Can I contact acne from my boyfriend if he has a breakout?
Yes and no, says Dr Low Chai Ling, medical director at The Sloane Clinic. Theoretically, you wouldn’t get acne from kissing your partner. The epidermis of your skin forms a barrier to protect you against bacteria and viruses. The bacteria that causes acne (propionibacterium or P acne) is present on all our faces and is generally harmless, says Dr Low. It requires excessive sebum for growth. Even if the acne-causing bacteria is deposited on your face while kissing, it may only trigger an acne outbreak if your skin is particularly oily and your pores are engorged with dead skin cells – an environment where P acne thrives. Also, P acne is only one of the many causes of zits. In fact, adult acne is more commonly due to stress (triggers more oil), bad cosmetics that clog up your pores with bacteria, hormones, and some birth control pills that contain androgen. However, you may get acne from getting intimate if your partner has oils or dirt on his oral area that gets transferred to your skin, says Dr Low.