Hi gorgeous girl.
Are you in your 40s and think that teenage skin breakouts are SO over? Yet they’re back. With a vengeance. Pah.
You’re probably really hacked off. Especially if you never even had spots in your teens. But now you have … as a fab 40s female. Pah!
It’s no consolation, but you’re not alone.
It’s quite common to suffer from zits when you’re in your prime i.e. in your 30s and 40s, pre menopause. And the culprit could be hormone changes. I’d go as far to say, it’s often hormone changes.
Possible Causes
- Male hormones like testosterone can drive production oil in your skin, that might lead to skin breakouts.
- Progesterone in excess can mean skin breakouts in women. Progesterone based contraceptives can be a factor e.g the mini pill, progesterone injections and implants.
That said, you can still get spots as an adult even if your hormone levels test at normal levels.
That’s because you diet and lifestyle may not be supporting glowing, healthy skin.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, spots are thought to be signs of issues with certain organs and body systems. Hormonal skin breakouts are ones on the chin, jawline and neck.
Skin experts also believe that poor diet shows up in your skin.
They say that sugar can lead to wrinkles, pus-filled pimples, and dry patches.
Wine can lead to redness and feathery lines.
Gluten (the protein found in wheat) can lead to red, puffy cheeks, patchy skin and spots on the chin.
Dairy foods can lead to swollen eyelids, bags and dark eye circles and small, white bumps on the chin.
Who knew?
And generally not looking after yourself is going to show on your lovely face – dark circles eye bags, breakouts. Think stress, lack of sleep, toxic lifestyle and all that jazz.
Possible Solutions to Skin Breakouts in Your 40s
In my practice, some women come to me with adult acne when they have been offered antibiotics or acne medications, but don’t want to take them. Not everyone chooses to take meds straight off or – in fact – ever.
Many choose to review their skin care and look at diet and lifestyle to heal from inside and out. The quality of our skin if often a reflection of what’s going on, on the inside.
So what are my top tips to calm skin breakouts?
Eat a skin loving diet
Plenty of veggies and fruits. They contain antioxidants. Vitamins A, C and E are especially skin friendly. How about sweet potatoes, carrots, dark leafy greens, winter squashes, lettuce, broccoli, dried apricots, melon, peppers, citrus fruits, cooked tomatoes, berries and tropical fruits ?
Choose healthy fats in the form of nuts, seeds, olive oil, organic butter and ghee, coconut oil and oily fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines and tuna.
Have quality protein with each meal or snack. It balances energy and stops you reaching for sugary stuff, which is not skin loving.
Choose wholegrains and eat them in moderation – brown rice, buckwheat, quinoa are my favourites, but vary your wholegrains.
Take enough fibre to hep digestive transit and help any toxins on their merry way. Constipation means the nasties are circulating in your system and you’re not pooping them out.
Avoid poor food choices
Avoid processed and convenience foods with additives and preservatives and trans fats/hydrogenated vegetable oil. Avoid or cut back A LOT on sugar.
If you read the Possible Causes section and are concerned that dairy, gluten or wine are damaging your skin, avoid these for 4 weeks and see what difference it makes for you and your skin breakouts.
If you’re eating meat, choose organic and grass fed – ordinary meat is likely to contain hormones and do you really want to be taking those on board? Your choice.
Drink!
I mean plenty of water, not wine! And herbal teas. It will help flush out any toxins.
Love Your Liver
It’s the detox organ and you want to get any toxins out through your digestion, not your skin. The other tips on diet and water here will help. Also avoid alcohol and caffeine and rich foods.
Avoid harsh skin-care products
When your skin is greasy and you have breakouts, it’s tempting to use hardcore exfoliators OFTEN and heavy-duty cleaners and toners. Don’t!
You risk stripping out the oil so your helpful body produces even more oil to replenish. Be gentle.
I like Neals Yard products because they are organic, natural and made the UK. There are products to suit every skin type.
I also highly recommend seeing a skincare specialist if it’s bad and it persists.
Get some rest and relaxation
Try to get 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night, if you can.
Reduce sources of stress and learn ways to relax like yoga, meditation, breathing techniques, exercise.
Love,
P.S. Article contains affiliate link. I only recommend a few companies and products that I use and love. And I’m hard to please. Ask my husband.
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