
Image by: Image: La Roche-Posay
Despite what picture-perfect Instagram posts and Facetune apps may have you think, acne is a very common skin concern that can affect adults, not only from their teenage years but well into their 40s. And you can get it any time, without good reason. Seriously.
Dr Emma Wedgeworth, Consultant Dermatologist, explains that acne can crop up for a whole host of reasons, but the common denominator is always clogged pores. “All of us have a different tendency to have pore-blockage. So some of us produce more oil, meaning we’ve got more naturally greasy skin, so we’re more likely to get blocked pores.”
Sounds sensible for those of us who have always had blemish-prone skin, but what about those of us who woke up on our 27th birthday with a crater on our chin? In these cases, Emma suggests we need to start looking a little deeper at our lifestyles:
“We know that what we put on our skin is a huge part of whether we’re likely to develop acne, so if you’re putting on lots of pore-blocking oils, or powders, you can definitely breakout. And things that you do in your lifestyle – so making sure that we’re maintaining a healthy lifestyle, we’re eating well, we’re sleeping, we’re minimising stress, those can all be very important as well.”
Whilst hastily downloading Headspace to find some inner zen can help, these concerns rarely clear up without a bit of extra external know-how . Skin can be improved tenfold by tailoring your skincare routine to your skin type, carefully choosing ingredients that will help prevent breakouts without over-drying the skin. But get the routine wrong, and you can risk aggravating skin further - not ideal before a big Monday meeting or a Tinder date. That’s why we’re here to recommend a failsafe routine from the sensitive skin experts at La Roche-Posay, a brand recommended by 9/10 dermatologists*. This simple three step routine could well be the answer your adult acne was looking for…

Effaclar Purifying Foam Gel
£24.00
According to Dr Emma, cleansing twice a day plays a crucial part of any good skin regime: “It’s really important to cleanse twice because in the evenings, you’re getting off all the pollution and particles that can block pores. And in the mornings you’re actually reducing oil production, getting rid of any dead skin cells that have accumulated overnight.”
We recommend…EFFACLAR Purifying Cleansing Gel
This fresh-feeling gel cleanser gently lifts dirt and grime away from the skin, and is clinically proven to reduce the visibility of spots and blackheads and control shine.

Effaclar Clarifying Lotion
£16.00
Depending on just how oily your skin is, you may or may not require a toner. If you’re a little on the dry side, skip straight to step 3 to avoid stripping the skin of its natural barrier. If you are very oily, a toner may help to reduce any excess oil that’s been produced that hasn’t been taken off with cleansing and control shine throughout the day.
We recommend…EFFACLAR Clarifying Lotion
The perfect choice for oily, blemish-prone skin, this clarifying solution unblocks pores and visibly reduces their size. A big win.

Effaclar Duo+
£20.90
We all know that moisturisers are here to aid with hydration, but what else can they do. Dr Emma Wedgeworth recommends looking out for a moisturiser which has active ingredients within it: “Salicylic acid is an excellent ingredient to help unblock the pores. You also want ingredients to calm the inflammation because that’s what causes the redness of spots, so something like neurosensine can be helpful.”
We recommend…EFFACLAR Duo+
Taking Dr Emma’s advice on board, EFFACLAR Duo+ Anti-blemish moisturiser is enriched with salicylic acid and calming niacinamide to correct and hydrate oily, blemish-prone skin. Not only does it visibly reduce blemishes and controls shine, it also helps to reduce the appearance of marks which is one of the biggest painpoints for acne sufferers.
*Survey conducted on 267 dermatologists by La Roche-Posay in the UK, July 2019