What is up with adult acne? I bet you sometimes feel like you’re 30 going on 13! Well, honey you’re not alone.
According to this NY Times article, “More adult women are getting pimples than ever before, according to a study presented in March at the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting. Today, clinical acne afflicts the complexions of 45 percent of women ages 21 to 30, 26 percent of women ages 31 to 40, and 12 percent of women ages 41 to 50, according to the study.”
Many women spend tons of money on sometimes dangerous acne treatments (can we say Accutane, which has been linked to birth defects and depression!!), lasers and all kinds of potions and lotions to deal with this dilemma.
The thing is, acne usually can’t be successfully treated from the outside, because it’s cause is entirely related to what’s happening on the inside. Given that the cause of acne goes deeper than your dermis, I’d say that keeping your hormones in check is actually more important than having the right skin-care regimen – although that is important too.
Disclaimer: I am no expert on skin care regimens but I’ll share mine below 🙂
So what is all this acne about anyway?
To get to the root of the cause we’ve got to talk about the liver. Newsflash: You’ve got to love your liver!
Your liver is this awesome organ that is an amazing detoxing machine. It keeps you healthy, but to do it’s job, it needs to be healthy too! It serves as your body’s engine, pantry, food processor and garbage disposal. It also maintains hormonal balance and regulates fat, digestion, and circulation.
Generally, the liver takes harmful substances and purifies them, then eliminates them from the body naturally via bile, urine and stool. But trouble starts when toxins enter the bloodstream faster than the liver can break them down; the liver becomes overwhelmed, sluggish and even toxic. These harmful substances include: pesticides, medications, Bisphenol-A and other chemicals found in our environment, hormones from food, the birth control pill and air pollution.
If you’ve got allergies, chemical sensitivities, constipation, skin issues, acne and weight gain, your liver may be hollering for help!
One of the biggest signs of a toxic liver is a something known as Estrogen Dominance or Estrogen Excess, which occurs when the liver is not properly breaking down estrogen that has been used by the body. These improperly broken down estrogens are then sent to the colon for removal.
Two things can happen:
This causes a back-log of sorts, and estrogens begin to re-circulate throughout the body. And, once they get to the colon (if a woman is constipated for instance), these estrogens could end up recirculating back into the bloodstream.
How does estrogen contribute to acne?
One of the ways in which we get acne is when androgens (male hormones) such as testosterone get turned into its more potent form called Dihydrotestosterone or DHT, via the action of an enzyme called 5 Alpha Reductase. DHT then causes sebum production to increase, leading to more oily skin, clogged pores and acne.
Adequate levels of progesterone help to prevent this by regulating the production of DHT in the body. It inhibits the activity of 5 Alpha Reductase and prevents it from turning testosterone into DHT. So, when your progesterone levels are normal, this will help to keep your DHT levels down. But when estrogen levels increase in relation to progesterone levels, all hell breaks loose!
This is how estrogen dominance over progesterone can cause acne. Of course acne doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and there are other causes too. I find it is usually coupled with some other menstrual or reproductive issue that results from high levels of estrogen in relation to its sister hormone progesterone and/or high androgens (male hormones like testosterone, DHT, DHEA and androstenedione).
Some of these include increased PMS, heavy periods, irregular periods, amenorrhea (missing periods), anovulatory cycles, and fertility problems. Other conditions connected to (but not caused by high estrogen) are endometriosis and PCOS, fibroids and adenomyosis. Check out my post on estrogen dominance and what you can do about it.
If you want to check your hormone levels you can get at-home hormone test kits from Lets Get Checked. Use code Hormones20 to get 20% off all their tests.
So, these are the 3 things you need to do to cure your adult acne.
- Improving your body’s estrogen detoxification and elimination
- Reducing testosterone and/or DHT levels in your body
- Getting your progesterone levels back up to normal
This requires diligence. Even if you get your progesterone levels back up to normal, you may still be producing way too many androgens (I’ll get to that in a minute).
One of the first things you can do is to help your liver out. This is why doing a liver cleanse a few times a year is so vitally important to your hormonal and overall health! I talk all about excess insulin, androgens and PCOS here if you want to know more.
What can you do to get rid of your hormonal acne?
#1 Get my Harness Your Hormones program to help improve your body’s detoxification of estrogens and other hormones. You’ll learn what your liver really does and why it is SO important to the health of your hormones and your skin. We cover estrogen dominance and a whole lot of other juicy stuff!!
#2 Cut out as many toxic skincare products as possible. Seriously, take a good look at the products you’re using for your acne now. How many of those ingredients can you even pronounce. Guess where they end up once they are absorbed by your skin into your bloodstream? Yup, they go straight to your already over-burdened liver for processing. See the products I use a few paragraphs below…
#3 Try using natural products on your skin instead. I’m obsessed with Annmarie Gianni Skincare. Annmarie Gianni uses pure, organic, wild-crafted ingredients in their products like various oils, raw honey, natural clay, herbs, and aloe vera to name a few. You can literally eat them if you wanted to!
#4 Cut out inflammation-causing foods. Think about it like this – acne is an inflammatory response to something happening within your body. It could be an over-burdened liver but it could also be related to food intolerances or allergies. Gluten, refined sugar, soy, corn and GMO foods are all culprits.
#5 Take back control of your blood sugar. High-glycemic-index carbohydrates like white bread and sugar-laden foods along with high-fructose foods aren’t just waistline saboteurs, they raise blood sugar and insulin levels, which increase androgens and breakouts in genetically susceptible women. This is because high levels of insulin cause your ovaries to produce more testosterone rather than estrogen. Make sure to include protein in each meal and snack and please please stay away from anything that will spike your blood sugar. My Fix Your Blood Sugar Protocol has got the goods!
#6 Try taking a broccoli extract supplement like DIM – I wrote an entire post about DIM, SGS and I3C. I’ve seen DIM work really well for acne.
#7 Slow down darling! Stress raises cortisol –> cortisol raises blood sugar –> blood sugar raises insulin. You now know what high insulin does to you. So, take a hard look at what is causing you to feel anxious, overwhelmed, stressed, unhappy and depressed. Remember, you have a lot more control over your life and what you choose to include in it than you might think. If you want to check your cortisol levels you can get this at home Cortisol Test to measure your adrenal performance and stress. Be sure to use code Hormones20 at checkout to get 20% off the test. Read all about cortisol and it’s effects on your body here.
My face care regimen
Lastly, I promised I’d share my beauty regimen with you! I’ll be honest and tell you I’ve never dealt with acne or oily skin (I know, sorry!), but I’ve got my own issues with seriously dry skin that has sun damage (melasma) from being on the pill for five years and spending way too much time in the sun as a kid. I was and still am a beach baby, except now I wear sunscreen and not olive oil. Yes, I used to do that!
I’ve got a mix of things going on in my routine, and use a combo of Acure, Ilia Beauty, Tarte Cosmetics (not the best but can’t win ’em all!), and Annmarie Gianni Skincare products (you can get a free sample kit here – just enter your email and choose your kit on the next page).
Face Washing & Moisturizing
I wash my face with the Annemarie Gianni Citrus Mint Cleanser. I also like their Aloe Herb Cleanser. I only wash my face with a cleanser at night though, and in the morning I just use water and a wash cloth (because, dry skin).
I moisturize with Acure Radically Rejuvenating Cream and Annmarie Gianni Anti-Aging Eye Cream.
I also use Heritage Rose Water on my face morning and night. Everyone I know who uses Rose Water has the most glowing gorgeous skin!
Once or twice a week I use the Annmarie Gianni Purifying Mud Mask and Acure Brightening Scrub (I alternate between the two).
Makeup
For makeup I use Annmarie Gianni Minerals Multipurpose Foundation in Sand and Olive. I mix them both because that gives me the best color.
I love the Ilia Beauty, The Lip Bar and Well People lip glosses and the rest of my makeup is by Tarte – which I know isn’t the cleanest makeup brand, but it works for me right now. 80/20 right? I use their Lights Camera Lashes Mascara, Amazonian Clay Bronzer, and Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation (which is actually a face powder).
10 thoughts on “What’s up with Adult Acne?”
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I’ve had some health issues lately which the side effect is hormonal imbalance and stress, which obviously wreak havoc on the skin! My face has been breaking out like crazy, so I decided to try something more natural in the last ditch effort to help. I have only used the Dermalmd acne serum one night and my skin is already different. I’m very impressed with the serum already! The products smell fresh and clean, not like chemicals! Highly recommend!
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I was prescribed spironolactone for acne. Can I take DIM as well? I’m two months into it and still with clusters of breakout on my chin
Love this article! You are sharing the great info about adult acne. I really like this article. Thanks a lot for sharing.
What about acne (and PCOS) but with progesterone dominance? How are things different?
Hi Nicole,
I too have dry skin, and I usually get Melasma on my cheeks. It’s disgusting and itchy. I use a very mild facial cleanser (Cetaphil), and I use an Argan oil based toner. I like them, and they seem to do the job. I also don’t usually get pimples, only when and if I forget to take my makeup off before I sleep (not again!). But you’re right, to have a healthy skin, you have to have a healthy body. Thanks for sharing!
This is awesome! So glad to see someone talking about the real root causes of acne, hormones and the liver! I’m so glad I found your site. Thanks for the great info.
I’m so glad you mentioned melasma! Can you tell me what if anything you have done to treat it? I have a really embarrassing patch that looks like a mustache, and was afraid to treat it with the Tri-Luma cream my dermatologist prescribed because of the corticosteroid it contains. It got so bad though that I couldn’t cover it with makeup any longer and was forced to use the cream (which is very expensive!). I battled PCOS for years until I got it under control ten years ago with diet and exercise (to much of both for a while, but I’m coming to a better place with my newfound hyper restrictive tendencies), and after that was diagnosed with Hashimotos, for which I take Armour thyroid. It seems like one problem kind of leads to another problem, and I’d hate to be this far into my life, feeling like the worst is behind me, only to use a topical cream for and cosmetic flaw that throws everything off balance again! Any info you can provide would be much appreciated.