Acne guides
What's behind your breakouts, and how to find out.
breakoutLabs Review: How Lindsay Cleared Her Skin Before Her Wedding
A breakoutLabs review in Lindsay P.'s own words. After 15 years of acne and a flare a month before her wedding, she tested instead of guessing. Her results showed low iron, low ferritin and vitamin D deficiency. Here is what changed, plus more breakoutLabs reviews.
Non-Comedogenic Makeup: Foundation, Concealer, Tint Picks
"Non-comedogenic" on a foundation bottle proves little. We checked the ingredient lists of popular foundations, concealers, powders and skin tints: six passed, four didn't, and here's how to check your own.
Non-Comedogenic Sunscreen: 7 SPFs That Passed Our Check
Sunscreen is where many people with acne-prone skin get nervous. We ran popular face sunscreens through our Pore Clogger Checker: seven passed, three didn't, and here's how to check your own.
Non-Comedogenic Moisturizers That Passed Our Ingredient Check
"Non-comedogenic" isn't a regulated label, so the ingredient list is what counts. Here are seven moisturizers that passed our Pore Clogger Checker, six popular ones that didn't, and how to check your own.
Vitamin D and Acne: Can Low Vitamin D Cause Breakouts?
People with acne tend to have lower vitamin D, and lower levels go with more severe acne. Here's how vitamin D works in your skin, who runs low, why megadosing blind can backfire, and how to check your level at home.
Testosterone and Acne: What Your Levels Mean for Your Skin
Acne tracks the testosterone your skin can actually use, not the total on a lab report. Here's how free testosterone, SHBG, DHEA-S and blood sugar fit together in women and men, why TRT can trigger breakouts, and how to check your levels at home.
PCOS Blood Tests: The Full List and What Each One Shows
No single blood test diagnoses PCOS. Here's every lab the 2023 international guideline lists, what each one shows, when to test, how birth control skews results, and which ones you can check at home.
How Long Does Birth Control Take to Clear Acne? What to Know
The pill usually takes about 3 months to improve acne and 6 for the full effect, but it masks hormonal acne rather than showing you the cause. Here's the timeline, which methods can make acne worse, and when to test your hormones.
Which B Vitamins Cause Acne? And What to Do If It Won't Stop
B12, B6 and biotin are the B vitamins most linked to breakouts. Here's what supplement acne looks like, how long it lasts, how stacking adds up, and what it means when your skin doesn't settle after you cut back.
Accutane Blood Tests: What's Checked and an Easier Way to Test
Isotretinoin monitoring covers pregnancy tests, liver (ALT) and blood fats. Here's what each lab checks and how often, plus how to check your liver, lipids and the hormones linked to acne coming back, at home, before, during and after a course.
Can Low Iron Cause Acne? Why Your Iron Is Worth Checking
Iron feeds oxygen delivery, skin repair, hair and energy, and low iron is common. Acne drivers differ for everyone, so here's how iron fits in, why not to supplement blind, and how to check your levels at home.
Do Oil Glands Come Back After Accutane? What Studies Show
Accutane shrinks oil glands but doesn't remove them. Here's what studies show about how much oil comes back and when, who is more likely to relapse, and what the first-month breakout is.