Courtney from Connecticut asks,

Jane, I’m in my thirties and still getting pimples. What do you recommend to help me get rid of them?

Realistically, Courtney, it doesn’t matter your age. Pimples tend to be the same whether you’re 15 or 50. But how you treat them does matter.

Most acne treatments are catered towards the teen market, and use ingredients like peroxide to, quite literally, dry the heck out of your skin and, just as a side effect, the pimple has no where to go and disappears.

For my pimples, and I still get plenty, I prefer to use gentler methods of dealing with zits. Salicylic acid, for example, will help to clear your skin without irritating it. Salicylic acid can be found in asprin which, if you’ve been reading our site regularly, you can access easily without having to invest in expensive product.

I also look for products that have ingredients like licorice, green tea, tea tree and yeast extracts. All of these will gently assist inflamed skin, but are also highly effective.