Skin Guru Gry Tomte shares her top skincare secrets for acne and how she “aged backwards”.

An adorable skin expert dubbed the “acne whisperer” has revealed how she’s transformed her skin and “aged backwards” at the age of 50.

After moving to Melbourne from her Norwegian hometown, Gry Tomte told FEMAIL she developed acne “almost overnight” which made her feel “self-conscious, unattractive and unclean”.

“I had been suffering from both inflammatory acne and melasma (from taking the pill for my acne) for well over seven years,” Ms. Tomte said.

Over the years, she tried various remedies, from highly effective facial scrubs to at-home kits that managed to fight the acne but made it age faster.

“My skin was acne free but seemed to have aged years in the process! It was thin, dry, reactive and felt like an overnight onset of fine lines and wrinkles,” she said.

“As a skin therapist, I made it my mission to better understand what was happening to my skin and discovered just how much damage over-exfoliation can do.”

Ms Tomte was able to heal her skin by rethinking her skincare regimen and understanding “inflammation” – aging caused by underlying inflammation.

After moving to Melbourne from her Norwegian hometown, skin expert Gry Tomte (pictured now aged 50) told FEMAIL she developed acne “almost overnight” which left her feeling “self-conscious, unattractive and unclean”.

“I had been suffering from both inflammatory acne and melasma (from taking the pill for my acne) for well over seven years,” Ms. Tomte said. She was able to heal her skin by revamping her skincare routine and understanding “inflammation” — aging caused by underlying inflammation (pictured: 26 years old).

“I’ve reversed the damage by skipping the scrubs, being careful with SPF and internal nutrition — and only using paramedical skincare (I love and use DMK and have been doing it for seven years),” she said.

“In terms of treatment, I’ve had skin needling, enzyme therapy, BBL Forever Young, and regular Healite LED therapies.”

Now in her 50s, she’s also seeing a clinic nurse for a “small amount of filler” in her jaw to “replace some of the volume lost after menopause,” along with anti-wrinkle injections starting in her 40s.

‘My skin looks younger now at 50 than it did 15 years ago!’ She said.

“I’ve reversed the damage by skipping the peels, being careful with SPF and internal nutrition — and only using paramedical skincare (I love and use DMK and have been doing this for seven years),” she said (pictured now). ).

‘My skin looks younger now at 50 than it did 15 years ago!’ she said

What does Gry’s daily skin care routine look like?

Morning:

Beta-gluten and vitamin C serum for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant power

Fractionated vegetable pigment oil to repair and brighten the barrier

Moisturizing cream with vitamin C and tinted sun protection factor

Evening:

Vitamin A Lotion

All of these products are from DMK except for my tinted SPF which was developed by Mesoesthetic

I regularly undergo DMK Enzyme Therapy to keep my skin cells healthy and refreshed at the cellular level and I love the combination of Skin Needling and BBL HERO whenever I’m down in Melbourne visiting my team at the clinic

It’s very rare that I use a chemical peel–every two months or so at most.

Ms Tomte no longer has the painful pimples she used to have and recalls how her skin has affected her confidence.

“I remember waking up in the middle of the night from the pain of new pimples forming. I felt like everyone was judging me,” she said.

“The constant new flare-ups, the sore skin — and of course the complete loss of confidence — meant I was quite a distance from the previously confident, outgoing person I used to be.”

Ms. Tomte opened her HÜD clinic in Melbourne in 2014 to support and advise clients on the long-term care of their skin.

Ms. Tomte opened her HÜD clinic in Melbourne in 2014 to support and advise clients on the long-term care of their skin

She no longer experiences the painful breakouts she used to have and recalls how her skin has affected her confidence

Gry’s top 5 tips for healthy skin:

Consume a good source of omega fatty acids daily – Omega 3 and 7 are particularly beneficial for regulating inflammation and barrier function. A must have as we cannot make them in the body and they are essential for all healthy cells.

reduce stress – Stress steals your growth hormones, which accelerate aging

Wear SPF every day – even if you’re just sitting in front of your computer and/or phone screen! They emit blue light radiation, which is responsible for excessive pigment damage

Eat enough protein – Proteins are the building blocks of your body. And collagen and elastin depend on it.

Cut out your sugar – Sugar leads to glycation – a criss-cross crosslinking (like little “cushions”) in the skin through stiffened fibers. It’s also largely untreatable — even with fillers and Botox.

She swears by using SPF and taking omega fatty acids daily, and doesn’t recommend certain salon treatments.

“I cringe when I see microdermabrasion or dermaplaning! There is absolutely no point in prematurely killing the epidermal cells in this way. In my clinic, we see many problems related to these treatments on a weekly basis,” Ms. Tomte said.

She also hopes others will realize that prescription vitamin A in the form of retinoic acid is “absolutely unnecessary.”

“Retinoic acid is easily absorbed into the skin, but retinol has been shown to be more effective and less irritating,” she said.

“Retinol and other vitamin A derivatives like Retinyl Hydroxypinacolone are very effective in normalizing skin cells, protecting DNA, improving skin texture, pigmentation, acne, fine lines and dryness.

“Buying a prescription retinoic acid cream might seem tempting, but it’s like playing darts with a gun.”

How to keep your skin young for decades:

20s: protect the shells. Your skin already works very well on its own, so focus on prevention. That means wear your SPF! Treatments include light peels, LED, enzyme therapy and skin needling to keep skin healthy.

30s: things are starting to slow down a bit. The cell cycle lengthens, so use a vitamin A serum or lotion to help regulate it. In terms of treatment, this is the perfect time to introduce BBL HERO, Laser Genesis or Vitamin A Infused Needling to ensure your skin stays younger for longer.

40s: If you haven’t already, this might be the right time to make that regular Botox appointment. Static lines become more visible and anti-wrinkle injections are a great way to soften them. And it’s time to upgrade needling for RF needling and BBL Forever Young treatments, as well as corrective pigment and vascular lasers.

50s: Growth hormone and sex hormones are on the decline and it’s time to make sure you’re eating healthily, taking your EFAs, and keeping an eye on your hormone levels. You will notice that your skin becomes more “relaxed”, the jawline sags slightly and sun damage becomes more obvious. In terms of treatment, now is the time to do a major peel a few times a year – and of course, continue with your RF needling, skin tightening, and BBL Forever Young treatments.

60s: Time to bring out the big guns. If you’re a little late into skincare, you might want to look into a fractional laser or an ablative laser to correct sun damage. However, we firmly believe not to do this unless it is really necessary. Otherwise, the modalities we love after 40 keep your skin texture, tone and cellular health functioning at their best.