A few months ago I posted a TikTok about my adult acne as I had a couple months of frankly horrific skin. It’s had 100s of saves so I thought I would share how I ‘fixed’ my skin. Whilst I appreciate it isn’t the worst case ever, it was the worst my skin had ever been in my life and I REALLY struggled as a teenager.
I had found that my neck and jawline especially was becoming inflamed and nearly every day a new blemish would appear. They weren’t my usual once in a while spots but hefty under the skin ones that felt like nothing would calm them down, except maybe just time but even then, more would replace them.
I then decided it must be hormonal as I have never been ‘right’ since having my daughter two years ago. I spoke to my GP who recommended going back on the pill and a course of skin specific antibiotics for six weeks. I was hesitating about going back on the pill but long story short it has actually helped me massively and calmed some hefty mood issues so definitely a good option even from that basis alone. I am sure that the antibiotics did nothing.
Before I get into the products I recommend, stress was probably the biggest contributor to my skin erupting because when I eliminated and reduced many of the biggest stressors in my life, I noticed significant changes to my mood, skin, appetite and how many spots appeared. So if you can look at reducing stress levels and find ways to improve your mental health, definitely add it to the list of things to change up and consider!
So onto the products that have helped not only during the worst acne flare ups but also have seen me through now it is considerably better:
Products I recommend for dealing with adult acne
The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Balm
This stuff took a bit of time for me to really appreciate but I think we’re all pretty clued up now that oils aren’t a bad thing for spots and quite possibly a great thing. This Body Shop cleanser turns into a balmy oily texture when massaged into the skin and it really does remove every trace of makeup. I love it for heavy makeup days as it’s so simple to use and for the type of product it is, it is relatively affordable as it’s competitor products, such as Emma Hardie, are significantly more.
John Lewis Face Cloths
Hear me out, a hugely simple change to make and probably one that everyone else does anyway. Using a new face cloth for every night’s makeup removal. I particularly like these John Lewis ones as they are soft but can rub away makeup and wash well. A new cloth every night means I’m not rubbing last night’s dirt on my face. I think my Liz Earle cloths used to say air dry and rinse after each use so I used to think I could reuse them but flannels have worked so much better at cleaning my skin fully.
Anything with hyaluronic acid in it!
Sometimes the skin just needs a good drink and I found with my acne, my face responded really well to hydrating products. I used the Medik8 Hydr8 B5 mostly and this really does give an intense shot of hydration when used alongside a moisturiser. Although this is a high end version, The Ordinary, Inky List and other brands now offer hyaluronic acid products at great prices. This helped soften my skin, restore some glow and give it a nice vitamin boost! The Sephora moisturiser is what I’m currently using to help keep the moisture levels up and this contains a bit of HA too. This is a nice and simple, unfragranced moisturiser that ticks the box without any major claims which is ideal when you’re dealing with skincare issues.
One off blemish targeted treatments.
If you’re looking to really nail the routine for adult acne, then Medik8’s blemish control pads were a great shot of salicylic acid, didn’t sting and provided a chance for my acne to be targeted. I also used the Cerave Blemish Face Wash which I’ve recently reviewed and also used the Medik8 blemish gel on the occasional larger spots that needed direct product. I found the gel useful under makeup as well as using a few times a day to really help bring the bump/redness down.
Chemical Peel
Now chemical peels aren’t your relaxing, easy going facials you find on your spa days! The Alumier chemical peel is performed using medical grade skincare that helps to improve skin texture and tone. An acid is applied to the skin to lower the PH which loosens skin cells, provides exfoliation and new skin cell growth. This is ideal if your acne is calm enough and unlikely to sting from products. I really love the results of a chemical peel as it feels like something happens and you can see results pretty quickly. Your local salon will be able to advise on how many treatments are best for you but I know if my skin even gets a hint of acne again soon, I’ll be booking this facial in because it really does work!
Probiotics!
I could write about probiotics until the cows come home. We give Romilly probiotics pretty much everyday in drop form in her milk and have done for about a year since her eczema got severe. Whilst there’s no medical studies to say they make a difference for eczema, I believe it really has helped calm it and helps her gut too. It’s one of those that there’s no harm in taking it and it’s useful to keep your immune system happy too.
So long story short, I thought if she’s taking them, maybe I should too! Especially after taking antibiotics from my doctor, I tried to heal the gut as the gut is often telling you something is wrong through your skin. I used the Optibac adult gummies which are super easy to eat and taste a bit like a strawberry wine gum. One a day is all you need and the results can be seen after two weeks or so with regular consumption. I found it helped with bloating too which is always an added bonus.
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I hope this is somewhat useful to you all if you’re dealing with one spot or tons, it’s a battle but you can fix it! This was my skin at it’s worst at Christmas, now I couldn’t actually tell you when I last had a blemish!
