Can Your Towel Be Causing Your Acne?

By Dr. Rosemarie Ingleton

Can Your Towel Be Causing Your Acne?

By Dr. Rosemarie Ingleton

Both online and in my practice, people often ask me whether they should be using disposable towels to dry their face to avoid getting acne. The short answer to this is no, you do not need to do this. Your towel is not likely contributing to your acne. Plus, it's wasteful!

No, your towel is not likely contributing to your acne.

You might have heard that acne is caused by bacteria, and your towel can harbor certain types of bacteria. However, the type of bacteria that’s associated with acne, C. acnes, is actually already found within your skin and lives in your follicles. C. acnes cannot survive in oxygen-rich environments, so it's not going to proliferate on your towels.

Instead, C. acnes becomes an issue when sebum and skin cells block your follicles and create the perfect oxygen-free environment for C. acnes to thrive in your skin. Of course, there are other contributing factors to acne like topical products, hormones, family history and stress.

No, your towel is not likely contributing to your acne.

You might have heard that acne is caused by bacteria, and your towel can harbor certain types of bacteria. However, the type of bacteria that’s associated with acne, C. acnes, is actually already found within your skin and lives in your follicles. C. acnes cannot survive in oxygen-rich environments, so it's not going to proliferate on your towels.

Instead, C. acnes becomes an issue when sebum and skin cells block your follicles and create the perfect oxygen-free environment for C. acnes to thrive in your skin. Of course, there are other contributing factors to acne like topical products, hormones, family history and stress.

So what can you do? Cleanse daily with a gentle gel cleanser like the SuperFruit Brightening Cleanser and exfoliate regularly with the SuperFruit Exfoliating Tonic to unclog your pores and remove dead skin cells. And if topical products aren't working—and if it's accessible to you—see a dermatologist who can help you identify the root cause (spoiler alert: it's not your towels!).