Lili Reinhart shares the 3 things that have made her cystic acne better

Lili Reinhart isn’t afraid of sharing her battle with acne and encouraging others to talk about their own skin issues, and honestly her transparency is a big part of why we love her.

The Riverdale actress has always been refreshingly candid about her cystic acne, and often takes to Instagram to share snaps of her blemished skin spotted with pimple cream. She even introduced the hashtag #breakoutbuddy, to encourage fellow acne-strugglers to share their experiences.

And in a recent interview with Refinery29, the 24-year-old shared a few bits of advice, which she said has helped her get her skin back on track. She credits her clear skin to two major things: simplifying her skin care routine and learning not to touch her face.

She told Refinery29, “As I got older, I started seeing facialists who were able to look at my skin and give me more information on how to care for my acne. Then I went on a little splurge where I was using every face mask under the sun, which was just making my skin worse. I started paying attention to ingredients and stopped using things that had added perfumes and alcohol.” 

Reinhart speaks the absolute truth – perfecting your skin care routine can be a fickle task, and often you can end up using products that are completely wrong for your skin type in your willingness to try ANYTHING to disappear your acne.

Selecting skin care products is not as easy as picking one with nice packaging or the one that’s most affordable – we need products that are specifically suited to our skin’s needs. So it’s important to know your skin type and to go back to basics (a cleanser, moisturiser and sunscreen) to help you nail the right regimen for you. 

“My breakthrough came when I started limiting the products I was using to a smaller pool, which was what actually helped clear my skin. I partnered with Dermalogica to help them launch their Clear Start products like the Breakout Clearing Booster and Blackhead Clearing Fizz Mask. I'm also promoting the Clearly Glowing Facial, which is really affordable. I wish I had it when I was a teenager,” Reinhart told Refinery29.

Another one of her major skin care commandments? Keeping her hands away from her face. “Learning to not pick was also a big step forward,” she says. “Some people don't have a problem with picking at their skin, but I do. If I see a blackhead on my forehead, I go at it. It’s almost like you’re in trance that you have to snap yourself out of — you have to tear yourself away from the mirror.” Oh the feels! Even though you know it’s not good for your skin, getting rid of those suckers feels so damn good!

However, truth be told, the instant satisfaction of popping and picking at that spot is nowhere near the satisfaction of clearer skin. Picking at your skin not only aggravates existing spots, but also spreads bacteria and oil – which can mean MORE glorious pimples. Ugh. “[Since] the day I told myself, 'The moment you pick at something, it's going to get worse,' my skin has gotten significantly better,” says Reinhart.

There's a specific strategy she relies on for keeping her paws off her pimples, too: acne patches. Not just any acne patches, either, though: Reinhart's a fan of the ridiculously cute flower-shaped options by highly Insta-worthy beauty brand Squish (FYI, her Riverdale co-star Madelaine Petsch also rates them, so you know they're good).

Reinhart recently shared a snap of her rocking an orange and purple flower patch duo on her forehead, captioning the pic "cystic acne is keeping me company on this Saturday night", and shouting out her pal Charli Howard, AKA the brand's founder for "creating these beautiful flower patches."

We stan an icon who reminds us to not freak out about our acne, but to decorate it instead...

The star still experiences setbacks, though, and that's perfectly normal. In fact, the more that people like Reinhart open up about acne struggles, the more normalised it becomes. She recently shared an update with fans, noting that she was experiencing what she referred to as an 'acne relapse'.

"Been struggling with a really bad acne relapse for the last few weeks which has taken a huge toll on me, mentally," she explained. "Acne is a big trigger for my BD and I always want to crawl under a rock when my skin is breaking out. But I'm trying to not let it defeat me."

"This post is me trying to normalise acne in my industry to make myself and others feel more accepted and less ashamed," she added. Powerful stuff.

Main image credit: @lilireinhart

If you need some help selecting the right products for your skin, check out the basics of starting a skin care routine...