PSA: You Should Focus On Hydration To Help Clear Breakouts, Says A Celebrity Esthetician

But according to Alicia Yoon, celebrity esthetician and founder of Peach & Lily, people might not pay enough attention to what she deems "the key to life for our skin": hydration. In fact, she says having a well-hydrated base is what keeps her skin glowy and breakout-free. And there's a very clear (mind the pun) reason why. 

The solution? An intensive focus on hydration—even if your skin runs on the oily side. "Hydrating the skin really well can help with those breakouts," Yoon explains. If you keep your skin amply hydrated, you can better manage inflammation, stabilize oil production, and keep CRH from wreaking havoc—not to mention skin full of moisture looks plump, supple, and youthful, yet another reason to slap on a sheet mask or invest in some hyaluronic acid. 

Of course, you should still keep exfoliants (salicylic acid, retinol, and the like) in your skin care lineup—those can penetrate into the pore and promote skin cell turnover, which undoubtedly helps with breakouts. You just might want to focus more attention on hydration than you're used to: Perhaps throw some hydrating ingredients into the daily rotation (think hyaluronic acid, squalane, and ceramides) to calm inflammation from the get-go.