Cutibacterium acnes, c. acnes (a more distinguishable form of the bacteria formerly known as propionibacterium acnes) live in the sebaceous follicles.
•sebaceous follicles are pores that have sebaceous glands that secret sebum. Sebaceous glands are found everywhere on the body except palms of hands and bottom of feet. But more prolific on your face, scalp, neck, chest, and back. Which is why your legs are dry and your forearms don’t get pimples.
I digress.

Having bacteria is normal.
Every human has c.acnes bacteria and it is part of your skins microbiome. Sebum is also an essential part of your skins microbiome.
There is one thing that c.acnes does not like. It’s weakness, it’s kryptonite, is oxygen. The bacteria is anaerobic, meaning it can’t survive in the presence of oxygen. This becomes an issue in acne prone skin. You see, in an acne prone pore, it sheds 5x the amount of dead skin per day than a normal pore. So you get a built up of dead skin and that mixed with sebum, can form a plug. Whereas, a healthy follicle, is not obstructed with that dead skin cell and sebum buildup. But remember, all follicles have the c.acnes present, but the normal pores are not blocked, allowing oxygen to keep the bacteria in check by killing it with its presence. Simply freeing the follicle of follicular debris will enable oxygen to penetrate the follicle, killing the acne bacteria.

When a plug is formed in the follicle, the presence of oxygen in the pore is limited, allowing the bacteria to grow at a higher rate than usual.

With proper exfoliation to keep the dead skin from forming and creating a plug, and eliminating the amount of bacteria in the pore, can greatly reduce and even prevent future breakouts to form. The Face Reality Acne program gives a client a specific home care routine to target their specific type of acne. With exfoliating serums using a multi beneficial acid like mandelic and/or vitamin A, and the use of oxygen forming BPO, you have about a 90% chance at clearer skin.

So, to answer if c.acnes bacteria is bad? No, it’s not. It needs to be balanced with everything else going on in the pore. When you have a higher amount of the bacteria, then yes, it could turn into a big pus filed pimple.
P I M P L E T I P: When you get a red pimple, ice it! Move some ice over it or use a cold roller to calm down the inflammation.

-Haley Durbin, Licensed Esthetician and Acne Specialist