Who doesn’t miss being a hormonal teenager? 8 hours of school, seeing your least favorite people on a daily basis, and being nice and snug under your parents’ thumb. The best years of your life. I miss it so much that I took a souvenir from those sacred years. Just a little something so I don’t forget my roots. This is why I have adult acne, I am sentimental.
All jokes aside, acne at any age is a pain in the ass especially when you are an adult surrounded by people who, save for the occasional blemish, have left their pimply years behind them. Not me. I might as well be walking into freshman year of high school, braces freshly off, hoping I get to start at the next soccer game. That is where my skin thinks it is anyways.
I deal with it on and off but last summer was the worst it’s ever been. I got to the point where I didn’t want to make eye contact with other people because I felt like all they would see is my acne. If you think I am throwing myself a pity party, you are right. Afterall, I did rock the violin during my school years and therefore can play myself the saddest little song.
I’m no dermatologist but I did learn a thing or two about skin care. I read articles, watched YouTube videos, and went to the dermatologist more than I would have liked to. I also was on antibiotics and had some tube of chemicals prescribed to me by an actual doctor. My skin has been behaving itself for awhile now but the last thing I want to do is get too relaxed on my skin care and start having issues again. Here’s some tips that work for me, a 22 year old with a 14 year olds skin.
Really Get Your Makeup Off in the Evening
It’s obvious that going to bed with makeup on clogs your pores but if you are like me and like to wear foundation just rubbing some cleanser on and rinsing it off is not going to cut it. There are many ways to deep clean your skin but here’s how I do it; first I use a small amount of cleanser and do what I first mentioned; rub it on, rinse it off. I do this because I don’t want to just be pushing around a combination of cleanser and makeup all over my face. Once that is rinsed off I go with a washcloth and wash my face again with the cleanser. I never scrub but I just go lightly and make sure I get everything off, making sure not to forget my neck. If you wear foundation and are confused on why I am washing my neck….I am so sorry but please look up a tutorial on blending. After that is rinsed off I turn the wash cloth around from the side that I used with the cleanser and get some warm water and just go over my skin. This is the part that makes me think other people are going to bed with makeup on because I usually still have some remnants of foundation. Another way to deep clean skin is called “double cleansing”. To do this you need to pick an oil based cleanser and use that first to extract the makeup. Then you go in with a water based cleanser.
Always Wash Your Face Before Bed
Even if you didn’t do anything that is an obvious reason to wash your face like wear makeup, go to the gym, or work, you still need to wash your face before bed. During the day you will have a certain amount of sweat and dirt built up and it is important to clear your pores of that before turning in for the night.
Use a New Wash Cloth Every Time
Reusing a washcloth is a bad idea for a couple reasons. First, it has all your old makeup and dead skin on it. Second, since the cloth is wet it is a breeding ground for bacteria. Reintroducing any of that to your skin is counterproductive. I keep a stack of washcloths in the bathroom and make sure to put them in the dirty clothes basket immediately after use.
Moisturize Even If You Have Oily Skin
I struggled with oily skin during puberty and I know I personally shied away from moisturizer because it seemed like that would make it worse. However, the opposite is true. According Very Well Health, “[P]eople often mistake skin oil for skin hydration. Skin oil is the waxy substance, called sebum, that is secreted by the sebaceous glands to help maintain the barrier function of the skin.” When skin is not hydrated it will try to compensate by creating more oil thus adding to the problem of oil clogging pores. So if you have oily skin be sure to use moisturizer once or twice a day. In the winter I usually do it three times a day because the cold really dries out my skin and I wash my face a few times like when I get home from the gym or work etc. Be sure to do some research on what you should be looking for in a moisturizer based on your skin type. Personally I use cetaphil. It is oil free, gentle on skin, and suggested by most dermatologists.
Pick the Right Cleanser and Moisturizer
Everyone has different skin care needs so there is no “one size fits all” product. If you are having issues with your skin do some research and figure out what people with similar skin types/problems use. Since I have acne prone skin I use “PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash”. The active ingredient in that is benzoyl peroxide which kills the acne causing bacteria and helps skin shed dead skin cells. Some other ingredients to consider are salicylic acid, tea tree oil,and alpha hydroxy acids. One thing you can rule out across the board is any skin care product that is heavily scented. Scented products tend to irritate skin. You also should avoid products that have “microbeads” in them. Besides being bad for the environment, microbeads are hard on your skin. When buying products just keep in mind less is more.
Get on Birth Control
The original reason I got on birth control when I was 15 was to help with my acne. Birth control increases estrogen and progesterone which both reduce sebum production thus preventing acne. Some birth controls do this better than others. I myself went to the dermatologist to get my pills and they knew exactly what to put me on. If you go somewhere else, say the OBGYN, they likely will not know which birth controls work best for skin. You don’t have to go to the dermatologist, just make sure that you have a list of potential birth controls. It should only take a simple google search. Out of everything I did I think the birth control made the biggest difference. I was on it for 6 years and decided to go off of it last spring. My thought process was “I’m a lesbain I don’t need this anymore”, my skin disagreed and freaked out. Once I got back on the pill it still took a few months to get everything back to normal, which is what is to be expected (be patient) but I will say that I will never try to get off birth control again.
Research Before You Take Part in a Skin Care Trend
There are tons of fun skin care trends and people who don’t have issues with their skin can have a field day. If you do have issues though, you should not and I repeat not mindlessly try out a trend. For example, I recently was interested in “slugging”, a trend I saw on Tik Tok where you coat your face in petroleum or vaseline before bed in an attempt to lock in moisture as you slumber. This works for many people, especially those with dry skin. However, upon researching the trend I found out that acne-prone skin is not a candidate for this K-beauty trend. It can clog pores and cause more breakouts than its worth.
Be Careful of What Touches Your Face
I never ever let my cell phone touch my face. The dirt and oils on the screen will easily break your skin out. I always talk on speaker phone or hold my phone away from my cheek. Washing pillow cases regularly is also important. Try for once a week and flip your pillow over/switch pillows nightly if you are able. If you want to take it one step further buy a silk pillowcase. Silk pillowcases absorb less dirt and moisture.
One of the challenges spawned from the lovely COVID is “maskne”. It’s is exactly what it sounds like; acne you get from wearing masks. You can battle maskne by never wearing an unwashed mask twice. It isn’t the most environmentally friendly option but I keep a box of reusable masks in my car. This helps me always have a fresh mask. I also avoid resting my chin on my hand and touching my face in general. It is not very romantic but if your partner likes to stroke your face but you have been breaking out, it’s time to ask them to switch to back scratches.
Try a Sulfur Face Mask
It isn’t as cute as a sheet mask that looks like a tiger or a glitter peel off mask but sulfur masks are great for acne. According to Healthline, “[A]s a topical acne treatment, sulfur works similarly to benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. But unlike these other acne-fighting ingredients, sulfur tends to be gentler on your skin. Sulfur helps dry out the surface of your skin to help absorb excess oil (sebum) that may contribute to acne breakouts.”
Sunscreen is EVERYTHING!
We all know wearing sunscreen has many benefits but if you struggle with acne it may seem like yet another pore-clogger that you want to avoid. You also may believe that the sun “clears up” acne. The truth is, sunscreen will make your skin look better. For me, the sun contributed heavily to the discoloration of my skin, which made my acne look much worse. Now that my skin has cleared up it makes my scars more visible. I try to wear SPF 30 every day and I often leave my mask on when I am outside.
The last thing I want to mention is that no one is looking at your acne the way you are. It’s like anything else, people are just preoccupied with themselves and their lives, they don’t think twice about some acne. That being said that piece of information never helped me and I always struggle with insecurity when I break out. Of course there are worse things you could struggle with like falling off a cliff or actually being in high school but adult acne is still quite the beast. I told myself if it ever gets as bad as it was this summer I’ll do accutane. So if you see me with crusty lips, mind your business. Until then I’ll be sticking with my tips.