TikTok Is Swapping Towels for Disposable Face Wipes to Stop Breakouts

Like any huge social media platform, TikTok can be a great place for skincare tips — especially ones that encourage simplifying your routine or ditching products you don't need.

But it can also be a cesspool of conflicting advice and dubious "hacks" like using "anti-wrinkle" straws, drinking your weight in water, or frantically swapping out your face creams to achieve whatever the skincare ideal of the day is.

The latest social media skin controversy: Influencers are claiming that drying your face with a towel is the reason you're breaking out.

The logic is that towels trap bacteria and spread it to the rest of your face, causing fresh new pimples to sprout. To mitigate this, some have been swearing by paper towels or disposable face wipes like Clean Skin Club, which are also biodegradable, to dry their faces.

While there's some truth to towels exacerbating acne in some cases, the fear seems overblown. "In my professional and personal experience, acne complaints related to towel-drying are rare," Dr. Ivy Lee, a board-certified dermatologist practicing in southern California, told Insider.

Plus, there are easier (and more affordable) solutions than continuously buying huge packs of face wipes.

Just like pillowcases, towels can harbor bacteria and cause acne when not washed regularly.

"Reusing a dirty towel can expose the skin to dirt, oil, makeup, or other soiling," said Dr. Joshua Zeichner, an associate professor and director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. This can cause acne breakouts, irritation, or even infection if you have raw or open areas on your face.

The risks multiply when you also use the same towel for everything — wiping your face, drying your body, and wicking off sweat from a workout.

How Switching Towels Instantly Cleared My Acne 🙌

Rubbing your skin too hard with a towel can also cause irritation.

"Aggressively drying your face with a towel can lead to skin irritation and inflammation," said Zeichner. The resulting friction can cause a skin condition called acne mechanica, breakouts caused by pressure on the skin.

However, you'd have to really press down to damage your skin barrier.

To avoid any issues, both doctors noted that you should pat your skin dry rather than rub it.

While plenty of people on TikTok swear by Clean Skin Club, "I rarely recommend single-use wipes, even if they claim they are biodegradable," said Lee. You would still need to keep buying packages of the brand's face towels, which will cost you $13-16 each time.

While Clean Skin Club towels can technically be used more than once, that would defeat the purpose of using them if the concern is cleanliness. They're better for the planet than using non-recyclable paper towels, but they're also not the only way to prevent bacterial buildup.

As an alternate solution, Lee recommended buying microfiber face towels that are machine-washable and making sure you pat your skin dry with a new one each time before throwing it in the wash with the rest of your laundry. You'll save yourself some money — and minutes scrolling through towel-related TikTok warnings.

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