by Jessica
I’m 36 years old and STILL dealing with bad skin, adult acne primarily. I know I am not alone, but how is this possible?! For too many years now, I had been waiting for the magical moment that my skin would become beautiful and flawless and it just wasn’t happening. It was time to take matters into my own hands and tackle my bad skin.
The skin issues that I deal with are dullness, really bad (and painful) breakouts and just kind of an overall unevenness of colour and texture on my face. If I’m being totally honest, my skin makes me feel self-conscious. There’s nothing worse than going out with huge blemishes on your face. No amount of concealer can cover them up a lot of the time. I have always been so envious of women who have flawlessly smooth and clear skin, so I decided to finally do something about it and I went straight to Pacific Derm for help!
Dr. Alexandra Kuritzky and I grew up together, so I knew I could trust her to help me get my skin issues sorted. We sat down a few weeks ago and she analyzed my skin while I told her what I struggle with. As both a medical and cosmetic dermatologist, Dr. Kuritzky came up with a plan for me. A plan that will give my complexion some life again. THANK GOODNESS!
She started by explaining adult acne to me. As we all know, it is so easy to get caught up in different products and systems that will offer you the results you are hoping for but, for issues like adult acne, it needs to be treated as a medical condition. Sometimes, no cleansers or creams or serums will help without being supplemented with a medical treatment to get to the core of the issue.
Acne is a medical condition. Not one you treat at the cosmetics counter.
Dr. Kuritzky cleared up some common misconceptions that float around out there in the health and beauty worlds alike. Here is some of what she had to say:
- There is some evidence that a high glycemic index diet could contribute to acne- i.e. high- sugar foods and refined carbohydrates. There is weaker evidence about dairy and acne, which remains controversial. There is, however, no evidence that a drastic dietary alteration alone could “cure” acne.
- Acne can be a chronic condition: many women in their 30s and beyond are surprised to still be plagued by it. In fact, acne is not necessarily something we outgrow- some of us even grow into it.
- Hormonal alterations can play a role in acne. Many of my patients report recently stopping a birth control pill prior to the onset of acne in their 30s, and this is a common trigger since the combined oral contraceptive pill is an effective prevention/treatment for acne. Pregnancy can be a trigger for some women as well.
- Cleansing and moisturizing are part of the treatment plan for acne, and it is important to choose a simple regimen as some acne medications can be drying to the skin. In many cases of acne, however, skin care is not enough to stop acne in its tracks.
No – eating sugary foods doesn’t CAUSE acne, but it might not help the situation. It also does not necessarily mean that someone with acne isn’t washing their face properly… it all just likely points to the fact that their acne needs to be treated medically, like mine does!
So, what am I doing to clear up my skin? Dr. Kuritzky gave me some options in terms of oral prescriptions, as well as a topical medication. She also introduced me to Riversol products for my sensitive skin. I have been using the medications and Riversol ever since and I am AMAZED at what they have all done for my skin. I’ve had all sorts of compliments from people about how great my skin looks and this is just the beginning of Dr. Kuritzky’s plan for giving my 36-year-old complexion the overhaul it so desperately needs.
If you are struggling with adult acne or any other skin issues, I HIGHLY recommend you see your family doctor, who may recommend a specialist referral with one of Pacific Derm’s board-certified dermatologists. They will do an analysis of your skin and create a plan specific to your concerns and needs. There’s absolutely no need to be battling with bad skin at this stage in the game. Instead, we should be enjoying beautiful skin, so what are you waiting for?