Consort Acne: How the Love Of Your Life Is Messing With Your Complexion

Are you breaking out after making out? Your boyfriend may be to blame. Officially known as consort acne, it’s what happens when your significant other’s facial or hair products get onto your skin and cause breakouts. The same holds true for foreign facial sweat, oil, and dirt that can transfer onto your face and clog your pores when cheek-to-cheek—or even when sharing pillows! If your significant other dons a beard, well, you’ve just upped your chances of post-makeout blemishes. As cute as some scruff may look on him, when the stubble is aggressively rubbed against your delicate facial skin, it can cause irritation and pimples. Now, to be clear, acne is miserable, but we don’t suggest you kick your man to the curb—or stop kissing him—over it. Instead, follow some of the tips below to help reduce your chances of developing zits after your cuddle sesh.

CLEANSE YOUR SKIN

You may not have immediate access to a sink or a gentle facial cleanser post-makeout, but if you do, wash your face as soon as possible. If it’s easier, consider stashing some cleansing wipes—like Garnier Clean+ Purifying Oil-Free Cleansing Towelettes—in your bag for easy access on the go. This can help remove any pore-clogging dirt, sweat, and oil that could have rubbed off onto your skin. Clean pores are happy pores.

HAVE HIM SWITCH TO NON-COMEDOGENIC PRODUCTS

First, gently break the news to your man. Then, kindly ask him if he can swap out his usual hair and facial products in favor of ones that are non-comedogenic and oil-free. Non-comedogenic is just a fancy way of saying the product is formulated with ingredients that won’t clog your pores. He shouldn’t find too much issue with this…hopefully. 

WASH YOUR SHEETS REGULARLY

If you share a bed, sheets, or—especially—pillowcases with your other half, that’s just another way foreign bacteria, oil, and dirt can be exposed to your skin. Avoid using the same pillowcase if possible, and, for good measure, wash your sheets every other week. After a day of heavy product use for either of you, switch your pillowcases before bed that night. Do the same for any face, hand, or body towels you share. 

Like they say, true love is never easy—even when it comes to your skin care.