How To Manage Acne At Every Age
Acne can be a total confidence killer no matter how old you are. But the good news is that you can manage it at any age with the right approach.
Whether you’re a teen dealing with those first breakouts or an adult facing unexpected flare-ups, I’ve got the lowdown from leading experts and our top skincare brands.
In this post, I share the best tips and tricks for tackling acne, no matter your life stage. Read through to learn how to get your skin back on track!
First, I asked Dr Alia Ahmed, Consultant Physchodermatologist for Vichy and La Roche-Posay, to explain what happens to skin as we age for context…
What happens to our skin as we age?
“When we are young, our skin plump and full of elastin and collagen. In our teen years, our hormones stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum (oil) which can lead to enlarged pores, blemishes and blackheads.
In adult skin, we notice fine lines starting to appear, our skin might have become drier but at the same time, adult acne is still very common. Collagen and elastin have started to decrease around the mouth, cheeks and jowl area. Pigmentation may start to appear on the skin.
Perimenopause and menopause make it harder for your skin to retain moisture and you may experience redness, dryness, dull-looking skin and you might even become blemish prone. Collagen and elastin have decreased again, resulting in deepened lines and visible wrinkles and pigmentation from sun damage may be present.” – Dr Alia Ahmed
Then, Erborian Expert, Diane Blanquart talked me through how and why we get adult acne so that I could fully understand the bigger picture.
Why do we get adult acne?
“Acne is part of life, 90% of the population have or will be affected by acne in their lifetime, from teenage years to adulthood, from blemishes to cystic acne.
It affects all genders and skin types & tones. To help your skin be the best it can be, you must first understand that your lifestyle can play a big part in your skin’s appearance.
Stress is the biggest trigger for a lot of acne sufferers, along with using harsh and abrasive acne treatments that damages the skin barrier resulting in redness and drying out the skin, which can lead to excess oil production. Diane Blanquart, Erborian Trainer.
Diane recommends Erborian Centella Acne Care, which can help soothe and treat the skin with the power duo of Centella, which limits inflammation reactions in the epidermis, and Panthenol, which boosts hydration and strengthens the skin’s barrier. This power duo instantly relieves the skin and offers long-lasting comfort, helping you feel confident in your skin.
Expert Tips For Teens and Adults
For Teens
1. Keep your routine simple
“Teenage acne tends to appear more due to internal factors influencing it such as increased hormone production during puberty. Alongside that, teens need to be educated on the importance of having a simple and effective skincare routine with a real focus on gentle deep cleansing, controlling excess sebum (oil production), using lightweight formulas and introducing chemical exfoliation where possible. Adult acne is also caused too by hormonal changes but other external factors play a role such as chronic stress and the natural ageing process.” – Gemma Jones, Bioderma Trainer
2. Put down the harsh facial scrubs
“I know from personal experience suffering cystic acne as a teenager, there is this urge to want to exfoliate and deeply cleanse your skin when your breakouts are particularly bad. It’s no wonder when acne is often linked to words like ‘bad bacteria’ or ‘oiliness’ however, over-cleansing or harsh exfoliants (chemical or physical) can strip your skins already delicate barrier and aggravate the breakouts even more. When you see angry, red skin my tip is be gentle and less is more.” – Natasha Feros, Senior Innovation Manager at Vida Glow.
3. Be mindful of stripping the skin
“At this age, our skin is quite sensitive and you don’t want to use any products or ingredients which could be too harsh. Avoid using active ingredients such as Retinol as young, sensitive skin may experience irritation and it can damage the skin barrier. If you are using products containing Salicylic Acid, you don’t need to use a facial scrub too, this can over-exfoliate skin and result in irritation as well.” Dr Alia Ahmed, Consultant Physchodermatologist for La Roche-Posay.
Dr Alia Ahmend recommends the Effaclar skincare range, which targets oily and blemish-prone skin from all directions and aligns with my approach. Most impressive is the commitment to tackling the blemish-induced outcomes that bother my clients long after the active blemishes have gone (e.g. post-acne pigmentation, dryness).”
4. Wash your hands and avoid touching your face
“There is a statistic that we touch our face more than 50 times every hour. When it comes to acne, you need to avoid touching and re-infecting already inflamed skin. Be conscious of personal hygiene during a bad breakout. Sanitise common items like your phone, laptop, your hands, sunglasses, jewellery – anything your skin comes in frequent contact with. And when you sanitise, wait for the product to dry before allowing it to come in contact with your skin to avoid exposing your breakouts to harsh and dehydrating alcohols.” – Natasha Feros, Senior Innovation Manager at Vida Glow.
5. Tiktok might be the problem
“I love Tiktok, don’t get me wrong but everyday there is a new ‘cure’ or ‘best skin ever’ product, practice or service that the algorithm is serving you. Doing it all is worse than doing nothing in my opinion. Mixing chlorophyll drops with high frequency therapy with micro-needling pimple patches all washed down with a celery juice diet in theory could offer some skin benefits – but not all at once. Not only will it break the bank but will likely break you out. When it comes to treating acne, I would really recommend a more measured approach supervised by your doctor and skin therapist. Treating acne requires a slow and steady, tortoise vs. the hare approach, so if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” – Natasha Feros, Senior Innovation Manager at Vida Glow.
For Your 20s-30s
1. Don’t skip SPF
“UVA rays gradually affect our skin elasticity and cause skin ageing whilst UVB rays cause burning and skin damage. Therefore, applying SPF 50+ daily is an important step for an anti-ageing routine.” – Dr Alia Ahmed, Consultant Physchodermatologist for Vichy.
Dr Alia Ahmed Recommends: Daily sun protection is vital to any skincare routine. It’s easy to build sun protection into your skincare routine using a daily SPF such as Vichy’s Capital Soleil UV Clear Daily SPF50+, formulated specifically for blemish-prone skin. It is important to use a daily SPF with a high protection factor, even on cloudy days, to protect skin from UV damage.
2. Take note of your cycle
“One of the leading causes of skin breakouts is hormone fluctuations. In the second half of your menstrual cycle (after ovulation) progesterone levels rise. This increase in progesterone can stimulate the production of sebum, the oily substance produced by the skin’s sebaceous glands. Excess sebum, along with dead skin cells and bacteria, can clog pores and lead to acne breakouts. It’s common (and cruel) that in the days leading up to your period your skin can breakout, particularly around the chin or jawline – this is known as hormonal acne. My recommendation is in the leadup to your period and for those first few days, focus on a paired back skincare routine, apply minimal & good quality breathable makeup (like minerals) and try and avoid processed foods and alcohol to avoid aggravating or dialling up skin inflammation.” – Natasha Feros, Senior Innovation Manager at Vida Glow.
Natasha recommends Vida Glow Clear, a beautiful vegan algal DHA and linseed oil blend that helps improve skin structural integrity.
2. Retinol could be your new best friend
“Remember pimples and wrinkles? Retinol can help with both. If you’re new to retinol or topical Vitamin A, start with a low dose and cycle the product in your night-time skincare routine. Dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe recommends a 4-day skin cycle to minimise irritation and maximise results.
Night 1. Chemically exfoliate + moisturiser
Night 2. Retinol + moisturiser sandwich
Night 3. And 4. Moisturiser only
Repeat” – Natasha Feros, Senior Innovation Manager at Vida Glow.
3. Take a holistic approach to acne
“When we look at our skin, what we see in the mirror is only the epidermis or the topmost layer of our skin. Our skin is the largest organ in our body, and most of the work happens deep within – including (unfortunately) acne. When we look to treat acne, most options we think of are topical, but to really treat acne you need a bidirectional or inside-out approach.
When we were working on the formulation for Vida Glow’s Clear, we wanted to address the root causes of acne. It’s why our formulation is filled with probiotics, algal oils and Vitamin A (ingestible retinol) to reduce inflammation, manage sebum (oil control) and balance skin barrier function. Clear works with the skin, not against it – a specific Acne supplement to gently but effectively clear breakouts.” – Natasha Feros, Senior Innovation Manager at Vida Glow.
4. Understand adult acne is different to teen acne
“My top tip would be understanding that those with adult acne need to treat their skin differently than those with teenage or younger acne. This is become the skin becomes more sensitive in adult acne (largely due to the natural ageing process) than in adolescent acne, therefore, topical treatments that you may have used in the past can become more difficult to tolerate. So instead of going in with tempting high percentage active ingredients that could further irritate the skin, you are better off with a multifunctional active that is able to be both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory to counteract this sensitivity. One ingredient to consider is propolis as it is a real hero ingredient for those suffering with adult acne.
Why? It is a waxy substance from beeswax that bees use to create their nests because it has strong antibacterial and antimicrobial properties that keep the hive sanitised. And at the same time, propolis is also very anti-inflammatory and antioxidant rich and has been used for thousands of years for its wound healing effects, helping with the appearance of any marks on the left over on the skin and even promoting collagen production! All in all, propolis can really target the biological causes of acne without being too aggressive on the neighbouring skin cells.” – Gemma Jones Brand Trainer for Institut Esthederm
Gemma recommends Institut Esthederm’s Intensive Propolis range is specifically formulated for adult acne-prone skin comprising of a whole routine based on the active benefits of propolis: a gentle cleanser, a serum with salicylic acid and a mattifying face moisturiser which will work on protecting adult acne skin, treat acne blemishes, treat the aftermath of acne such as texture issues and marks and ultimately decrease skin inflammation and promote better skin repair.
5. Adult acne can take longer to heal
“Adult acne is also caused too by hormonal changes but other external factors play a role such as chronic stress and the natural ageing process. Adult skin biologically becomes much less resilient than teenager skin and will begin to have a slower cellular turnover, will take longer to heal, and is more likely to experience sensitivity, pigmentation and early premature signs of ageing such as fine lines and wrinkles. This can mean treating adult acne is tricker as a lot is happening within the skin and you don’t want to make other skin issues worse with harsh acne treatments.” – Gemma Jones, Bioderma Brand Trainer
Gemma recommends that Bioderma’s Sebium range has tailored solutions for both teens with acne and those continuing to experience adult acne symptoms and premature signs of ageing. Sebium Kerato+ is an exfoliating daily moisturiser to treat mild acne. Sebium Hydra Moisturiser is a moisturising and nourishing complimentary care for severe acne for teens undertaking acne medical prescription treatment that could be drying out their skin. For adult acne, there is Sebium Foaming Gel, which reduces sebum secretion and purifies the skin thanks to the Fluidactiv® sebum-correcting complex, and Sebium Serum, which is specially formulated to reduce blemishes and acne marks while visibly reducing the appearance of fine lines.
For Your 40s-50s+
1. Don’t be embarrassed
“Women aged 40+ are entering the perimenopause phase, a period that can last anywhere from 7-10 years. As of 2020, 44% of women globally were unaware of what perimenopause was until they personally began having symptoms ranging from hot flushes to irregular periods and breakouts. The reason for this is biological – As estrogen levels decline and testosterone spikes, it’s common for more than 25% of women to experience some form of adult acne, so know you are not alone.” – Natasha Feros, Senior Innovation Manager at Vida Glow.
2. Don’t fear oils
“Oils and acne are typically not words commonly seen together but don’t fear richer creams and serums. Look for products tested to be non-comedogenic (won’t clog or block your pores), and even during periods of breakouts, nourish the skin with moisture and lipid-loving products to keep your skin barrier strong.” – Natasha Feros, Senior Innovation Manager at Vida Glow.
3. Look after your mental health
“Stress and anxiety have been widely linked to worsened skin health conditions. Stress causes rising levels of cortisol, which triggers inflammation in the skin. A 2022 US survey showed that 70% of women experienced worsened skin during stress and burnout. Another reason to prioritise rest and self-care – your body, mind and skin will thank you.” – Natasha Feros, Senior Innovation Manager at Vida Glow.
Discover More:
Understanding Acne and The Expert Tips You Need To Control It