Wrinkles And Pimples And Spots — Oh My!

Also Read: Can Ingesting Collagen Slow Down the Aging Process?

I had to start getting ready in the dark because my skin in winter depresses me. I am pale heading toward chartreuse, and I am aging at exponential speeds (I really think we age in spurts the way kids grow in spurts, and I am definitely in the midst of an age spurt.) I know I could look a little better if I drank more water and less Chardonnay, but that would require me drinking less Chardonnay. Otherwise, I’m doing what I’m told – exfoliation, creams, etc.

As if all the aging problems — wrinkles and dark spots and sagging — weren’t enough, for the past few months I’ve been breaking out like a teenager. How is this fair? Now, I need to buy anti-wrinkle cream AND Clearasil.

Some Facts About Adult Acne:
• Many people have acne into their 20s, and some into their 50s.
• Some people, who never had acne as a teenager, will get it as an adult. Not surprisingly, because why wouldn’t we pile some more symptoms onto menopause, this is most common in menopausal women.
• The treatments that worked well for you when you were younger, may not work for you now.
• Deep, inflamed pimples and cysts are common in adults.

What Causes Adult Acne:
• Stress
• Medications
• Fluctuating hormone levels
• Starting or stopping a birth control pill
• Hair and skin products

6 Steps to Treating It:
1. As with every health issue, the best treatment is prevention. Look at the labels on your skin care products and make sure everything you are using states either non-comedogenic, won’t clog pores or oil-free.
2. Don’t pick. Picking spreads the bacteria to the other pores and results in scarring, which we old folk do NOT need.
3. Wash your pillowcases frequently.
4. Wash your face twice a day.
5. Pay attention to when breakouts happen. If you are a woman, my guess is right before your period. A few days before, take extra care with your skin, wash more frequently but gently, drink more water, and prophylactically apply acne creams to the areas where you are prone to breakouts.
6. If nothing helps, see a dermatologist who can prescribe the right medication for you.

I’d like to thank the third eye on the bridge of my nose for inspiring me to write this post. I had one of those under the skin cysts, the kind you can’t see, but you can feel. I just couldn’t leave it alone, and now you can see it and feel it. It is red and scabbed and looks ridiculous, forcing me to wear my reading glasses in public. I am jotting the date down in the calendar, and next month, following my own advice. The cysts come every month since I went off the pill, and yet, the little buggers still surprise me. In four weeks, I’m taking action.