Spot of bother
With adult acne on the rise, worrying new research has revealed many women were relieved to hide their skin under a mask during the pandemic. Elizabeth Archer reports
When it was announced that compulsory face masks were to be dropped throughout England, many rejoiced. But not Sarah Haselwood. While the 45-year-old mum of two was pleased coronavirus restrictions were finally being lifted, she was filled with anxiety at the prospect of showing her skin in public.
“I’ve suffered from acne all my life but during the pandemic it was particularly bad,” says Sarah, a writer (sarahhasel woodwritingservices. com) from Oxted in Surrey.
“I felt so ashamed of my skin – it was a relief to be able to hide away.”
And she’s not alone. A poll of 2,000 women by beauty brand Tolpa found almost half were relieved to be hiding their skin under a mask.
While spots are often dismissed as a teenage concern, recent research from the British Skin Foundation (BSF) reveals adult acne is on the rise.
The reasons why are unclear, but figures suggest around 50 per cent of women and 40 per cent of men will develop some kind of regular acne as an adult.
And while the impact is often trivialised, a report by the BSF found that 98 per cent of patients with a skin issue felt it affected their wellbeing, with five per cent having suicidal thoughts.
“Dermatology is making great advances in treating the medical aspects of skin disease, but not enough is being done to address the accompanying psychological effects,” says clinical psychologist Dr Andrew Thompson, for the BSF.
However, one way sufferers are tackling the stigma is via social media, where there is a growing trend for people posting unfiltered images of blemished skin.
Among those is Lou Northcote, 25, a skin-positive influencer with 54,000 followers on Instagram, and creator of the #freethepimple movement.
“I started getting acne at 16 and lost my modelling career as a result of my skin,” Lou, from London, says.
“I felt so alone. None of my friends had acne, and when I looked online I couldn’t find anyone who looked like me.”
So one day, she posted a make-up free selfie that went viral.
“I posted a picture, sharing my acne and my story. I was so worried but my post blew up and #freethepimple spread around the world, launching a whole movement.
“People began posting pictures of their acne too. For the first time, I wasn’t alone – we weren’t alone – we were in this together.”
Dr Anjali Mahto, 42, is a dermatologist in London who has had acne her whole adult life. She shares her unfiltered skin on Instagram to her 102,000 followers. “People used to ask me if I washed my face,” she says.
“When you have bad skin it makes you shy and uncomfortable, you always think people are looking at your spots. I’m not surprised by the number of people who enjoyed their pandemic masks for covering up – I’m one of them.
“My skin was pretty bad last year and I was grateful for wearing masks in the clinic so people couldn’t see my skin.”
Dr Mahto says that her acne fluctuates.
“Still now in adulthood I get terrible flare-ups. Sometimes I can control my acne with skincare, and sometimes I take oral medication such as Roaccutane, which reduces sebum production, unblocking pores.”
She thinks the rise of skin-positive influencers is a welcome change from the “perfection” often seen on social media.
“Posting my own acne is cathartic,” she says. “Every time I do, people say thank you. We all deserve to be happy in our own skin.
“What’s more, as a dermatologist, me having acne shows that you can have access to all the knowledge and creams in the world and still have problem skin. A lot of it is down to hormones and genetics. I’ll keep posting to show my followers that they’re not alone.”
Medics have welcomed the trend. “Following people who have similar skin to you is a fantastic way to boost your outlook and feel supported in your shared experience,” says GP
Dr Don Grant of The Independent Pharmacy. And Sarah agrees. “It’s a relief to know you’re not alone, and I admire people for being honest,” she says.
Sarah, who lives with her insurance broker husband Julien, 49, and children James, eight, and Oliver, seven, first developed acne when she was 14 and it continued into adulthood.
“At work I’d cover my face with my hands while at my desk,” she says.
Then during lockdown, the flare-ups became worse than ever.
“The first thing I’d do when I woke up in the morning was check my skin. It would define how I felt that day,” she says.
Six months ago, her GP prescribed a strong antibiotic lotion that helped control the spots, but she still suffers breakouts.
“It’s a horrible feeling to be ashamed of your skin,” she adds.
Fellow acne sufferer Nicole Ratcliffe agrees.
“It’s depressing,” says Nicole, 40, a sleep coach (baby2sleep. co.uk). She started suffering from acne two years ago, after she started taking the contraceptive pill following the birth of her daughter.
“I looked at myself in the mirror and didn’t recognise the person looking back at me,” adds Nicole, who lives in Manchester with husband Robert, 40, a musician, and daughters Sofia, six, and two-year-old Alyssia.
She spends £600 on products annually in a bid to get rid of her spots, and says that her acne has also affected her work. “I’m a baby sleep coach and I used to do live social media videos for my clients to answer questions,” she explains.
“But over the last few years my acne has been so bad I can’t bear to see myself on camera.”
Thankfully, there are things that can be done, says Dr Mahto.
“Firstly, construct a skincare routine containing actives that are known to benefit acne-prone skin, like soothing niacinamide, de-clogging salicylic acid and glycolic acid to help fade marks.
“If that doesn’t help, the next stop will be your GP who can offer prescription products.
“If there’s still no improvement, book yourself in with a dermatologist, who will be able to offer stronger treatments.”
But know, she says, that you are not alone.
“People aren’t looking at your skin, they’re looking at you,” she says.
The first thing I’d do was check my skin and it would define my day