Skin guru Gry Tomte shares her top skincare secrets for acne and how she ‘aged backwards’

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A gorgeous skin expert who’s been described as the ‘acne whisperer’ has revealed how she transformed her skin and ‘aged backwards’ at the age of 50.

After moving to Melbourne from her hometown of Norway, Gry Tomte told FEMAIL she developed acne ‘almost overnight’, which made her feel ‘self-conscious, unattractive and unclean’.

‘I had already suffered with both inflamed acne and melasma (from being put on the pill for my acne) for a good seven years,’ Ms Tomte said.

Over the years she tried several different remedies, from high-strength face peels to home kits, which managed to tackle the acne but made her age faster.

‘My skin was acne-free but had aged what seemed to be YEARS in the process! It was thin, dry, reactive and what felt like an overnight onset of fine lines and wrinkles,’ she said.

‘I made it my mission as a skin therapist to get a better understanding of what had happened to my skin and discovered just how much damage can be done by over exfoliation.’

Ms Tomte was able to heal her skin by rethinking her skincare regime and understanding ‘inflammageing’ – ageing induced by underlying inflammation.

After moving to Melbourne from her hometown of Norway, skin expert Gry Tomte (pictured now at 50) told FEMAIL she developed acne ‘almost overnight’, which made her feel ‘self-conscious, unattractive and unclean’

‘I had already suffered with both inflamed acne and melasma (from being put on the pill for my acne) for a good seven years,’ Ms Tomte said. She was able to heal her skin by rethinking her skincare regime and understanding ‘inflammageing’ – ageing induced by underlying inflammation (pictured: age 26)

‘I have reversed the damage by laying off the peels, being diligent with SPF and internal nutrition – and only using paramedical skincare (I love and use DMK and have done for seven years now),’ she said.

‘Treatment wise I have had skin needling, Enzyme Therapy, BBL Forever Young and regular Healite LED therapies.’

Now in her 50s, she also sees a clinic nurse for a ‘small amount of filler’ in her jawline to ‘replace some of the volume loss post menopause’, along with anti-wrinkle injections from the age of 40.

‘My skin looks younger today at 50 than 15 years ago!’ she said.

‘My skin looks younger today at 50 than 15 years ago!’ she said

What’s Gry’s daily skincare routine?

Morning:

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

Fractionated herbal pigment oil for barrier repair and brightening

Vitamin C moisturiser and a tinted SPF

Evening:

Vitamin A lotion

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

I have regular DMK Enzyme Therapy to keep my skin cells healthy and refreshed on a cellular level, and love the combination of skin needling and BBL HERO whenever I’m down in Melbourne visiting my team at the clinic

It is very rare that I do use a chemical peel – no more than every two months or so.

Ms Tomte no longer experiences the painful breakouts she once had and recalls how her skin impacted her self-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 daily breakouts, the sore skin – and of course the complete loss of confidence – meant I was a pretty far cry from the previously confident, outgoing person I used to be.’

Ms Tomte opened her Melbourne clinic HÜD in 2014 to help clients look after their skin long-term and offer advice.

Ms Tomte opened her Melbourne clinic HÜD in 2014 to help clients look after their skin long-term and offer advice

She no longer experiences the painful breakouts she once had and recalls how her skin impacted her self-confidence

Gry’s top five tips for healthy skin:

Always take a good source of Omega Fatty Acids daily – Omega 3 and 7 are particularly beneficial for regulating both inflammation and barrier function. A must since we cannot produce them in the body and they’re essential for all healthy cells.

Reduce stress – Stress steals your growth hormones which will accelerate ageing

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

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

Cut your sugar – Sugar leads to glycation – a criss-cross linking (like little ‘pillows’) in the skin due to stiffened fibres. It’s also largely non-treatable – 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’s absolutely no benefit to forcing the epidermal cells off prematurely in this way. In my clinic we see a lot of problems that stem from these treatments weekly,’ Ms Tomte said.

She also hopes others start to recognise that prescription vitamin A in the form of Retinoic acid is ‘absolutely not necessary’.

‘Retinoic acid is easily absorbed in the skin but Retinol has been proven more effective and much less irritating,’ she said.

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

‘Grabbing a prescription Retinoic acid cream might seem tempting, but it’s like playing dart with a canon.’

How to keep your skin young throughout the decades:

20s: go easy on the peels. Your skin is already functioning really well on it’s own so focus on prevention. Which means wear your SPF! Treatments include light peels, LED, Enzyme Therapy and Skin Needling to keep the skin healthy.

30s: things are starting to slow down a little. The cell cycle becomes longer so use a vitamin A serum or lotion to help regulate. Treatment wise this is the perfect time to introduce BBL HERO, Laser Genesis or Needling with vitamin A infusion to ensure your skin stays younger for longer.

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

50s: growth hormones and sex hormones decline and it’s time to make sure you’re eating healthy, taking your EFA’s and keeping an eye on your hormone levels. You’ll be seeing your skin become more ‘relaxed’, jawline becomes a bit flabby and sun damage more evident. Treatment wise, now is the time to have a bigger peel a couple of times a year – and of course keep up your RF needling, skin tightening and BBL Forever Young treatments.

60s: Time to pull out the big guns. If you’ve started a little late in the skincare game, time to perhaps look into a fractionated laser or an ablative laser to correct sun damage. We are big believers in not doing this though unless it’s really needed. Otherwise, the modalities we love from 40 up will keep your skin texture, tone and cellular health functioning optimally.