What’s The Deal With Hormonal Acne?

Adult acne might feel and look the same as teenage acne but when it comes to nailing an effective, breakout-busting skincare routine, it’s a whole different beast.

As if fine lines, wrinkles and all the other signs of skin aging weren’t enough to contend with, there’s also that crazy little thing called adult acne. Acne ‘should’ be something that you say farewell to as you come to the end of your adolescent years and your hormones settle into adulthood. But that’s not always the case. In fact, adult acne is on the increase and it’s estimated to affect more and more adults as they hit their 50s and older.

What Is Adult Acne?

Acne vlugaris, the proper name for the type of acne we’re dealing with here, is exactly the same at any age. It rears its head when your hair follicles and pores become blocked with excess oil and dead skin cells. Unlike regular teenage acne, however, the adult kind can be split into two different types: persistent acne and late- or adult-onset acne. Persistent acne continues from adolescence, never really giving you a break, whereas late-onset acne is the stuff that appears for the first time later on in life. Just when you thought you’d gotten away with it. Dang!

This all sounds pretty simple, but things get a little more complicated from here on in. How so? Because acne can take on many forms. If the plug bulges out above the surface of your skin it creates a whitehead, for example. If the plug opens up, it oxidizes with the air, turns dark and creates a blackhead. And if bacteria gets involved and infects the blockage? Then it becomes a full blown zit – a papule, pustule, nodule or cyst, if you will.

So, Why Do Some People Get Adult Acne While Others Don’t?

As a rule, acne is genetic, so if you’re predisposed, thanks to your parents, there’s not much you can do about that. What you can do, however, is to understand what’s triggering these breakouts later in life – hint: more often than not, it’s your hormones. During menopause, for example, your hormones are all over the place and if you’re sensitive to these triggers, this creates an imbalance that causes sebum production to go wild and your your skin to completely freak out.

Emotional stress and certain medications can also overstimulate your sebaceous glands, as can pore-blocking or harsh ingredients in your skincare regime.

On that note, here’s how to create a kick-ass skincare routine that cares for your adult skin (aka doesn’t dry it out!) and helps to balance oil production to keep breakouts to a minimum.

The Best Morning Skincare Routine For Adult Acne

1. Gently Cleanse Your Face

For some, a morning cleanse can seem a little OTT when all you’ve done is sleep since your last cleanse. Not so for you. Because your skin is oilier than most you’re going to want to gently remove any sebum that may have built up overnight. Also, your night cream might feel kind of heavy for daywear, so it’s good to start with a clean slate in the AM.

One word of warning: don’t fall into the trap of grabbing the most skin-stripping cleanser you can find. You can just about get away with that when you’re 13 – although it’s never ideal – but when your skin is more mature it’s going to need way more care. Choose something that will help replenish your barrier function, soothe and calm inflammation and cut out any risk of over-cleansing your skin. A product like our Soothing Cleansing Milk is great for morning use.

2. Balance Your Skin With Tea Tree Oil

As you know, we’re massive fans of face serums for targeting skin issues exactly where they’re needed, and when it comes to adult acne, our favorite topical ingredient is tea tree oil.

Unlike other acne-busting favorites like benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil is less drying and irritating on the skin which makes it a great choice for mature skin. But don’t think that means it’s any less effective because its antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties combine to give it true superpowers in the fight against bacteria and acne breakouts.

Try applying our Tea Tree Super Serum+  two or three times a week after cleansing and before moisturizing to help balance and calm your skin. We like to alternate it with Niacinamide (B3) Facial Serum which is another winner for regulating oil and reducing inflammation.

3. Lightly Moisturize

Moisturizing oily, acne-prone skin might seem counterintuitive but it’s actually crucial for keeping your barrier function healthy and keeping sebum under control. If you miss this step, your sebaceous glands will think your skin is dry and thus overcompensate with more oil.

Avoid thick creams that are jam-packed with heavy occlusives like cocoa butter, however – these will block your pores and cause no end of problems. Instead, stick with light gel or lotion formulas that incorporate hydrating ingredients like glycerin, aloe and hyaluronic acid. Our Firming Collagen Day Lotion is great for oily skin, plus it helps tackle the visible signs of aging at the same time. Result.

4. Apply Sunscreen

UV radiation will make acne (and any potential scarring) worse. Not to mention all the other dastardly deeds it gets up to as the sun beats down on your skin on a daily basis.

Wear sunscreen every day, without fail, and always choose a broad-spectrum formula with SPF 30 or above. And if you really can’t bear the thought of applying moisturizer AND sunscreen? Try our SPF 20 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C. It’s packed with hydrating and moisturizing ingredients which are probably just right for your oily skin.

The Best Nighttime Skincare Routine For Adult Acne

1. Remove Makeup & Cleanse Your Face

Before bed is when a more thorough (but still not too full-on) cleanse comes into play. Your evening cleanse is way more important than the morning one because this is when your skin has been subjected to at least 15 hours worth of makeup, sunscreen, dirt, oil and pollution. And if you don’t whisk that away it can, and will, build up on your skin where it will combine with dead skin cells and sit in your pores waiting for the worst to happen.

We recommend our Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser or Tea Tree Super Cleanser+ which both work hard to whisk away debris from the surface of your skin while balancing, detoxifying and refreshing your complexion.

You should also exfoliate once or twice a week to gently boost cellular turnover and minimize any risk of dead skin cells hanging around for too long. Try our Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub after cleansing.

2. Treat Your Skin With Retinol

Retinol might be the gold standard of aging treatments, but it’s also right up there in the fight against adult acne. A derivative of vitamin A, retinol helps to increase cell turnover. It’s a little bit like exfoliation, although it works in a very different way. Instead of removing dead skin cells at a surface level, retinol goes deeper into the skin and activates certain genes to accelerate cell turnover down below. It’s very clever and a great way to keep dead skin cells moving along so they don’t clog up your pores. This is music to the ears of mature, acne-prone skin – especially when you add in all the other age-defying benefits retinol brings to the table.

Just remember, retinol is very powerful, so start slowly by applying Retinol Facial Serum just once or twice a week to clean, dry skin. Then, as you build tolerance, you can build up to every night.

3. Hydrate & Moisturize

Allow your serum to sink in for a minute or two, then finish with moisturizer. Of course, you can double up with the same product you used in the morning, but you might find your skin needs a little more moisturization at night.

Our fabulous Retinol Moisturizer is a great product to apply before bed as it combines retinol with hydrating hyaluronic acid, soothing vitamin E and plumping panthenol. If the combination of this and the retinol serum is too much for your skin, however, try our Longevity duo: Rejuvenating Longevity Serum followed by Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream. Both of these formulations are incredible for aging skin that gets a little, shall we say, problematic. They harness the powers of bakuchiol, which is nature’s kinder alternative to retinol.

Fine lines and wrinkles are totally natural, but if you want to lessen their impact, you might want to take a look at some of these seemingly innocent lifestyle habits.

We’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve warned you about the perils of the sun and its effect on the number and intensity of your wrinkles. Ditto for stress, smoking and a lack of sleep. But while these things are up there as the most common culprits of aging skin – the sun being the number one offender, of course – there are plenty of other everyday lifestyle habits you probably didn’t realize were affecting the rate at which your skin aged.

Obsessed with your Stanley water bottle right now? Well, for one thing, who isn’t? But for another, you might want to rethink that whole drinking-from-a-straw situation once you’ve read the rest of this article. You have been warned…

Drinking From A Straw

One of the main reasons smoking is so bad for your skin (toxic chemicals aside) is the repetitive motion of puckering up your lips. How so? Well, this repeated action contracts a ring of muscle around the mouth area called the orbicularis oris muscle. Over time, this causes your skin to lose elasticity. And you know those lines you see when you purse your lips? Instead of going away after you relax your mouth, they start to become permanently etched in.

Same thing happens if you drink through a straw all day long.

What To Do: As much as we know you love your Stanley Quencher try not to drink out of it 24/7. At home, switch it out for a regular glass and when you’re out and about go for a water bottle that doesn’t have a straw. Oh, and if you get offered a straw when you next order a gin and tonic in a bar, say no. Those fine lines around your lips – as well as the environment – will be forever grateful.

Your Smartphone

What would we do without our digital devices? They are pretty much everything in today’s modern world. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. However, your smartphone, in particular, plays a huge part in the health of your skin. For one thing, constantly looking down while texting, gaming, emailing and browsing can accelerate the formation of creases or bands around the circumference of your neck, aka ‘tech neck.’ Similarly, squinting and frowning at your phone can add even more lines and wrinkles both on your forehead and around your eyes.

Your digital devices also emit something called high-energy visible (HEV) or blue light which studies suggest are just as damaging to your skin as UV light. Blue light not only has the potential to disrupt your skin’s natural barrier function but it can promote inflammation, encourage discoloration and accelerate collagen damage which is a one-way ticket to fine lines and wrinkles.

What To Do: Use your phone less (ha, if only it were that easy!) and always hold it upright so your head isn’t looking down all the time.

You must also try our awesome Longevity skincare range. This collection of three healthy aging products contains lingonberry stems cells which have been shown to help protect your skin from blue light damage.

The Way You Sleep

Getting lots of quality sleep is majorly important for the state of your skin, but skincare experts also agree that the way in which you sleep carries just as much weight on your skin’s aging process. Sleeping on one side, for example, causes creasing on that same side of your face which can increase your chances of developing fine lines on one side more than the other. Similarly, sleeping on your front and smushing your face into your pillow every night creates repeated pressure on your entire face – a sure-fire way to invite fine lines and wrinkles to do their worst.

What To Do: A silk pillowcase can help reduce friction, but your best bet is to change your sleep position so you sleep on your back with your head slightly raised. This avoids repetitive face-to-pillow contact and stops excess fluids from pooling under your eyes which helps stop dark circles and puffiness. Extra bonus right there.

Forgetting To Wear Sunglasses

Squinting is another one-way ticket to fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes as it causes your periocular muscles to repeatedly contract. And if you continue to do this day after day you will soon see exactly what we mean when those cute lines around your eyes turn into deep crevices that just won’t go away. Squinting also contributes to those annoying vertical lines between your eyebrows – glabellar lines or 11s – making it a real no-no if you care about aging skin.  

What To Do: Wear shades whenever you go outside – even if it’s bright but not particularly sunny. This’ll immediately stop you squinting and will also protect the skin around your eyes from those damaging UV rays. And if you find yourself squinting at your computer or the TV? Well, it might be time for an eye test. Just saying.

Finally, to help keep the skin around your eyes moisturized and youthful-looking, apply an eye cream morning and night. Try our Peptide Eye Gel which helps support collagen production to minimize premature aging.

Allergies

Do you find yourself continually rubbing the skin around your eyes during the allergy season? This happens when your body’s defense system reacts to an allergen it feels threatened by. Mast cells in your eyes then release chemicals like histamine to try and get rid of these allergens which causes your eyes to become red, watery and itchy.

Allergy triggers can come from many things, including airborne pollen and pet hair, but the worst thing you can do for your skin is to vigorously scrub away at your eyes. This seriously upsets your collagen supplies, thinning your skin, wearing it down and inviting lines around your eyes to do their worst.

What To Do: If your eyes are constantly itching, the most important plan of action is to find out why, so talk to your doctor if symptoms persist. In the meantime, try eye drops and if you can't help but rub your eyes, reduce damage by using just the pads of your ring fingers rather than your whole hand. This will help reduce pressure and friction.

Swimming

We hate to knock any form of exercise but swimming in chlorinated water can be pretty harsh on your skin (and your hair for that matter!). Chlorine is great for sanitizing water and eliminating any contaminants that may otherwise cause infection and illness. But it’s not ideal for your delicate skin. In fact it’s a natural irritant that strips natural oils and moisture from your skin’s protective barrier. This is OK in small doses but if you swim every day and don’t protect your skin, this can potentially cause dryness and dehydration. And two things wrinkles love in order to thrive are dryness and dehydration.

What To Do: A pre-swim shower is a great way to reduce chlorine damage because if your skin is already wet, it will absorb less chlorinated water. Smart huh? Of course, you should also shower immediately after swimming and moisturize all over to replace lost sebum and hydration.

When it comes to your face, apply Vitamin C Facial Serum to fully cleansed skin after swimming. Vitamin C helps neutralize the damaging effects of chlorine. Follow with moisturizer and you should be good.

3 Of Our Favorite Wrinkle-Busting Skincare Products

Because a little help goes a very long way...

1. Collagen Boosting Skin Supplement

Want to keep your skin looking its best for as long as possible? Then you simply have to look after your collagen. And what better way than with this daily supplement that’s literally brimming with clinically-proven, collagen-promoting ingredients like vitamin C, acai and biotin.

2. SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C

Did we mention that the sun is the biggest culprit when it comes to premature skin aging? We did? Yeah, well, we will continue to do so. We will also continue to laud the benefits of daily, broad-spectrum sunscreen for warding off the sun’s damaging UV rays. And this is an absolute must. No arguments.

3. Retinol Facial Serum

One of the most effective anti-aging ingredients in skincare, retinol helps stimulate cell turnover and up your skin’s content of quality collagen. This awesome facial serum also contains hydrating hyaluronic acid (take that wrinkles) and vitamin E (same). We love that for you.

Been hearing a bit about the gut-skin axis recently and not sure what it’s all about? Then allow us to elaborate…

When searching for the solution to monthly acne breakouts, eczema flare-ups or bouts of rosacea few people think about what’s going on inside their bodies. But rather than stock up on months of prescription medication to deal with your skin issues, word is that taking a look at your gut health could be far more beneficial.

It’s all about the gut-skin axis, you see. The gut-skin, erm, what? Ha, don’t worry, the gut-skin axis is a relatively simple concept to grasp.

Your gut is home to a complex microbiome in which gazillions of microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses live. We know this doesn’t sound pleasant, but your microbiome plays an extremely important role in keeping bad bacteria at bay and therefore keeping your immune system in check. And all this is vital for helping to maintain balance and harmony throughout the entire body.

If this microbiome becomes unbalanced due to things like a poor diet, emotional stress, or food sensitivities, however, this can cause major disruptions in your body. And we’re not just talking about digestive issues like bloating or gastrointestinal diseases, because wherever there is gut inflammation, skin inflammation often follows.

Why is your skin affected by your gut, you might be wondering? Well, just like your gut, your skin has its own microbiome and the two are in constant communication with each other via a clever little pathway called the gut-skin axis. This means that when your gut is off kilter, your skin will, more often than not, reflect this, becoming inflamed, irritated or congested. Eating dairy, for example, is often linked to chronic skin issues like eczema. Wheat is another one that’s known to cause sensitivities and congestion, thereby triggering acne.

Reckon your gut could do with a little self-refinement right now? Here’s how to help improve the health of your gut… and consequently, your skin.

1. Get An Allergy Test

The most effective way to figure out what’s upsetting your gut and skin is to get an allergy test. Sure, you can do this at home by keeping a food diary while eliminating some of the main offenders (here’s looking at you dairy, wheat, gluten and spicy foods), but, jeez, do you really have the time, energy and patience? Thought not.

A better option is to visit a specialist to get a food allergy test. There are many ways to go about this but the most common are skin prick tests and blood tests. Both of these are very useful ways to pinpoint what’s causing you grief. Then you can avoid the culprits. Simple.

2. Cut Down On Sugar

While we would never suggest you remove things like dairy and wheat from your diet without consulting a doctor or allergist first, one thing you should be extremely wary of is sugar. With zero nutritional value, sugar is dastardly for your gut and even worse for your skin, triggering everything from acne and eczema to rosacea and psoriasis. In fact, sugar is probably the most inflammatory thing you could put into your body. Eek.

Furthermore, studies show that overloading your body with sugar produces advanced glycation end products (AGEs) – harmful compounds that break down collagen and elastin and ruin your radiant, youthful complexion.

Sugar is officially bad news, whichever way you look at it.

3. Eat Plenty Of The Good Stuff

A healthy diet is everything, so once you’ve eliminated anything that’s causing your gut grief, it’s time to indulge in all the good stuff. Fresh fruit, veggies, nuts, beans, healthy fats and lean protein are all awesome ways to support the wall of your gut.

And then there are those extra special foods that help promote good bacteria in your gut, and of course your skin as a consequence. These are called biotics – namely prebiotics and probiotics.

Biotics help balance your microbiome by literally flooding it with good bacteria. Prebiotics help encourage the growth of healthy bacteria that’s already present in your gut and can be found in things like asparagus, artichokes, garlic, leeks, bananas and oats. Meanwhile, probiotics are microorganisms in their own right and are found in cultured and fermented food like kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir, miso and live yogurt.

4. Minimize Stress

When you’re stressed out your brain goes into fight or flight mode and triggers your nervous system to release a whole bunch of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline into the bloodstream. This causes your heart to pump faster, your breath to quicken and your muscles to tense and get ready for action.

Of course, this is pretty useful when your body needs to react quickly to something, but the problems arise when stress hormones go into constant overdrive and your body gets no time to relax or go back to normal. This plays havoc with your gut (among other things!), compromising the balance of its microbiome, ‘feeding’ the bad bacteria and causing major problems with your digestion and immune system.

All this will reflect very poorly on the look, feel and health of your skin so try to cut down on stress wherever you can. This may be easier said than done, but there are many ways to reduce or manage your levels of stress. Some people find that yoga or exercise works. Others keep a stress journal to figure out what’s causing their stress in order to avoid their triggers and help them work on controlling their reactions. The most important thing, according to HelpGuide, is to experiment with different stress management tips to find what works for you.

Once your gut is in a more healthy working order, trust us, your skin will start to follow suit.

And in the meantime, ensure you’re doing everything you can to keep it clean, strong, protected and moisturized with your TruSkin favorites! Here’s how to build a successful skincare regime, right here.

 

 

Excellent news, people of the oily skin persuasion: you might not be able to change the structure of your skin but you can definitely help balance oil production with smart skincare choices. Step this way…

If slick skin and sweaty bangs are the story of your life you’ve probably asked yourself time and again, when are the benefits of an oily complexion going to come to light? Hark back to your teenage years when puberty, and all the things that came with it, seemed like a never ending battle. Difficult times. Now you’re well into adulthood, and your skin is still as oily as ever. Granted, the wrinkles aren’t too bad, but your makeup rarely stays put and, tbh, monthly breakouts are still a struggle.

Not. Fair.

Oily skin can be tricky, we get that. But it’s who you are and, when you think about it, sebum – the oil of which we speak of – is absolutely crucial for the health of your skin. All manner of components like triglycerides, fatty acids, wax ester, cholesterol and squalene come together in sebum to seal moisture into your skin, repel environmental stressors and help transport antioxidants to the surface so your skin can heal and regenerate efficiently.

Sebum also plays an important role in helping your skin maintain its slightly acidic pH level which prevents bacteria and viruses from penetrating the top layers. Without sebum, therefore, your skin would be a shadow of its former self. Try not to forget that the next time you look in the mirror and will it to go away.

The amount of sebum your skin produces can’t be drastically altered – because, genetics – but there are many tweaks you can make to your skincare routine that can improve the balance and therefore the shininess of your complexion. Keep scrolling for seven of our favorites…

1. Never Go To Bed Without Cleansing

Taking your makeup off before turning in for the night is important whatever your skin type, but if you have oily skin, it’s absolutely non-negotiable. The reason for this? For one thing, oily skin attracts dirt and bacteria more than dry skin. And for another, when oil and bacteria combine with dead skin cells at the surface of your skin, you’re basically inviting acne breakouts to come and do a number on your complexion.

Lesson learnt: don’t go to bed without cleansing your face. Like, ever. It’s just not worth it. And, heck, cleansing takes, what, three minutes of your time so it’s not like it’s a real chore.

One of our favorite cleansers for oily skin is our Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser which contains activated coconut charcoal to mop up unwanted debris and detoxify the skin without complete drying it out.

2. But, Don’t Be Tempted To Over-Cleanse

While we’re on the subject of cleansing, it’s easy to overdo it as you try to rid your skin of every last drop of pesky sebum. But that’s a very bad idea. Over-stimulating your skin fools your sebaceous glands into thinking they’re not doing their job properly. So then they ramp it up big time, producing more and more sebum to compensate for all the stuff you’ve stripped away.

Keep your cleansing routine gentle, but effective, and regular but not too often. Twice daily and always after exercising is the rule of thumb here.

3. Remember That All Skin Needs Moisturization

Oily skin has its own built-in and very hard-working moisturizing system, so it has no need for more, right? Wrong. So. Very. Wrong.

Just like every other skin type, oily skin needs to be moisturized after cleansing. Contrary to popular belief, the right moisturizer won’t block up your pores or make your skin even more oily and pimply. Instead it will help to balance sebum, keeping your skin hydrated, healthy and less open to irritation and redness.

You really must choose the correct moisturizer, however. And that means avoiding anything that contains rich, occlusive ingredients like cocoa butter and heavy oils which form a layer over the top of your skin and clog your pores. Instead, look for lighter gels or lotions that contain humectants like hyaluronic acid. We love Retinol Moisturizer which has the added benefits of retinol to help boost regeneration for clearer, more balanced skin.

4. Underestimate Exfoliation At Your Risk

One of the best tools for oily skin? An awesome exfoliant that’s effective but super gentle on your skin. Whether you go for a chemical, leave-on formulation that contains things like glycolic acid or salicylic acid to break down dead skin cells, or prefer a face scrub that manually sloughs away those darn dead cells, exfoliating oily skin is imperative.

Excess sebum is like a magnet for bacteria, you see, and when this mixes with dead skin cells it can block your pores, resulting in blackheads, whiteheads, pimples and any other kind of acne spots you might think of.

The simple way to avoid all this? Keep your skin regularly exfoliated to accelerate cell turnover and make sure all that dead stuff doesn’t overstay its welcome. Try our Vitamin C Gentle Face Scrub two or three times a week after cleansing.

5. Make Tea Tree Oil Your Friend

Tea tree oil has been known and revered for centuries for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. And this makes it a shoo-in for balancing and soothing oily skin – specifically those that suffer problems with breakouts.

Not only does tea tree oil help kill acne-causing bacteria on the surface of the skin, but it also works hard to calm and reduce facial redness. Be afraid, inflammation, be very afraid.

The one thing to remember about tea tree oil, however, is that it’s potent – like, really potent – so, it’s much safer when thoughtfully blended with other skincare ingredients. Our Tea Tree Super Serum +, for example, contains a whole bunch of ingredients that work in harmony with tea tree oil to hydrate and balance the skin. It’s packed with aloe, hyaluronic acid and glycerin to draw in moisture, niacinamide to aid healing, plus two other awesome acne-fighters: salicylic acid and retinol. Try it a couple of times a week before bed for visible results within just a month or so.

6. Tone, But Do It Wisely

Toning your skin can be a fabulous way to balance excess oil – but don’t fall into the trap of choosing a super astringent formula that will soak up too much oil as this will cause your skin to produce even more sebum as it tries to overcompensate for all the stuff you’ve stripped away. Instead, tone, for sure, but choose a more balanced, refreshing product that helps finish off your cleanse while preparing the skin for the rest of your regime. We love Ocean Minerals Super Toner which also contains glycolic acid for a little extra boost of exfoliation.

7. Keep Your Hydration Topped Up

OK, here’s the thing about dehydrated skin: ANY skin type can be dehydrated. This is because unlike dry skin which is genetic and thanks to insufficient oil, dehydration is a skin condition that can occur at any time and is all thanks to a lack of moisture. Oily skin, in particular, can get dehydrated very easily because you’re more likely to use more powerful skincare products on the reg while applying less intense moisturization.

To avoid your skin becoming unnecessarily dehydrated, make sure your routine contains plenty of humectant ingredients which draw moisture to the surface of your skin. Good ones include aloe vera, glycerin and the most popular of all, hyaluronic acid which you’ll find aplenty in our Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum. We like to apply this daily, after cleansing and toning, but BEFORE moisturizing.