16 Things Every Grown Woman With Acne Understands

Acne sucks, and while you might feel like you're the only adult breaking out like a teen, let me assure you that's not the case. Actually, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, 50 million other Americans can commiserate with you. Here, 16 things every grown woman can relate to when it comes to acne:

1. Dealing with acne as an adult — period. Wait, what? I thought I put in my time as a tween during puberty, but you're telling me this breaking-out shit is ​still a thing? Cool, so I'll have perfect skin as a grandma. Can't wait.

2. Having clear skin and then getting a huge zit right before a date/work presentation/job interview/important life event. ​Seriously, what did I do to deserve this? Like just tell me already because whatever it is, I need to make it right.

3. To pop a zit or not to pop a zit? That is the question. ​There's serious contemplation/agony that goes into deciding whether or not you should carefully pop your zit. Do you do it, so you don't look like a one-eyed monster? Or is popping it going to make the bacteria in the pimple spread aka have zit babies that then cover your entire chin, cheek, forehead, or face? Any derm you'd ask would say not to touch it because the latter point is R E A L; however, anytime I have a zit, I'm not leaving the house until that shit is popped and concealed to death.

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4. Trying every spot treatment on earth to try to remedy your bump sitch. Only to have an aesthetician (Mary Schook, to be exact) tell you that using too many spot treatments dries out your skin and compromises the moisture barrier that keeps out bacteria (?!). And that by overusing spot treatments, you actually create microscopic cracks in the skin as it gets drier and drier, and then bacteria makes its way in, causing more zits. Cue the vicious cycle.

Turns out the key to clear skin is all about hydration and keeping your moisture barrier intact so it can do its job and protect you from the enemies: bacteria, dirt, and oil. So, to keep breakouts at bay, opt for a noncomedogenic moisturizer that won't clog your pores as it replenishes your skin, like Skinceuticals Renew Overnight Oily Moisturizer.​

5. The obvious gouge marks from your nails that you create when you do attempt to pop your zit because you're not Dr. Pimple Popper — or a professional skin-toucher in any way. Let me tell you what's harder to cover up than a zit: an open wound. Unless you have a whitehead that you can press out gently using two cotton swabs, keep your hands off your face, friend.​

6. Messing with your zit and creating an open wound, which then turns into an acne scar and leads you to hate yourself because now you have to get a laser treatment to remove it at the derm. That, or you hope and pray that the OTC acne solutions work; otherwise you're about to have blemishes and scars on your face, which fills you with regret over the fact that you touched your skin to begin with.

7. The "WTF? I can't even! Maybe I should just give up" moment you have when you notice a pimple has cropped up adjacent to a wrinkle!!! Dear life, can I catch a break? Please and thank you.

8. When you get a really painful cyst in the same spot every month, because your period. Because bleeding out of your private part isn't enough.

9. The struggle of trying to cover up your bumps with thick foundation and concealer, knowing that'll probably just make it worse. ​Like why does my face look like this RN?!

10. Ordering those sanitary wipes for your phone case, wanting so badly to use them, and then using them once and never again. I know you should be wiping down your phone, especially since we all take our phones in the bathroom with us, but there is something so extra about wiping it down that's equivalent to putting on a fitted sheet.

11. Figuring out suitcase space for all six acne products when you go on vacation. There's your acne wash, please-take-away-my-acne toner, oil-free moisturizer, spot treatment, foundation with salicylic acid, acne-prone powder — basically you're lucky if you have room for your shoes.

12. Praying that you won't get acne anymore or that someone finds the cure. I've legit done this. No prayer is too big or small, right?

13. Panicking when you spend the night at your boyfriend's apartment and you miss a step or three of your routine.

You: Mike, I know I'm being annoying, but I need to go back to my place to get my benzoyl peroxide stuff right now.

Mike: But babe, your skin is perfect.

You: Mike, my skin is perfect because I use that stuff every day. I don't just wake up like this, Jay Z.

14. Begging your boyf to shave every day to avoid beard-induced irritation. If someone tells you this isn't real, they're straight lying to your face. What happens is as you and your guy hook up, your smooth face rubs against his hairy one, creating friction, which causes his prickly hair to stimulate oil production on your face, causing blemishes and even beard burn," Jeanine Downie, MD, a cosmetic dermatologist and founder of Image Dermatology in Montclair, New Jersey, says.

15. Having preachy friends who tell you to "just give up sugar," as if that's a thing that's remotely possible. I have to say that I absolutely love chocolate and I'm not going to give it up just because doing so might — ​might​ — give me clearer skin.

16. Begrudgingly removing dairy from your diet but failing to track the results. *Binges on ice cream immediately to make up for lost time.*