Fredericton — Local 30-something Amber Desmond has entered the unique time of life in which acne now overlaps with the first visible signs of aging.
“I knew my 30s would be a wonderful time, but no one ever told me I’d have both hormonal pimples and stress-induced fine lines — I mean, wow! Is that cool and unexpected, or what?”
Though Desmond grew up believing acne was an exclusively teenaged issue, she now knows it’s a lifetime challenge that can happen at the very same time as sprouting grey hairs and feeling compelled to look into life insurance policies.
“When I was younger I used to stay in on a Friday night because I had a bad breakout happening. Now I stay in because I’m too tired to be bothered to go socialize,” she told our reporter. “I still have a breakout going on — don’t get me wrong — but now that’s not even in my top five reasons to go to bed at 10.”
Desmond says that these days her skincare routine involves age-fighting creams and serums that promise not to clog pores, so as to prevent acne.
“It’s a tricky balance, for sure. How do you moisturize enough so you don’t look like a withered raisin, without making your skin so oily that your face erupts like Mount Vesuvius? There really aren’t that many products for fighting zits and wrinkles at the same time — I feel like there’s an untapped market, here.”
Desmond hopes her 40s will prove just as interesting.
“Maybe then I’ll start losing bone density and fracturing my hips, all while being nervous for a blind date after my first divorce — who knows what neat surprises are in store!”