At 28, I should be at a point in my life where I start focussing my skincare on preventing early signs of ageing. It’s widely understood that when you’re under 20 you should be focussing on keeping skin lightly moisturised, sun-safe and spot-free, then when you hit your twenties you should start taking gentle, preventative measures and you can start working on the big guns of anti-ageing in your thirties.
However, it’s presumed that by the time you hit your mid-twenties, all hormonal issues that are commonly associated with the teen years are nothing but a distant memory. Acne is a skin condition commonly associated with adolescence and therefore the vast majority of products aimed at treating spots are formulated for very young skin that doesn’t need any kind of assistance with preventing the first signs of ageing.
Yet nowadays, post-teen acne is surprisingly common. There’s still no real answer as to why this is the case although there are a lot of theories bandied about such as pollution, diets full of processed foods that have an impact on our hormonal balance and higher levels of stress that again cause hormonal imbalance. 50% of women and 25% of men will experience an acne breakout in their adult lives, yet there is still a huge gap in the market for products that will treat spots and heal scars without stripping the protective layer that our ageing skin is relying on to prevent premature ageing. Ironically, it’s us acne-suffers who will need help in this area more than most, as we’ll be the ones applying the tough, harsh products to our skin on a daily basis to treat spots, the side-effect being that these products will be indirectly speeding up the ageing process.
Whilst still uncommon, there are some brands who have taken notice of this market gap and have put together lines that meet both criteria. Since I started writing this blog, I’ve continually researched this area to try and find suitable brands that formulate products that are designed to treat spots and treat signs of ageing equally. It’s a huge ask as the very definition of spot-prone skin is (allegedly, although many would disagree!) skin that is producing too much oil, yet anti-ageing products are often designed to replace lost moisture as typical ageing skin is skin that has started to lose it’s ability to repair itself at the rate needed to stop the signs of ageing forming.
One of the things I ask most PR companies when I’m in contact with them is “do you represent any brands who have products aimed at treating spots and ageing skin?” Often the answer is no, but occasionally there are some brands who have tried to address both issues, or at least have lines that are aimed at adults who are spot-prone (therefore the products will be formulated accordingly) so below you will find a run down of these brands. I’ve tried to find a good selection to meet all price brackets and some of them you will find reviewed on this blog. However, this isn’t a review piece and I won’t be launching into my personal experience of the products, I just wanted to put together a list of options for people who have similar skin issues to me. So if you’re hoping to battle both these skin problems, here are a few products you can start with:
Skinceuticals Blemish and Age Defense
The Blemish and Age Defense line is made-up of three products: a facial wash, a toner and a serum. The price is fairly high end (the serum comes in at around £70 and the wash and toner around £28 each, depending on where you shop) and the range is specifically formulated to treat common issues associated with blemish-prone adults.
Vichy Normaderm
Vichy are one of the main brands who have taken note of the fact that spots are no longer an adolescent-only issue. Whilst the whole Normaderm line isn’t strictly aimed at treating spots and ageing, there are products in the line that are (Normaderm Anti-Ageing) and the whole range is generally aimed at spot-prone adults, meaning it’s formulated for skin that doesn’t want to be completely stripped of all its oil. Price wise, these are at the higher end of the Drugstore pricing; so most products come in at under £20.
Clearasil Daily Clear
I’m sure anyone in my age bracket will know Clearasil as the brand who we all turned to during our teen breakouts, but recently they’ve added Daily Clear to their range, which is a line of products that are formulated to treat spots whilst still being kind to the skin. There’s a good line up of various products such as masks, cleansers, wipes and scrubs and the price bracket is very purse friendly with most products coming in under £10.
Erno Laszlo
At the very top end of the price-bracket, Erno Laszlo is a range of luxury skincare products with a fascinating heritage made famous by the fact that screen sirens such as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Ava Gardner depended on his products to maintain their perfect skin. What a lot of people don’t know is that Laszlo was the pioneer of creating products to maintain the skins PH balance to treat adult acne and he famously and successfully treated Hungary’s Princess Stephanie’s acute acne way back in 1927. As a consequence, the majority of Laszlo products are hardcore players in the anti-ageing field, yet are formulated to be spot-prone skin friendly. There is also a specific line of anti-blemish products in the Laszlo range. Laszlo products aren’t cheap and can come in anywhere between £45 for the Sea Mud Cleansing Bar to £245 for the serum in the Blue Firmarine line.
Hopefully times are a’changing, and companies are taking note of the fact that people who have spots want to prevent ageing too. Gone are the days where skin is either one or the other, so now it’s time for the market to catch up and meet these needs, so hopefully I’ll be able to add to this list in the not-to-distant future.
