Yes, it sucks to have acne as an adult. Looking like a teenager after 25 is no fun! However, adult acne is actually a common occurrence. Sadly. However, I have battled with this issue for too many years, and I finally found something that works for my trouble skin.
Let’s Look at what causes adult acne:
The 4 common causes that causes teen acne:
- Excess oil production
- Pores that are clogged by sticky skin cells (eewww)
- Bacteria (touching your face)
- Inflammation (picking your acne, touching it etc.)
There are additional contributing factors that worsen the above mention causes:
- Stress, hormones, for the lucky ladies; menstrual cycles, these lead to excess oil production
- Skin care products, hair products, sun creams and makeup can clog up the pores
- What you eat daily, can influence inflammation throughout the body (you are what you eat)
Moreover, some medication can worsen your skin condition; anabolic steroids, corticosteroids and lithium.
Now that we know what causes adult acne we now have a better idea how to combat it!
How I cured my adult acne once and for all!
- I stopped touching my face! Yes, this was actually my worst problem!
- Have hand sanitize close to you always or wash your hands regularly if you are prone to touch your face.
- I’ve also noticed where I touch my face a lot is when I drive! For some reason if I get agitated in traffic or stressed I touch my face. Yeah. So to solve this, I got a stress ball, now when I feel bored I just grab my ball and squeeze away.
- Clean your workstation often; such as your mouse, keyboard and if you feel super paranoid even your pens.
- I focused on what I put into my body!
- I now make sure to eat a low GI diet, lowered my red meat intake, and have once or twice a week vegetarian nights. Additionally, I started to eat more frequently and less food. I switched my normal sized plate to a small plate! Made a significant difference to my body and acne.
- I eat more raw veggies than fruits.
- I no longer eat bread or processed carbs. Majority is natural such as sweet potatoes, brown wild rice, quinoa etc.
- I stopped wearing foundation to work!
- Ladies, before you think the worst. There is something called BB Cream that gives you great cover and helps fight acne at the same time! My skin is no longer overwhelmed with foundation and I still look professional and yes the BB Cream stays on from 07:00 till after 17:00 and I have oily skin. I would recommend this product to any of my fellow acne friends.
- Cleanse your face 2-3 times a week
- This includes a gentle scrub and mud mask. You need to get rid of those pores that are clogged by sticky skin cells.
- I stopped drinking alcohol.
- Not that I was drinking a lot, but even one night a week was enough to make me breakout for weeks. Remember, alcohol has a direct impact on your hormones and also it forms part of consumption that influences your inflammation.
- I avoid smoke environments
- I’ve noticed that smoking environments also aggravated my acne.
- I drink less milk products and more water and green tea!
- On a daily basis I drink about 2 liters of water and 6-8 cups of green tea. Here is South Africa we need to keep extra hydrated due to the weather conditions, however I am just in love with drinking water and green tea! Why? Yes, it hydrates you, increases oxygen to your brain which makes your productivity skyrocket and then you feel great full of energy!
- Acne medication bought at the drug store.
- My acne was so bad and I thought it was untreatable. I have been on proper acne medication prescribed by Dr’s and nothing worked not even the special creams. What did work for my skin was acne medication (or vitamins). No it didn’t make my skin worse, it made my skin better immediately. I would definitely recommend acne vitamins such as Aknet Pro Skin
- Keep you skin hydrated & clean
- I wash my face twice a day with gentle oil-free skin products that are gentle on my skin.
- In the mornings I put on my BB Creame
- At night after I wash and put toner on I use a lightweight moisturizer that absorbs sebum in excess. (Brand)
I hope these tips and tricks work for you as they did for me!
Now the only thing I need to get rid of is some acne scaring, which I have a solid plan for! Will share shortly!
