Adult Acne: When Your Skin Stops Playing by the Rules

Acne in your teens feels expected. Acne showing up years later — when you thought you’d “aged out of it” - can be frustrating, confusing and confidence-shaking.

What surprises most people is this: adult acne usually has very little to do with your cleanser. It’s not because you’re lazy with skincare, unhygienic or missing some miracle product.

Adult acne is often your skin reacting to internal change, not surface dirt. And once you understand that, everything shifts.

Why Adult Acne Feels So Different

Adult breakouts don’t behave like teenage acne - and that’s your first clue that something deeper is going on.

Hormonal fluctuations influence oil production, inflammation and how your pores respond. These changes don’t happen in isolation and are often linked to life stages or ongoing stress on the body.

Common triggers we see include:

• Stopping or changing hormonal contraception
• Perimenopause or menopause
• PCOS or blood sugar imbalance
• Post-pregnancy hormonal shifts
• Long-term stress and burnout

This is why adult acne often appears later in life, even if you had clear skin for years.

The Patterns We See in Hormonal Breakouts

Hormonal acne tends to follow recognisable patterns and spotting them early can save a lot of trial and error.

You might notice:

• Breakouts concentrated around the jawline, chin or lower cheeks
• Flare-ups that align with stress, sleep disruption or your cycle
• Spots that feel deeper, slower to heal and more prone to pigmentation
• Skin that’s oily and congested in some areas, yet dry or reactive in others

If this sounds familiar, it’s not a failure of willpower or routine. Your skin is responding to signals beneath the surface.

What Often Makes Adult Acne Worse (Without You Realising)

One of the biggest mistakes we see is over-treating hormonal skin.

Well-meaning habits like:

- Using harsh scrubs

- Switching products too often

- Over-cleansing

- Spot-treating aggressively

- Avoiding moisturiser entirely

can actually increase inflammation and disrupt your skin barrier, making breakouts more stubborn and harder to heal.

When skin is already inflamed, it needs support, not punishment.

A Smarter Way Forward

1. Treat Skin Behaviour, Not Just Breakouts

Instead of chasing individual spots, we focus on how your skin behaves overall - oil flow, sensitivity, healing speed and barrier strength.

That’s why we work with O Cosmedics. Their formulations allow us to target congestion and breakouts while still calming inflammation and supporting the skin barrier, which is critical for adult, hormonal skin.

Clear skin is a result of balance, not stripping.

2. Think “Inside + Outside” Support

Hormones are processed through the gut and liver, so when those systems are under pressure, skin often shows it first.

We always encourage clients to consider:

• Blood sugar balance
• Digestive health
• Stress load and sleep quality

Working alongside a GP, nutritionist or naturopath can be incredibly valuable. Skincare works best when the body is supported too.

3. Use Professional Treatments Strategically

Clinical treatments aren’t about quick fixes, they’re about guiding the skin back to healthy function.

Treatments like LED therapy, professional facials and skin needling help calm inflammation, encourage repair and improve skin resilience over time, without overwhelming already-sensitive skin.

A Final Word (Because This Matters)

Adult acne doesn’t mean your skin has “turned on you”. It means your body is changing - and your skin is responding honestly.

With the right guidance, the right products and a plan that respects your skin’s biology, things can improve. Often more than you expect.

If you’re feeling stuck, start with a skin consultation at Simply Beauty. We’ll look at your skin properly, talk through your history, and help you build a plan that works with your body - not against it.

No blame. No guesswork. Just clearer skin and a lot more confidence.