It’s a big day for me tomorrow, I’m turning 30! And luckily I don’t feel too old just yet, but I do kind of feel too old for acne.
I remember having this intense frustration when my skin was bad in my late twenties about my age and how a “normal” late twenties something should not have a severe acne condition like I had. I guess over time we’ve just learned to associate acne with teenagers so it’s become one of those things that doesn’t seem to fit with those of us that are a little (or a lot) older. But when you really think about what acne is, it’s perfectly normal for it to happen to anyone of any age.
Acne can of course be induced by fluctuating hormones which is why a large majority of teenagers get it. But it can also be just physical and emotional toxins coming out of the body which makes it so easy for any of us at any age to experience it.
It’s also so incredibly common for adults between the ages of 20 and 50 to “all of a sudden” break out with acne of any severity after something big has happened in their lives. From the years of writing this blog and talking to people with acne, the two most common big things to lead to an acne condition are relationship breakups and moving to a new city or country.
I realize this article may all seem like old news because I have blogged about this stuff a lot before, but I’ve been talking to a few women inside my coaching program who are feeling somewhat down about their age and their acne condition and feeling as though they’re too old for this problem. So I wanted to let ALL of us out there who are over 25 and perhaps feeling a bit like an odd one out with acne, that it is definitely not abnormal and there are in fact a lot of us out there who are experiencing the problem too.
In fact, I’m quite sure that there would be a lot more women over the age of 25 with acne if it weren’t for the high use of the contraceptive pill. The pill which is just so commonly used also often does a great job at temporarily keeping the skin clear. I’ve seen this time and time again with friends who’ve gone off the pill and experienced a breakout 3-5 months down the track.
So please do not feel that you’re too old for acne. Of course none of us want it at any age, but it should not be considered a “teenage” problem. Think of your acne as what it is - just your body releasing toxic stuff. Which you know what, is kind of a great thing because it means your body is doing an awesome job at getting those toxins out because we don’t want them inside out body!
But I still feel so embarrassed about my skin …
Yeah, we all do. Embarrassment about our skin condition is a really tough emotion to avoid. There is a reason why I’ve become really good at applying mineral makeup - months of covering up spots and scars.
Unfortunately we can’t change how others see us or how others feel about us, but we CAN change how we feel about ourselves. So stop resisting it and let yourself really feel that emotion. REALLY feel it. Then do something that makes you feel absolutely amazingly beautiful. It sounds quite superficial but I used to curl my hair, put makeup on and wear a pretty dress. It just always made me feel really beautiful and good about myself even though I had acne on my face. I took the focus of my mind off my skin and instead celebrated the feminine goddess that I am and it actually really did work at making me feel more confident and less embrassed.
If you’re a 30 or 40 something then I’d love to hear from you. Hey, by tomorrow I’ll be a 30 something too! So let us know what your experiences are with your condition, where your emotions are at and what has or hasn’t worked for you.
I remember having this intense frustration when my skin was bad in my late twenties about my age and how a “normal” late twenties something should not have a severe acne condition like I had. I guess over time we’ve just learned to associate acne with teenagers so it’s become one of those things that doesn’t seem to fit with those of us that are a little (or a lot) older. But when you really think about what acne is, it’s perfectly normal for it to happen to anyone of any age.
Acne can of course be induced by fluctuating hormones which is why a large majority of teenagers get it. But it can also be just physical and emotional toxins coming out of the body which makes it so easy for any of us at any age to experience it.
It’s also so incredibly common for adults between the ages of 20 and 50 to “all of a sudden” break out with acne of any severity after something big has happened in their lives. From the years of writing this blog and talking to people with acne, the two most common big things to lead to an acne condition are relationship breakups and moving to a new city or country.
I realize this article may all seem like old news because I have blogged about this stuff a lot before, but I’ve been talking to a few women inside my coaching program who are feeling somewhat down about their age and their acne condition and feeling as though they’re too old for this problem. So I wanted to let ALL of us out there who are over 25 and perhaps feeling a bit like an odd one out with acne, that it is definitely not abnormal and there are in fact a lot of us out there who are experiencing the problem too.
In fact, I’m quite sure that there would be a lot more women over the age of 25 with acne if it weren’t for the high use of the contraceptive pill. The pill which is just so commonly used also often does a great job at temporarily keeping the skin clear. I’ve seen this time and time again with friends who’ve gone off the pill and experienced a breakout 3-5 months down the track.
So please do not feel that you’re too old for acne. Of course none of us want it at any age, but it should not be considered a “teenage” problem. Think of your acne as what it is - just your body releasing toxic stuff. Which you know what, is kind of a great thing because it means your body is doing an awesome job at getting those toxins out because we don’t want them inside out body!
But I still feel so embarrassed about my skin …
Yeah, we all do. Embarrassment about our skin condition is a really tough emotion to avoid. There is a reason why I’ve become really good at applying mineral makeup - months of covering up spots and scars.
Unfortunately we can’t change how others see us or how others feel about us, but we CAN change how we feel about ourselves. So stop resisting it and let yourself really feel that emotion. REALLY feel it. Then do something that makes you feel absolutely amazingly beautiful. It sounds quite superficial but I used to curl my hair, put makeup on and wear a pretty dress. It just always made me feel really beautiful and good about myself even though I had acne on my face. I took the focus of my mind off my skin and instead celebrated the feminine goddess that I am and it actually really did work at making me feel more confident and less embrassed.
If you’re a 30 or 40 something then I’d love to hear from you. Hey, by tomorrow I’ll be a 30 something too! So let us know what your experiences are with your condition, where your emotions are at and what has or hasn’t worked for you.