Decoding The Insider Skin-Care Terms You'll Always See On Reddit

Even if you're a regular polyglot (looking at you, Natalie Portman), learning about skin care from people who already know a lot about skin care can sometimes feel like a study in foreign-language immersion. Factor in a lengthy list of acronyms and shortened forms like 'cones (that would be silicones) and Vit C (yes, for vitamin C), and it's basically the Tower of Babel up in Reddit's SkincareAddiction, where the routine advice is plentiful, the community is tight, and the ease of navigation is... not the best.

Ahead, we've decoded some of the forum's most commonly-used acronyms and phrases. Because once you know the right word for "dark spots" and how to determine whether it's PIH or PIE that's lingering post-breakout, you're that much more likely to find the right stuff to sort it out. Don't let a minor language barrier get in the way of your perfect skin goals.