Adult Acne – Causes and Cures
Most people assume that acne is a teenage problem, but the reality is very different and surprisingly high numbers of adults also suffer from the effects of acne at some point in their life. A lot of teenagers leave their acne misery behind once their teenage hormones stop rioting and they enter their twenties, but for some, the misery continues and acne carries on blighting their life for a lot longer. It is also possible for acne to strike later in life, even in your forties, and while acne is more common in women and at least 50% of the female population will suffer from acne as adults some of the time, 25% of men will also develop acne in adulthood.
As you can see, nobody is exempt from acne. Even babies can suffer from a form of infant acne in their earliest weeks of life: imagine the pain of finding baby pictures from when you were three or four weeks old, only to realize you had a face full of spots. So what causes adult acne and is there anything you can do to prevent the pain and misery of adult acne from turning you into a social recluse?
Causes of adult acne
Adult acne can be caused by many things, all of which have an unwanted end result: acne. So in order to treat adult acne, you need to figure out what might be causing your acne.
Hormones: hormone imbalances are the major cause of adult acne. Too much testosterone in the system can stimulate the sebaceous glands into producing too much sebum, which clogs the pores of the skin and causes dead skin cells to build up. Before long, bacteria on the skin multiply and an infection develops and you end up with the spots and blackheads so characteristic of acne.
Stress: working long hours and running around like a headless chicken trying to please your partner, your kids, and your boss is a one way ticket to major stress. So it is hardly surprising that you end up suffering on many different levels, Too much stress stimulates the oil glands and causes acne to develop, and the worse your skin gets, the more you are stressed—so it becomes a vicious circle.
The pill: taking a contraceptive pill can sometimes affect your skin. Some varieties contain higher levels of androgens than others, and if you are on the wrong brand of pill, it can lead to breakouts of acne.
Bad cosmetics: using the same old cosmetics year in and year out can lead to a build of bacteria on your skin. Greasy cosmetics block the pores and before you know it, you have blackheads and spots in multiple numbers.
How can you fix the causes of acne?
Hormonal acne is easy to identify. If the breakouts are a lot worse a few days before your period arrives, or your are going through the menopause and your skin has erupted into acne, there is a good chance the root cause is hormonal, so talk to your doctor to see if there is anything he can suggest that might put an end to your acne woes. Some women benefit from taking an oral contraceptive pill, but this does not suit everyone.
Is your life incredibly stressful? If the answer is yes, it could be partly to blame for your acne, and since stress is very bad for your health, try and find ways to relieve the stress and think about eating healthily and taking more exercise, both of which can significantly improve your health and wellbeing.
The pill can cause acne, but it can also help it, so if you started a new brand of pill and you have noticed lots of breakouts in your skin, tell your doctor and see if there is a different brand you can try instead.
Greasy makeup is no good for acne prone skin. However, there are lots of oil-free brands of makeup available that are good for oily and combination skin, so look for non-acnegenic skincare products designed to sooth your skin, not make it ten times worse.
How does adult acne begin?
For most people, acne begins as a breakout of blackheads in oily areas of the skin, usually the chin, around the nose, and the forehead (also known as the T-zone). Blackheads are unsightly, so we try and pick at them or scrub them, but this only makes matters worse as it introduces infection into the area and before long you have a nice crop of spots.
The best way to treat adult acne in the early stages is to choose the right cleansers and skincare products. Look for products containing salicylic acid as this helps to unblock pores and remove the debris that leads to spots. Try and avoid harsh face scrubs as these only inflame the skin and make matters worse. Exfoliate your skin gently—two or three times a week is fine. Benzoyl peroxide creams and lotions are useful for killing the bacteria that cause infections in the hair follicles.
How long should I wait before seeing a doctor about my acne?
If acne is making you miserable and over the counter remedies are not working, do not wait—go and see your doctor today! Lots of men and women feel embarrassed about their bad skin and assume that there is very little anyone can do to help them, but this is not true—doctors are used to treating adult acne and recognize that it can be a very upsetting problem for adults. There are lots of treatments available to treat adult acne, so do not suffer in silence.
