Happy 30th!! Here's some acne...

"What the heck? I'm 30 and getting acne??"
I've heard this a lot. Seriously, it happens to almost every woman. They swear they've never had acne as a teenager but all of a sudden they're starting to break out now that they are in their late 20's and in their 30's. To which I reply that they should consider themselves lucky. They were fortunate enough not to have to deal with this disfiguring disease while trying to navigate through the shark infested water that is highschool.

Okay...So, I don't actually say that.

Ladies, there is a logical explanation for this:
Like we do with almost everything, we need to blame men. Oh, wait no...it's the second thing we blame everything on: hormones.

Your body isn't turning cells over as quickly (thanks to the loss of hyaluronic acid) but it's still cranking out testosterone (which produces sebum, aka oil). Also, your estrogen is decreasing. Estrogen gives you that youthful glow and helps to keep acne at bay.

What to do about it:

* Practice a good skin care regimen: cleanse (don't go to sleep wearing make-up! I would suggest a cleanser that uses glycolic, lactic, or salicylic acid ), moisturize (seriously, you actually produce more oil when you skip this step), treat (weekly masks, spot treatment using a zinc and sulfur mask, night cream, and of course a good sunscreen).

* Exfoliate (at least twice a week. You need to help your skin slough off the old skin so the oil is less likely to get trapped. But start off slowly and for heaven's sake do.not.scrub too hard! This just aggravates your skin and causes even more breakouts).

* Use Hyaluronic-acid-fortified lotions

* Also, using hormone skin creams with plant estrogens like soy, red clover extract, and grapeseed extract can help if you start using them early

* I don't necessarily recommend this, but if you're okay with it, using birth control pills can also help to regulate those crazy hormones

* And probably most importantly- reduce your sugar intake. Sugar boosts testosterone, suppresses estrogen levels, and robs skin of elasticity.

* Drink plenty of water. I'm talkin' like you think you're going to float away.

* Try not to stress (HA!)

* Try to get your eight hours of beauty sleep (double HA!)

Also, when choosing your skincare products, don't over do it. Too many harsh chemicals can just irritate your skin more.