7 Things I Did To Cure My Adult Acne

I sailed through my teenage years relatively spot-free and smugly thought I’d gotten away with it, but acne reared its ugly head on mine when I was 25. I was absolutely mortified.

My skin broke out about three months after I moved to Dubai and at first I thought it was a reaction to the climate. For the first few weeks they were everywhere, but my spots soon settled into a nasty, painful pattern along my jawline and on my cheeks and chin.

It took me a long time to accept the fact that I actually had acne, and not just a bad breakout.

It got to the point where strangers would comment on it and try to offer advice, and it really destroyed my confidence. I didn’t want to talk in meetings for fear of everyone staring at my face, and covering it with make-up just made it look worse.

I felt ashamed that I was so upset about my looks because let’s face it, there are people with real problems, but it’s all relative, isn’t it? It made me feel like crap and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

I went to the doctors a few times about it and after some very expensive blood tests, what I now think were unnecessary gyno appointments, and various creams and antibiotics that did absolutely nothing, I realised I’d probably never know the exact cause of my adult acne.

I think it was a combination of unbalanced hormones, a new climate and an unhealthy lifestyle. I rarely slept more than four hours a night when I was living in Dubai, I went out drinking at least twice a week and my diet suffered.

It’s now been over six months since I’ve been acne-free and although I don’t want to jinx it, I think I may have won my battle with acne. I shared a celebratory selfie on Instagram recently and quite a few people expressed an interest in reading a blog post about what helped my acne disappear. I’m no dermatologist but I do feel at least qualified through experience, to share a few things that helped!

Skincare advice is a departure from what I usually write about here, but I’ve decided to share my experience with acne because when I was suffering, I would have done absolutely anything to help it, and listened to any advice I could get.

How I got rid of my adult acne

1. I gave up milk

After doing some extensive research, I learned that dairy products – milk in particular – have added hormones that can mess with your skin.

I suspected my acne was caused by a hormonal problem, so I cut out the daily skinny latte I’d got in to the habit of drinking at work every morning. I substituted with soy milk and switched to americanos.

While some articles advised me to give up all dairy products, I’m not a massive cheese fiend so I still allow myself a cheeseburger or a splash of proper milk in my tea.

2. I improved my diet

It’s completely true that you get out what you put in when it comes to your body and skin, and my diet had deteriorated since moving to Dubai. I made a conscious effort to eat more salmon and started drinking a green superfood smoothie daily. I do think this helped a little.

Now that I’m back in the UK, I eat a lot more leafy greens and have a teaspoon of chia seeds every day in my breakfast.

3. I embraced natural remedies

Another foray down the rabbit hole on Google led me to the discover that honey is a wonderful acne remedy. I wasn’t keen on using lots of chemical products and definitely didn’t fancy taking harsh medication for my skin, so I turned to honey. This natural cure-all is antibacterial, moisturising and nourishing on your skin.

I applied raw natural honey to my face a few days a week and saw an improvement in the angriness of the spots. It didn’t cure my acne but it did help with the inflammation so it’s worth giving it a go on really bad days. My flatmates soon got used to seeing me with a shiny face!

4. I used Epiduo cream for the worst spots

I had this prescribed and saw an improvement within three days. My spots were visibly drying up (it looked a bit flaky and gross for a day or so) and no new ones appeared in the area I was applying it, but I didn’t like using such a harsh product.

I found this painful to use so I would only recommend a tiny dot on the spot itself – and only use it on the big buggers. It’s definitely not a long-term solution and I suspect that it contributed to the scars I’ve been left with.

5. I bought La Roche Posay products

I don’t want to throw the term miracle cure around haphazardly, but the biggest improvement to my acne came after I started using La Roche Posay products.

My doctor prescribed the Effaclar face wash and the duo cream and picked I it up from the pharmacy with zero expectations (I later found out you can just buy it in Boots). I’d already spent a fortune on different skin products, and I didn’t have high hopes for this stuff, but I was pleasantly surprised.

If you want to give this a go, it’s worth buying the Anti-blemish kit, or if you’d prefer to purchase products separately I recommend the Effaclar Purifying Cleansing Gel, Effaclar Clarifying Toner and Effaclar Duo [+] Anti-blemish Cream (the most important product, in my opinion).

I also tried the Avene Cleanance range, which had similar effects.

My acne marks were a really angry red colour when it first started to clear up but now I’m just dealing with the scarring. I’m using a PurePotions scar oil, which is a bit like Bio Oil. Once a week, I use an incredible (but pricey!) product called Bee Peel. I think it has helped to face my scars massively.

You can read about my current evening skincare routine here.

6. I started using toner

I never really understood what toner was for until a facialist explained to me that it closes your pores after cleansing. I always thought a good splash of cold water did the job, but now that I’m using toner I can definitely see a difference.

My current favourite toner is PIXI Retinol Tonic.

I imagine my pores clenching shut whenever I apply it, so no dirt or gross air can get in and cause eruptions. Fantastic.

7. I started getting regular facials

I’d never had a facial before I started suffering with adult acne. I kind of felt that they were a bit too indulgent to justify. Paying a stranger to wash your face and squeeze your spots? How terribly extravagant.

But actually, a proper scrub once a month is hugely beneficial – and also super relaxing.

I tried various facials at spas around Dubai and now that I’m back in the UK, I’ve been trying to keep up the habit. I’ve been looking for facials that focus on resurfacing the skin rather than detoxifying, now that the acne is gone.

8. I got more sleep

This is such a basic beauty tip but when I was younger I never really paid any attention to how much sleep I was getting. Then again, when I was 19 I could work from 9-5, go out at 11 and come home at 9 the next morning, grab a few hours then go back to the pub feeling fresh as a daisy. My body isn’t quite so resilient now!

When I was living in Dubai I had to get up at 5.30am to get to work at 7, and I’m a chronic night owl so I was permanently exhausted. Looking back at pictures, I didn’t look at all healthy during my time in Dubai and I genuinely think I had a touch of exhaustion when I first got back. All I wanted to do was sleep!

Now that I’m getting at least seven hours of sleep a night, I look and feel much better.

9. I protected my face from the sun

I’ve heard conflicting advice about how the sun affects acne. Some people reckon it dries spots out, others think sunlight makes it worse. I was obviously living in a hot country when I was suffering with acne and I think covering my face (wearing a hat in strong sunlight and using a high SPF) helped.

I was a bit of a sunbathing addict and I think that time in the sun made my scars worse. I’m super careful now when I go on holiday.

Obviously, this is just what I did to improve my skin, and everyone is different – but I hope this helps someone!

Acne really is a horrible thing to deal with and my heart goes out to anyone struggling with it.

It’s also worth checking with your doctor whether your pill (or lack of) is affecting your skin. I’d come off mine and thought that had something to do with it, but when I started again it didn’t make much difference.

Have you had, or do you still have bad skin? What are your best tips? I still get the odd spot on my chin and if anyone has any recommendations for products or treatments that might help my scars fade, I’m all ears.

Pin this