Sometimes the thing that’s holding you back from healthy skin isn’t actually what you’re eating, the supplements you’re taking, or even your skincare routine. It’s the constant obsession with achieving perfect skin. Having some breakouts can be normal sometimes.

And I know, you might think you know someone who has completely ‘flawless’ skin, or your social media feed is full of people who seem to have ‘glass skin’. But here’s the truth I need you to know – perfect skin doesn’t exist.

Please hear me out and don’t just scroll away from this blog, because this is something I’ve wrestled with in my own head for years. I wanted perfect skin, I chased it and stressed daily about it. And every time a spot popped up, I felt like I had failed. But what I’ve learned is that occasional breakouts are completely normal, and in fact they can be a sign that your skin is functioning the way it should.

Nobody has Perfect Skin

No one has flawless skin all the time. Even those people who seem to have ‘glass skin’ (P.S. skin shouldn’t look like glass, it’s an organ, guys!) still get things that pop up occasionally, whether it’s a spot, a dry patch, a flare-up of psoriasis or dark circles under their eyes because they haven’t slept properly. Our skin is a living, breathing organ, and it constantly reacts to hormones, stress, weather, travel, diet, sleep, and a million other little things happening inside us and around us.

So a breakout or flare up now and then? I’m telling you it’s normal, and it’s nothing to freak out about.

The key to feeling in control of your skin isn’t about never breaking out again (I wish). It’s about knowing how to care for your skin so it stays happy and balanced most of the time. It’s about reaching a point where your skin no longer consumes your life, where the odd blemish doesn’t send you into full-on panic mode, and where you can actually step back and say, this is just a reaction to being stressed the past few weeks, and my skin isn’t spiralling all the way back to square one.

Here’s Why Breakouts Happen Even When You’re Doing Everything “Right”

Ok so why do these occasional breakouts happen? Even if you’re eating well, taking the supplements you need, being consistent with your skincare, and basically doing everything “right,” breakouts can still happen, and that’s completely normal. There are a few reasons why your skin might flare up even when you feel like you’ve got everything under control:

Stress

Had a crazy few weeks at work, with family, or just life in general? You might have noticed your skin reacting (or starting to change a little). Stress raises cortisol levels, and if those stress hormones stay high for a long period of time, it starts to affect your body and your skin. Stress can increase oil production if you’re more acne prone, and it can also affect your immune system, which might make an inflammatory skin condition a little worse.

I’ve been there myself, running around stressed, not getting my full 8 hours sleep a night, and then noticing a few spots appear along my jawline. But I know in these situations my skin isn’t failing me and freaking out, it’s just responding to stress, and which I now take as a sign to start slowing down.

Travel

Travel is another big one that can throw your skin off. I don’t know about you, but every time I travel, it’s either my period or my skin that decides to act up. Changes in climate, humidity, the long hours of flights, different water, new foods, disrupted routines, all of it shows up on your skin. A little spot here or there while you’re away is totally normal, and once you’re back in your usual routine, your skin usually settles again.

Illness

When your body is busy fighting an infection or illness, your skin can unfortunately take a hit. A lot of your energy is going towards your immune system to help you fight this cold. You might also be eating or drinking less than usual, which can leave your skin dehydrated, dry and feeling like it needs some TLC. All you need to do in this situation is prioritise rest and support your body as best as you can to help it get over the cold. Once your body recovers and you get back to your normal routine, your skin usually bounces back quickly.

Period and Hormones

Even with the best skincare routine, hormones still do their thing. For those of us with periods, hormones fluctuate throughout the cycle and that naturally affects your skin. Does that mean you’ll always have huge cystic breakouts before your period? No, it doesn’t. But if a little spot pops up on your chin a few days before your period and heals within a week, that’s totally normal. Tracking your skin alongside your cycle can take a lot of the panic out of those small breakouts and help you feel more in control.

Diet Changes

Had a weekend of indulgent food? That might show up on your skin a few days later. And I used to get so stressed about this and feel incredibly guilty, but part of health is actually enjoying yourself. Food is fuel and provides our bodies with vitamins and minerals, but it’s also part of living a happy, fulfilled life. So if you went out for your birthday, drank a bit of wine, had some “junk food,” or just ate a little differently but had a really good time with your friends, that’s okay. Your skin will bounce back, and actually, those experiences are good for your health and your skin too – because spending time with friends, laughing and building strong friendships is good for your health!

Social Media Isn’t Real

I want to talk about social media for a second, because I know this can really distort how we feel about our skin. Those perfect skin photos you see online? They are rarely the full story. Someone can make themselves look like they have glass skin by having a dermaplane facial, covering themselves in oil, and taking a photo with a ring light. But another thing I need you to know – some of these facials (like dermaplaning) aren’t great for your skin barrier. So do you really want to risk damaging your skin for the sake of a few photos that look flawless? Because trust me, it doesn’t look like that for long after the picture is taken.

And then there’s good lighting, makeup, and a little tweak on Facetune or the Paris filter on Instagram, which can make skin look a lot smoother than it really is. And most of the time, we can’t usually tell when someone has edited their photos (unless they went really heavy on the face tune and it’s obvious because they almost look like AI).

So here’s what I want you to do – unfollow people whose lives and skin look perfect online, because it’s distorting your perception of reality. Walk outside right now and look at most people you see, do they have perfect skin? Do they look like Instagram models and influencers? I’m going to guess not, and that’s absolutely fine. Real skin has pores, wrinkles, marks, freckles, hairs, and some comedomes. That’s what normal skin actually looks like.

Healthy Skin Equals Resilient Skin

Another thing I want you to remember – healthy skin is resilient skin. It bounces back quicker when you do have a bit of a blip. Because healthy skin isn’t about never having a single blemish ever again, it’s about your skin being strong enough to repair itself without dragging you into what feels like a never-ending breakout cycle.

When your skin barrier is healthy and you’ve got a good routine in place, your skin knows what to do. Instead of a spot hanging around for weeks, it heals in a few days. Instead of your whole face breaking out, it’s just one or two manageable blemishes. That’s the difference.

And let’s not forget to track how far you’ve come. What feels like a ‘bad’ skin day now might be so much better than where you started. If you’ve dealt with severe acne in the past, the odd breakout now is a huge improvement from painful, inflamed skin all the time. It’s always, always, always about progress, not perfection. Make sure you keep tracking the small wins, because it’s easy to get lost in wanting perfect skin and forgetting how much progress you’ve actually made.

To Recap

Healing your skin is a life-long journey, and I know that’s not what you want to hear. But what I mean by this is that you will have ups and downs. Some days, your skin will look and feel really healthy and balanced. Other days, you’ll get a breakout.

But as long as you’re looking after your skin consistently, those “bad” days will become fewer and far between, and they’ll feel so much more manageable when they do happen.

I still get breakouts sometimes if I’m stressed, if I fall out of routine, if I travel or eat a bit differently over the holidays. My skin is the first thing to remind me and give me that little nudge to get back into routine or to actually just take a break. But the difference now is that it no longer controls me. It’s no longer the first thing I think about when I wake up, and it doesn’t ruin my whole day. That’s the real goal.