Anyone who suffers from acne knows the only thing worse than pimples and scars is the unsolicited advice it seems to invite from, well, basically everyone. From โ€œHave you tried Accutane?โ€ to the ever-annoying โ€œWhy donโ€™t you just wash your face twice a day?โ€ (rolls eyes), everyone thinks they have the end-all answer to every epidermis woe. But if youโ€™ve ever dealt with a cyst, blackhead, or whitehead that overstays its welcome, you know thereโ€™s a lot more to constant breakouts than meets even a highly trained eye.

As a beauty editor, itโ€™s my job to seek out the best skin solutions, which means I get to test almost anything and everything. But after all these years the most important thing Iโ€™ve learned is that not all acne is created equal โ€” and it definitely canโ€™t be treated as such.