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beauty

THE ADULT ACNE STRUGGLE IS REAL: Here’s What Acne is Like in My 40s

By Sarah Howard
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 Photo credit @sarahrhoward
@sarahrhoward

Growing up, I thought there’d be an age where I’d stop breaking out. I distinctly remember my high school acne era and the only thing getting me through was that by the time I was in college, my breakouts would be obsolete. 

That didn’t happen. In fact, my acne doubled down in my twenties. I was prescribed Accutane a few times (will save that experience for another post). Then, my thirties were a decade of sporadic breakouts. And my current decade—40s? Ugh. Let’s just say my hormones are not happy with me, and they’re starting a war on my face.

My derm told me my most current breakout was “genetic” and “hormonal,” which, honestly, I feel is a cop-out. He said it had nothing to do with what I was eating or the products I was putting on my skin. 

But since this isn’t my first acne rodeo, I knew to switch up some things immediately. 

First things first: pare down the skincare routine. Take away all fragrance, oils, and actives. I do have a few products in my everyday rotation that contain fragrance, and my skin usually doesn’t have a bad reaction to a bit of scent. But when I’m in a full-blown flare-up, I remove all fragrances. 

As far as oils are concerned, I eliminate any product that has any oil in any ingredient placement. I get super specific: even the oils that derms say are healthy for oily and acne-prone skin (here’s looking at you jojoba), I take out of my routine. 

As far as actives are concerned, this is a real push-pull because when I’m breaking out, I crave actives to tame my acne. But for the first few days of a bad breakout, I try my best to get rid of all actives—except to spot treat. When it comes to spot treating, I stick with salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide, but glycolic acid is a decent choice too. (I incorporate glycolic back into my routine once I’ve gotten the inflammation down.) 

The reason to remove actives is because any sort of breakout is really your skin’s cry for help, which likely means your acid mantle is out of whack. Actives just perpetuate this cycle, so what you need to do is nurse the barrier back to health before you eviscerate it with acids and retinoids.

I also remove fluoride from my toothpaste, as it’s been linked to perioral dermatitis, only use washcloths once, and change pillowcases nightly. (I do the latter two always, but just plugging it here as a reminder to people who may not be as hygienically obsessive as I am.)

Here’s What Acne is Like in My 40s
(Before photo) @sarahrhoward
Here’s What Acne is Like in My 40s
(After photo) @sarahrhoward

Here are the products I used during this current months-long breakout that made a difference:

Shop Gentle Everyday Cleanser
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Gentle Everyday Cleanser

Price: $21
Tahnyc

A super simple, pH-balancing face wash without oils or actives. This is my ride-or-die cleanser for when my skin freaks out.

Shop Argan Oil 2% Pyrithione Zinc Bar Soap
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Argan Oil 2% Pyrithione Zinc Bar Soap

Price: $10
Noble Formula

Yes, I really just waxed poetic about removing all oils. But for some reason, maybe because I’m washing this off, my skin can handle the argan oil. I use this more like a mask, applying the goo onto my skin and letting it penetrate for 5 to 10 minutes … then rinse off. It helps tame and soothe my acne without adding actives or harsh ingredients that will strip my skin.

Shop SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray
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SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray

Price: $28
Tower 28

This is a new addition, but one that I love. It’s a refreshing spray that can be used in lieu of a toner, and hypochlorous acid is antibacterial while also being incredibly soothing, so it’s great for acne and redness. 

Shop Save My Skin Serum
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Save My Skin Serum

Price: $42
Lumion

My facialist, Gina Mari, introduced me to this product because I wanted hydration, but everything I was using was irritating my skin. It only has four ingredients, all of which are incredible for barrier health. It’s the consistency of water, but leaves my skin quenched and soothed. I’m a convert.

Shop Glass Skin Water-Gel Moisturizer
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Glass Skin Water-Gel Moisturizer

Price: $43
Peach & Lily

Again, my skin was screaming for hydration, but every moisturizer was making me purge—except this one. It’s so gentle, free of fragrance and oil, and the gel consistency is incredibly soothing (I need to get a new adjective, I know… but it’s true. I was looking for products that would calm my skin, not irritate it).

I was also using a prescription barrier repair cream that I have mixed feelings about. I needed it because, clearly, my barrier was a mess. But it contains a few ingredients that don’t agree with my skin, so I was still getting some pretty massive pimples. 

Shop Miracle Mask
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Miracle Mask

Price: $39
Lumion

To spot treat, I used the Lumion Miracle Mask. It’s crazy good at drying up zits. Only five simple ingredients make this purifying mask a mainstay in my skincare rotation. I continue to apply it as a weekly face mask and just leave it on for 10 minutes.

After about a week, I re-introduced a few acids in the form of the following products:

Shop Clear Cell Salicylic Gel Cleanser
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Clear Cell Salicylic Gel Cleanser

Price: $36
Image Skincare

I love this foaming cleanser. It has salicylic acid, which helps ward off bacteria, but it’s more gentle than other SA cleansers I’ve tried.

Shop Bioglycolic Face Cleanser
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Bioglycolic Face Cleanser

Price: $46
Jan Marini

I’d trade off between this wash and the Image cleanser above. Bioglycolic’s key ingredient is glycolic acid, and it’s definitely more aggressive for me, but it really helps to keep acne at bay. I apply and leave on for one to three minutes to really let it do its thing … then rinse.

Shop Bioclear Face Cream
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Bioclear Face Cream

Price: $90
Jon Marini

They make this in a serum that they call a lotion, but I find it to be too drying unless I’m in a humid climate, so the cream is my go-to. It’s definitely heavy, and only a pea-sized amount is needed. It contains the trifecta of acids: glycolic, azelaic, and salicylic. When my skin was able to tolerate it (around Week Four), I began reintroducing this as an every-third-night face cream (because I use a prescription retinoid two days on, one day off). This stuff works, but it’s incredibly active so use with care.

Shop Phototherapy 7-Colored LED Mask
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Phototherapy 7-Colored LED Mask

Price: $199
Mirabella Beauty

For tools, I’d use our newest 7-light LED cordless face mask, and it’s a dream for maintenance. Blue light helps kill bacteria, so that was my go-to, but I’d switch it up with red and green too.

If anyone has an amazing, oil-free, fragrance-free, active-free daily moisturizer that helps maintain the skin barrier while also not causing milia :), DM me and let me know! I’ve tried most of the viral ones, and they still make me break out. Sigh.

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