The 6 Products I Use to Manage My Adult Acne — My Medicine Cabinet
Key takeaways:
Growing up, Tammi Solis had clear skin. But when she became an adult, she started experiencing frequent breakouts.
She experimented with treatments to find ways to make her pimples go away.
Adult acne took an emotional toll, but Tammi came up with a skincare strategy that helped.
Our Medicine Cabinet series explores what real people keep on hand and consider essential for their particular needs — even if a doctor didn’t prescribe it.
Tammi Solis had no blemishes on her skin throughout high school and well into her 20s. So she thought she’d been spared the unattractive breakouts that had plagued her peers.
“It was never an issue for me,” says Tammi, a social media marketer and content creator who lives in Texas. “I had clear, nice-looking skin with an even skin tone.”
But something changed after she turned 30.
“I started struggling with acne. It shocked me. It came out of nowhere, and it got really, really bad,” says Tammi, now 35. “And because my skin is very light, it was really obvious. I was really depressed about it.”
Acne — which includes pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, and, in more severe cases, cysts and nodules — can occur at any stage of life. Most people — about 85% of people between the ages of 12 and 24 — deal with breakouts, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. The same factors that directly cause acne in adolescents are at play in adult acne: excess oil production, clogged pores, bacteria, and inflammation, the AAD says. Fluctuating hormones also affect acne production.
Acne in adults is on the rise, affecting up to 15% of women. Treatments that work for teen skin may not have the same positive results when applied to older skin.
She didn’t want a teenage treatment
Tammi’s acne was concentrated on her cheeks. And within 6 months of the initial outbreak, she was so unhappy with her appearance that she didn’t want to leave the house. It directly affected her work as a social media marketing and content creator, which often required her to take selfies.
“My face had to look good because I was always on camera,” she says.
She wondered how to treat it. A dermatologist recommended a prescription acne treatment system, but Tammi didn’t want to use a product designed for adolescent skin, fearing it could negatively affect hers. She also wanted a process that included anti-aging components, and she was worried that the acne would return if she stopped using the products.
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So, she began researching and experimenting with different over-the-counter products to find out which combination of lotions and serums would work best for her.
“Before, my skincare routine was pretty much non-existent. I was just washing my face, putting some lotion on it,” Tammi says. “Now, I wanted to be more intentional with the products I was using. I wanted to see what worked for me. So I built my own ritual.”
Her solutions include lifestyle changes
Tammi eventually developed her own best practices, writing about her process and its outcome on her blog in March 2019. It remains the most popular post she’s ever written.
About 8 weeks after she started her self-designed regimen, she had less acne.
“I didn’t know how much my skin had improved until I compared before-and-after photos and I was just blown away,” she says. “Still, it took me a long time to really get control of the situation.”
Her skin continued to improve after that. She also made lifestyle changes. One of the most significant, she says, was curbing her alcohol consumption.
“That's where I noticed the biggest difference,” she says. “Alcohol puts a lot of inflammation in our bodies. I don't drink as much as I used to, but if I have a weekend out with my friends, and we’re drinking, next week I have a breakout.”
She topped that off with exercising regularly. She began practicing meditation and yoga to calm her mind. She even added a daily vitamin and probiotic to her routine and made sure to choose makeup that wasn’t too heavy or clogged her pores. She also made sure to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
She spends money on her skincare routine
Tammi’s skin remains a work in progress. She’s still trying to minimize the scars her acne left behind and has noticed improvement from microneedling, a procedure that involves pricking the skin with sterilized needles so the body produces more collagen to help the healing. She estimates that she spends $400 annually on products and $1,200 per year on facials and other skin treatments, including microneedling.
While she knows not everyone can afford it, she considers the time and money she invests in her skincare treatment well-spent. Today, Tammi is happier with her skin and with life in general. She looks, and feels, good.
“My life now is much more health-conscious,” she says. “I stay on top of it because I just feel better. I don't want to go back to that time.”
Tammi’s medicine cabinet includes:
1. “A really good cleanser.”
Tammi washes her face twice daily with “a really good cleanser.” She likes a gentle cream wash that is formulated with niacinamide (vitamin B3) and ceramide-3 (a moisturizer)
2. Toner
She says a good toner cleans the skin and reduces the appearance of pores. Her favorite toner contains ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid, tea tree oil, and water with a hint of watermelon and cucumber.
3. Vitamin C
Tami uses direct applications of vitamin C to help fade dark spots, which are known as hyperpigmentation. Vitamin C is often sold as a serum.
4. Vitamin B3
Another vitamin she swears by is a product with niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3 that’s also in her cleanser. She also uses a serum with vitamin B3 that is meant to naturally reduce the appearance of blemishes and scars and brighten skin.
5. A lightweight moisturizer
She also applies a daily lightweight moisturizer. Her favorite moisturizer includes vitamin B3, amino peptides, and hyaluronic acid.
6. Sunscreen
“You always, always, always wear sunscreen,” Tammi says. “That’s my holy grail!” The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using one with an SPF of 15 or higher if your skin is exposed to the sun for more than 20 minutes. Basically, whenever you are outside, even if it’s cloudy. Tammi prefers one that includes zinc oxide and octinoxate as active ingredients.
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