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

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. 

‘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.

‘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 (pictured now)

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

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

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.’