These are the Only 4 Things That Helped My Adult Acne
Being in your late-20s or early-30s is magical in so many ways. You’ve made it past all the BS of being 21-adjacent and now you’re onto bigger things like careers, steady relationships and owning furniture that comes from places other than Target. If you’re anything like me, you’ve also developed a new found confidence in yourself and the person you’ve become (& are still becoming). That is, until adult onset acne comes to ruin your whole damn day.
I never had perfect skin, but it was pretty good and I rarely had any big pimples or breakouts I couldn’t cover up. By the time I hit 25, I figured I was in the clear and now all I needed to worry about was preventing wrinkles. But, my oh my, was I wrong. Not long before turning 26, I went off birth control for the first time in 9 years and my skin revolted.
Constant breakouts, huge cysts and many tears later I was desperate to find a solution. I read every article I could about skincare and became obsessive about changing my pillowcases and keeping my hair off my face. I bought every product that someone somewhere had had success with. I did everything I could think of and nothing worked. At this point, let’s be honest, I would have sold a kidney to try to fix my constant, painful breakouts. Fortunately, it didn’t come to that. Below are the only three things that actually helped my adult acne.
1. Tretinoin
If you’ve been anywhere near skincare related-content on TikTok, Reddit, Insta, you name it, you’ve probably heard of tretinoin, otherwise known as tret. Tretinoin is a retinoid, or vitamin-A derivative, that is the gold-standard for both acne treatment and anti-aging. It also helps to speed up skin cell turnover which means older acne marks and scars will slowly disappear. The catch? It can be pretty drying and might take awhile to get used to because your skin might need to purge before it clears. A big bummer, but def worth it in the long run. True tretinoin is only available by prescription through a dermatologist, but you can also get it through online dermatology providers like Apostrophe or Curology. However, the good news is there are plenty of retinol alternatives that will have similar effects. Like this option from Peach & Lily or this budget-friendly option from CeraVe.
2. Spironolactone
Unfortunately, this option also has to come from a dermatologist, like Curology or Apostrophe, but I promise it’s worth it. Spironolactone is a unique acne-fighting option because it was originally created to be used as a diuretic but don’t let that scare you off. It works by slowing down your body’s production of androgens, aka testosterone, the hormone that’s the biggest culprit for your acne. For that reason, it’s only used to treat acne in women because testosterone stores aren’t as important for us. Within a few weeks of taking Spironolactone my skin started to improve and the oiliness calmed down. By month three it was almost entirely clear again. Just look at the photos below, they tell the whole story.
3. CeraVe Products
Fortunately, this one is pretty simple and straightforward - simplifying my skincare routine. During my skincare journey, I tried every bell and whistle which ultimately made things worse and damaged my skin barrier. To fix it, I scaled back from doing the most and swapped to using old, tried and true products from CeraVe. For me, the Foaming Face Wash paired with a combination of moisturizers like this AM lotion with SPF, this nighttime lotion and this moisturizing cream when I needed a little extra richness. Not only did this make my life easier, but it made my wallet a lot happier.
4. Rael Pimple Patches
On the journey to clear skin you’re going to have plenty of, shall we say, not so clear moments. To keep myself sane, these pimple patches were a must. Not only did they help with healing, they prevented me from picking at my skin which is one of my biggest downfalls. By just sticking one of these bad boys on, my pimples would be noticeable smaller by the next day. The only downside is that they don’t always work on pimples that are under the skin.
Together, those four things truly changed my life.
