Preventing Adult Acne

Rhonda Barrymore is a professional makeup artist whose job is to make people look good. She's also learned a thing or two about skincare along the way.

Cleansing your face, you can use a small wipe like this.

We arranged to have her give WebMD's own Lauren Gracco a few pointers about how to maintain clear skin.

I tend to break out, which I haven't done since I was a teenager, but it's mostly along my hairline. It's not where it use to be. Like right here or on my nose.

It's probably just a little bit of adult acne.

Like with teenagers, breakouts in adults can often be traced to hormonal fluctuations. Karen O'Kelley is a skincare specialist who educates patients and healthcare professionals:

Acne is a clogged follicle or pore—that's how it starts when the pore becomes blocked then the sebum or the oil in the skin can't work its way out of skin like it needs to. Then bacteria floods into the area followed by inflammation. So whether you're a man or a woman that's basically what's happening to you.

Routine and proper cleansing and exfoliation with a gentle face cleanser containing antibacterial agents is key to preventing unwanted oil buildup.

So you just gently put it around your eye area to get under-eye makeup first.

We want to use a cleanser that's made for facial skin. You don't want to use a cleanser that's made for the body.

Can I exfoliate and cleanse at the same time?

You sure can--definitely. And you just use a circular motion and you're going to exfoliate as you're cleansing your skin.

We recommend that you cleanse your skin twice a day—with acne you don't want to over-cleanse the skin. Because if you over-dry it, then the body's just going to turn around and make more oil.

What are some of the benefits of using a facemask?

The mask can be great. Typically you use them twice a week. A mask would be for deep cleansing or purifying of the pours.

Well, there are different types of masks and I like the ones that don't have any grains in them.

If you're using skincare products that have granules or seeds or things like that in them and you're scrubbing the face, you're spreading bacteria to areas of the face that was not infected originally.

Best to do a little bit of water on your skin to get your skin a little bit moist. Then you can apply a mask, probably just with your fingertips and just pat it on the areas, And then allow it to sit on your face for about 15 or 20 minutes, and then I would take a wipe. Get some water onto the wipe and then lay it onto the areas where you put the mask to soften it, so you're not going to scratch it off of your skin. And then you'll splash your face with some water until all the mask is gone.

In addition to a proper cleansing regimen, a healthy lifestyle, including a good diet and exercise is critical to helping your body fight back should you get a blemish. For WebMD, I'm Damon Meharg.