Adult acne, hormonal breakouts and pimples – they’re way more common than you think (especially with the gals)!
The biggest culprit is… HORMONES!
Menstrual cycles, coming off the pill, falling pregnant, breastfeeding, menopause and stress all trigger hormone changes where androgens are produced. And this can wreak havoc when it comes to your skin.
You’ll find that hormonal acne is usually in the bottom half of your face, especially around your jawline.
There are some other causes of adult acne and pimples too...
Air pollution – City life is fun but the country air is better for your skin. City pollution can place a layer of crud on your face that clogs up pores faster than a wet wipe flushed down the toilet.
Overdoing the skincare – Yep too much of a good thing is bad. The most common is over cleansing and over exfoliating. You can’t scrub pimples away! Be mindful of using too much makeup too (if your makeup is poor quality, it’s just as bad as air pollution).
Food Sensitivities – The evidence is still a little fuzzy but in our personal experience it plays a role. Now, finding the foods which are an issue can take some time but two common ones are dairy and grains (especially wheat).
Sugar– Sugar spikes your insulin which triggers your body to produce androgens which causes more oil production.
Vitamin deficiency – If you’re missing some key vitamins and minerals from your diet, it can mean breakout city. Some of the vitamins that are closely linked to adult acne are Vitamins A, D, E, zinc and magnesium.
Naturally Oily Skin – Some of us are just a bit unlucky and our skin is naturally oily. The good news is that those of us with oily skin will get less fine lines as we get older.
12 tips for keeping hormonal and adult acne under control
- Always follow your 3 Step skincare routine morning and night, and use a mask like the Pig In Mud Mineral Mask twice per week
- Exfoliate 1-2 times per week (your Pig In Mud Mineral Mask doubles as an exfoliator or check out the This Is Me Enzyme Exfoliating Mask)
- Minimise makeup
- Drink plenty of water
- Exercise (sweating lots helps!)
- Keep your hair clean (don’t over-do the conditioner).
- Change your pillowcase regularly
- Clean your phone (bacteria haven!)
- Get enough sleep. This can be a hard one if you are Mum with little ones.
- Never touch your face (unless you’re doing your morning/night routine or have clean hands)
- You can spray a blemish-fighting toner like Tickled Pink Clarifying Tonic and wipe with a cotton makeup pad during the day if you’re feeling some oil build up. This is also good to do if you work in a city and spend more than 30 mins outside to remove any pollution film.
- Look at your diet and eat as cleanly as possible. Good digestion results in good skin. The 80/20 rule doesn’t work in this case. Even small amounts of the wrong food can be enough. Truth bomb: Even though a food is healthy it still could be a problem!
Which skincare products are best for adult acne?
You’ll need:
- Non-drying cleanser that’s going to give you a really deep cleanse (this will depend on your skin type)
- Blemish-fighting toner/tonic (try the Tickled Pink Clarifying Tonic)
- Good quality, non-pore-clogging moisturiser to help with healing (again this depends on your skin type)
- Detoxifying mineral mask to draw out impurities (try the Pig In Mud Mineral mask or Mud About You Pink Clay Mask)
- Gentle but super-effective scrub (try the This Is Me Enzyme Exfoliating Mask)
These goodies are all available in our facial sample packs. We've got 3 different sample packs, one for each skin type - normal/dry, combination, and oily.
A reminder
By following your 3 Step routine (cleanse/treat/moisturise) twice a day, and throwing in some mineral mask and scrub action twice a week each, you’re giving your skin every chance to beat those breakouts.
Just make sure you do your mask and scrub on different days to avoid overdoing things.
And don’t forget - there’s more to it than just skincare! You’ll still have to have a stab at following our 12 tips.
If your acne is hormonal then it may never completely go away but you WILL reduce the number of pimples you’re getting and they’ll heal a LOT faster and without leaving long-lasting marks.
Here’s to makeup-free days, just because you can :)
