be caused by an inflammatory skin disorder brought about by a combination of overactive sebaceous glands, a buildup of dead skin cells in the pore lining and bacteria overgrowth. When functioning normally, sebaceous glands produce a substance called sebum (a component of skin’s oil) that keeps skin moisturised. When they turn rogue and produce excess sebum, they create an environment that helps lead to the multiplication of Cutibacterium acnes, the bacteria which causes blemishes. The perfect storm of sebum and bacteria results in recognisable breakouts.
There are several types of blemishes, ranging from mild comedonal breakouts, known as pimples, to severe blemishes, which often presents as cysts. You can experience blemishes on the chin, forehead, cheeks– essentially anywhere you have sebaceous glands. The human body has its greatest concentration of sebaceous glands on the face, chest and upper back, all areas blemishes routinely show up.
What are fungal blemishes
Fungal blemishes result due to a type of inflammatory skin condition that’s often confused with true bacteria-caused blemishes; however, the two are very different (2). This condition is referred to as Pityrosporum folliculitis or Malassezia folliculitis. It occurs when hair follicles are infected with an overgrowth of Malassezia yeast and form small, itchy red bumps. In contrast, sebaceous glands and a type of bacteria called Cutibacterium acnes cause traditional blemishes, which is why it’s sometimes called bacterial blemishes (3).
Fungal blemishes occur when skin is kept moist and warm for long periods. This can include using hot tubs, not showering after exercising or wearing non-breathable or tight (friction-causing) clothing.
What causes blemishes?
Although a combination of bacteria, dead skin cell buildup and sebum overproduction causes blemishes, there are other factors that can influence their occurrence, ranging from diet and genetics to stress and sweat.
Overall, blemishes are a multi-factorial skin problem, with several culprits responsible for their development. These include:
- Family history and genetics(5). Your relatives’ blemish experience can impact your own chances of developing breakouts. One study found that as much as 81% of the variability in blemishes can be attributed to genetic factors. (Don’t let that get you down, though; you can absolutely tackle breakouts!)
- Hormone levels. Imbalances of chemical messengers within the body can trigger blemishes (6). Key times associated with a fluctuation in hormone levels include puberty, the period around one’s menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause. However, hormone imbalances can happen outside of these key times and might require medical help (the blemishes that result can mask something more serious, like polycystic ovary syndrome).
- Lifestyle factors. Yes, it’s true! Stress and diet can impact your skin and cause breakouts (7). Some studies have found that in certain populations, consumption of dairy products or foods with a high glycemic index (that is, they raise blood sugar rapidly and significantly) could lead to greater instances of breakouts (8,9).
- Environmental factors. Humidity can cause excess oil production and pollution can set off breakouts.
- Irritating and ill-formulated skin care products. Applying irritating skin care ingredients, like sensitising fragrances and SD alcohol, can cause further irritation, exacerbating blemishes. When applied to oily or blemish-prone skin, emollient and occlusive ingredients, although good for dry or dehydrated skin types, can also further clog pores.
How to fight blemishes
Thankfully, there are several different ways you can fight blemishes. While we know what causes blemishes in general, blemish cases and responses to treatments are individual, so it might take a combination of tactics, or all of them, to effectively help improve skin health and the overall appearance of blemishes.
Some ways to fight blemishes include:
- Applying benzoyl peroxide products. This ingredient’s a blemish-prone skin’s dream because it targets and quickly kills the bacteria responsible for blemishes.
- Using salicylic acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA). This skin care acid is an oil-soluble exfoliant that helps skin shed dead cells that could go on to cause bumps.
- Adding certain retinoids into your skin care routine. These retinoids help normalise cell turnover and reduce clogs that could progress into full-blown blemishes.
- At-home light therapy, whether with a red light or blue light, might help with noticeable blemish symptoms (10).
- Blemish patches, specifically the adhesive hydrocolloid patches featuring blemish-fighting active ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, can improve the appearance of breakouts. It’s important to keep in mind that not all blemish patches are created equally, so be sure to do a thorough check of their ingredients before using them (11).
- Popping pimples–safely. It’s not always possible to let pimples just fade away, but there is a right way and wrong way to go about popping them!
If your blemishes are persistent, painful or severe, consulting a dermatologist is your best bet to help get things under control. They might suggest prescription retinoid gels, azelaic acid creams or oral antibiotics (or a combination of all three) to tackle stubborn blemishes.
Anti-blemish skin care routine
An effective anti-blemish skin care routine should focus on promoting skin’s health and preventing blemishes from appearing in the first place! Here’s an example of what an effective–and gentle–anti-blemish skin care routine might look like:
Daytime anti-blemish skin care routine:
- Cleanse skin with a face wash for blemish-prone skin that removes oil and debris without stripping skin of all necessary oils.
- Tone skin with a nourishing toner that helps visibly reduce pore size.
- Exfoliate with a redness-fighting salicylic acid liquid that clears debris from and regulates oil flow within pores.
- Apply over-the-counter blemish products with benzoyl peroxide to breakout-prone areas to prevent blemishes from forming. Use a light layer all over skin if needed.
- Always, always finish with broad-spectrum sunscreen. Sunscreen defends skin against external agents that can aggravate blemishes and provides much needed moisture to skin (remember: blemish-prone skin still needs moisturisation!).
Nighttime anti-blemish skin care routine:
- Cleanse.
- Tone.
- Exfoliate.
- Apply a serum featuring pore-normalising niacinamide or retinoids to help improve skin health.
- Use a blemish-focused product featuring benzoyl peroxide to deter breakouts.
- Follow with a lightweight, oil-free moisturiser.
How to get rid of blemish scars
For many, blemishes also mean developing post-blemish marks and blemish scars, the result of disruptions within skin during the inflammatory blemish stage and eventual healing process.
Melanin (the pigment responsible for skin colour) production gets disrupted and disordered during the blemish healing process, resulting in post-blemish marks (known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) or red spots. These can be visibly improved using over-the-counter topical solutions with skin-brightening ingredients like vitamin C.
On the other hand, blemish scars (ice pick, rolling, boxcar, keloid, etc.) are the result of collagen destruction and dysfunction and are harder to tackle. In some cases, the help of a dermatologist or esthetician, who can perform services like microneedling for blemish scars, is necessary.
Of course, the best way to get rid of them is to not have them develop in the first place. Avoid popping pimples in an aggressive manner to minimise the chances of blemish marks and scars.
How to prevent blemishes
While it’s not possible to prevent every single breakout, there is a lot you can do to at least lessen their appearance and improve skin health to decrease the chances of future blemishes appearing. Some blemish prevention steps you can take include:
- Adopting a gentle skin care routine, meaning that every single product you use is free of fragrance or sensitising ingredients that irritate skin and put it at greater risk for blemishes. This also means no harsh scrubs or brushes! Blemishes aren’t about dirty skin, so extra scrubbing won’t help.
- Using skin care products that are appropriate for your skin type. While thick or occlusive formulas are great for dry skin, they can pose a problem for blemish-prone skin.
- Incorporating products specifically designed to help hinder breakouts and improve overall barrier function into your routine. Using salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide proactively can prevent breakouts from happening.
- Analysing your diet. Adopting a diet to prevent pimples might mean cutting back on dairy or foods with a high glycemic index.
- Taking steps to nourish skin's protective barrier. A healthy barrier is less likely to develop acne!
- Wearing lightweight makeup. Remember, heavier formulas aren’t necessarily friendly to blemish-prone skin.
- Keeping unwashed hands away from your face. They can transfer dirt and pathogens, creating the perfect storm for breakouts.
- Moisturising blemish-prone skin. The myth that oily skin doesn’t need hydration is just that, a baseless myth.
- Reducing daily stress. Easier said than done, of course!
- We said it above, but it bears repeating - always use sun protection! Studies find solar radiation can worsen blemishes and increase the risk of developing post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (12).
Blemish prevention skin care routine
Blemish prevention skin care routines strongly resemble the routine you would use to help fight blemishes! This is because most ingredients that fight blemishes also keep them from showing up at all.
Looking for sample blemish prevention skin care routines? We got them!
Daytime blemish prevention skin care routine:
- Cleanse.
- Tone.
- Exfoliate with salicylic acid.
- Apply benzoyl peroxide. If there are specific areas of your face you know are prone to breakouts, use benzoyl peroxide as a preventative solution in those areas.
- Use an ultra-light sunscreen with mineral active ingredients that’s super-gentle on skin.
Nighttime blemish prevention skin care routine:
- Cleanse.
- Tone.
- Exfoliate.
- Use a retinol or retinoid treatment product to help normalise cell turnover.
- Finish with an oil-free moisturiser that nourishes skin’s barrier without being thick or greasy.
While this might seem like a lot of information to digest, armed with this information, you’re ready to see fewer blemishes, sooner – something everyone can agree is a very good thing!
Learn more about acne.
Learn more about our editorial mission.
References for this information:
- Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, May 2024, pages 1,016-1,018
- Cleveland Clinic, "Fungal Acne", Website, Accessed May 2025
- Trends in Microbiology, April 2023, pages 419-420
- Cleveland Clinic, “Pimples”, Website, Accessed May 2025
- International Journal of General Medicine, August 2023, pages 3,843-3,856
- Archives of Dermatological Research, March 2019, pages 337-349
- International Journal of Dermatology, August 2022, pages 930-934
- Nutrition and Acne Vulgaris, pages 31-37, Esraa M. AlEdani, Howard I. Maibach, Editors, April 2025
- Journal of the American Academy of Dermatologists International, June 2022, pages 95-112
- Archives of Dermatological Research, May 2021, pages 239-246
- Medicine Advances, December 2023, pages 318-329
- Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, June 2023, pages 1,919-1,928