Katie’s Skincare Secrets: Dealing with Adult Acne

Struggling with adult acne? QC Makeup Academy’s Student Ambassador, Katie Stegeman, is here to help! As a graduate of QC’s Skincare Course, Katie is an internationally-certified Skincare Consulting Professional. This article is the first in our brand-new blog series, “Katie’s Skincare Secrets”.

Hi! My name is Katie Stegeman and I’m a graduate of QC Makeup Academy’s Skincare Course. Today, I’m here to talk about adult acne. This topic is near and dear to me, as I’m someone who has definitely struggled with adult acne for a while. Hopefully, the tips I offer you today will help you overcome your struggle, too.

Adult Acne 101

‘Adult acne’ is acne that occurs after the age of 25. There’s no one specific reason why an adult gets acne. The reality is, it can be caused by many different factors.

If you fall into this category, you might be wondering why this is happening to your skin. What are the specific factors affecting YOU? Furthermore, how can you deal with it properly?

Narrowing down the specific cause of your acne can sometimes feel like a struggle. The culprit might be hormonal, but it can also be caused by excess oil or bacteria on the skin, clogged pores, etc. It can also be the body’s way of telling you that there’s inflammation inside that needs to be addressed.

For some adults, acne can be a brand-new issue. If skin-related issues have never been a concern before, dealing with now can be challenging. Not to mention, it can become an ongoing issue that just never seems to get better. Personally, I fall into the second category. I’ve struggled with acne for nearly 20 years, so believe me, I get it.

However, as of late, I feel like I’ve finally gotten on top of things.

Dealing with Acne as an Adult

There are 2 parts to dealing with adult acne: finding the cause and finding the solution.

For me, finding the solution and committing to the necessary treatments has been a struggle. The cause of my acne as a teen was definitely puberty. Since then, that has changed. Currently, my acne is being triggered by pregnancy hormones, a high sugar diet, and inflammation issues.

When it comes to your situation, there are certain questions you can ask yourself to help narrow down where the problem is stemming from. For example:

Environmental issues, such as environment or climate, can also affect your skin issues. But here’s the GOOD news: there are many ways to deal with adult acne, depending on what you feel is causing it.

As such, I have 4 major tips that can help:

1. Find the cause;
2. Figure out your skin type;
3. Determine the correct products you should be using;
4. And be consistent with your skincare routine!

Breaking Down My 4 Tips for Dealing with Adult Acne

Tip #1: Find the Cause

My first tip to help you combat adult acne is to find the cause behind it. Analyzing your lifestyle and determining what’s causing your acne is the best first step in getting rid of it.

Here are 3 easy things you can try, to see if they help improve your skin:

Taking a look at your day-to-day life and analyzing what could possibly be your triggers will be the biggest step in fighting adult acne. And remember: if you’re completely unsure and need professional guidance, that’s okay! You can always book an appointment with a dermatologist and they can work with you to pinpoint the cause(s) of your acne.

Tip #2: Figure Out Your Skin Type

If you truly want to conquer your acne, you’re going to need to find out what skin type you have. I was always convinced my skin was oily, but dry. As it turned out, “oily but dry” isn’t actually a skin type.

Because of the harsh skincare products I used in my teens, I actually did SO much damage to my skin! Repairing that has been a continued struggle, on top of treating my acne. Chances are, if acne is a constant struggle for you, the issue is excess oil production.

Producing excess oil can be a gift and a curse at the same time. If you’re like me and have larger pores, this can be an indication that oily skin is your skin type. “But what if I also have dry patches on my skin?” you might be wondering. Well, dry patches can indicate that you need the correct hydration for your skin, too.

Finding your true skin type will change the products you need to use, which leads me to my next tip…

Tip #3: Determine the Correct Skincare Products

Adult acne can’t be fixed if you’re using the wrong products for your skin type. So, how can you go about finding the right ones? Once you know what your skin type is, you’ll be able to head in the right direction.

It can be difficult to understand skincare products and properly analyze their ingredients. So many ingredients are guised as great products – but are not actually doing your acne any favors. I know this from experience! As I mentioned earlier, as a teenager, I was using ingredients that were way too harsh for my skin. As a result, they actually did damage to the top layers of skin. Obviously, this was the exact opposite of what I was trying to achieve.

Using insanely harsh products for years and years has caused my skin to become extremely sensitized. There are so many skincare products out there that promise to cure adult acne; many of which, I have personally tried. However, the majority of them did nothing more than dry out my skin and damage the top layers. This, in turn, has caused sensitization.

Now, after 20 years of attempting different remedies, I’ve finally found a full skincare set that’s truly helped repair a lot of that damage!

Tip #4: Be Consistent With Your Skincare Routine

My 4th and final tip is to make sure that you’re as consistent as possible with your optimal skincare routine. That is what will truly lead to results!

If you’re using the correct products for your skin, it will really help your adult acne. Results are not always instantaneous, but long-term use of the correct products will really help. From experience, I totally understand that when you have adult acne, you just want it to be gone ASAP. Having the patience to wait for products to work their magic can be so hard sometimes.

This is something I really struggle with. I’m a stay-at-home mom of (soon to be) 6 children. They take so much of my energy. As a result, I don’t always feel like I have the time or energy to put into my skincare routine. But I know I need that extra 10-20 minutes each night to help myself – and my skin – feel better.

This is why it’s important to not let impatience get the better of you! Keep at it and don’t give up. Use your products morning and night, every single day. Doing your skincare routine twice a day will help accelerate your process. Sometimes, even the best products take 2-3 months to really dig deep into your pores and fix the issue.

Why Learning About Proper Skincare Will Help You Combat Adult Acne

For me, learning about skincare has been so amazing! Not only has it helped me and my own skin issues; it’s also taught me how to help my clients. I’ve been able to make sure that I use the correct products and makeup for their individual skin type. In turn, I can then achieve the best look possible that will last.

As a makeup artist, proper skincare knowledge has been especially important for my career. I would never want to be in a situation where my products were not suitable for the client, didn’t have longevity, or caused more issues than what it was worth.

Moreover, I’ve also been able to start my pre-teen daughter on a proper skincare routine. I know this will really help her, especially during this time of her life.

QC Makeup Academy’s Skincare Course

QC Makeup Academy’s Skincare Course was literally life-changing for me. I have struggled with my skin for nearly 20 years, but now I FINALLY feel like I’ve got it under control! (Aside from the pregnancy hormones I’m currently experience, of course.)

3 big reasons why this training has been essential for me are:

1. I’ve been able to adjust my skincare routine so that it actually helps my skin type and needs;
2. I’m now able to help my preteen daughter prevent breakouts from happening on her own skin;
3. My newfound expertise allows me to share these experiences and knowledge with other people.

For the sake of my own skin, I could not be more grateful for this course! I’m now confident that I’ll finally have better skin. My skin used to upset me so much, to the point of tears. Feeling that self-conscious, and being made fun of, was a regular occurrence for me. If I’m being honest, those things were still happening up until recently, too. But now that’s starting to change.

If you need help with skincare, take it from me: QC Makeup Academy’s Skincare Course is a MUST!

If you’ve found that perfect product or skincare routine for your own skin, comment below and share what that is! Want to ask me more questions or connect with me> Come join QC Makeup Academy’s Virtual Classroom on Facebook.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope these tips are helpful for you and your skincare needs.

Become a certified skincare expert in as little as 3-6 months by enrolling in QC’s Skincare Course today!