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.

Acne Medicine Treatment Found In Natural Acne Products

If acne is causing you serious problems and you wake up every morning with a face full of spots and blackheads, try not to worry as there are many different treatments available for you to try. In days gone by, there was probably not much doctors could do to alleviate the symptoms of acne, but nowadays, medicine has moved on a great deal and doctors have access to all kinds of topical treatments and antibiotics to help reduce the symptoms of acne.

Acne typically begins in the teenage years and young people not only have to deal with rioting hormones and rampant sex drives, they also have to cope with the horror of acne. On the positive side, a bad case of acne can seriously put a dent in those pesky sex hormones, but on the negative side, acne can cause long term damage to the skin and serious issues with low self esteem.

But it is not just teenagers who are afflicted with acne: plenty of adults also have to suffer the embarrassment of going to work with a face full of spots. It tends to be women who are affected with acne as adults, mostly because of hormonal fluctuations, but men are not completely immune.

What are the treatment options for acne sufferers?

In general, there are lots of different acne treatments you can try. So instead of becoming a hermit because of your problem skin, try and acne treatments and blitz those zits!

The first type of treatment you should try will depend on the severity of your acne. Mild and moderate cases of acne can often be successfully treated using home remedies and over the counter acne treatments, but if you are unfortunate enough to be afflicted by severe acne that extends across a significant area of your face, back and chest, it is worth seeking medical advice to prevent long term skin scarring.

For mild symptoms of acne, it is worth trying home acne treatments as a first line of attack. Deep cleansing masks containing oatmeal and honey can help fight the bacteria and sooth the inflammation. Tea tree oil is another very useful home remedy for mild cases of acne as it contains natural antiseptic properties. Dab the tea tree oil directly on to spots and blemishes or buy some natural tea tree oil cleansing products.

Over the counter remedies vary considerably. There are lots of products available for minor skin blemishes and spots, but if you have a moderate case of acne and the skin lesions extend on to your back as well as your face, you may need something stronger to fight the infection and inflammation.

Products containing benzoyl peroxide care very useful for fighting the symptoms of acne. Benzoyl peroxide ointments and lotions are available in several different strengths and helps to control acne symptoms in two different ways: if dries up the skin and helps to unclog blocked hair follicles, plus it kills the bacteria on the skin that are responsible for infecting hair follicles and causing spots to form.

Azelaic acid products are an alternative to benzoyl peroxide products and are used when the latter is unsuitable. Azelaic acid is applied to acne affected skin via a topical ointment or lotion and just like benzoyl peroxide, it works by killing bacteria and removing the dead skin cells.

Antibiotics are often prescribed for moderate to severe cases of acne. They can be taken orally or applied as topical ointments on to the affected areas. Antibiotics kill the bacteria on the skin that are causing the infection, but they cannot be used indefinitely because the bacteria soon build up resistance.

For more severe cases of acne, topical retinoids such as tretinoin can be used to control sebum production and unblocking hair follicles, but these acne treatments are much stronger than benzoyl peroxide and are not suitable for everyone. An even stronger treatment called isotretinoin is also available from dermatologists, but this carries a much greater risk of side effects.

Why choose natural acne treatments over other types of treatment?

The main reasons why people decide to try and treat their acne the natural way is because they have very little success with traditional methods or they endure too many side effects from the medications. Unfortunately, there are a number of side effects associated with over the counter and prescription acne treatments and in some cases the medications cause serious problems.

Benzoyl peroxide and azelaic acid products can cause irritation, burning, redness and peeling of the treatment area and following application of benzoyl peroxide, the patient must be very careful to avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight as the skin is much more sensitive to UV light.

Topical retinoids also cause side effects, some of which are much more serious than an increased sensitivity to sunlight. Pregnant women or women at risk of becoming pregnant should never take retinoids for the treatment of acne as the medication carries a strong risk of birth defects. Isotretinoin has a far greater risk of serious side effects, including birth defects should a woman become pregnant whilst taking the medication. There is also anecdotal evidence to suggest a higher risk of depression and suicide from taking isotretinoin.

Ultimately, your choice of acne treatment will depend on how severe your acne is and whether you prefer to try more natural products. In the first instance, it is always better to adopt a natural approach to acne treatment, but if nothing works, it is sensible to seek medical advice.

Getting Rid Of Acne Scars

Minor spots and blemishes usual heal without leaving any marks on the skin, but severe acne can cause long term scarring that is difficult to eradicate. Cysts and nodules associated with severe acne cause extensive damage beneath the skin. The body’s immune system fights the infection and repairs the damage, but a visible scar is left and in many cases, the skin never recovers from the trauma, which is why you can normally tell when someone has suffered from a severe case of acne in their youth.

Squeezing spots is another way to cause scars. Lost of people do this, unaware of the fact they are doing irreparable damage to their skin. A ripe spot might look temptingly ready to burst, but by messing with it, you are pushing the infection deeper inside and spreading it further. This causes even greater collateral damage and if you are not careful, a scar will be left behind once the infection has cleared and the spot has disappeared.

Thankfully, even if you are left with some scarring from a bad case of acne, there are ways and means to get rid of acne scars, or at least minimize their appearance. Some over the counter or home remedies can significantly reduce the appearance of acne scars and are very helpful for minor acne scars, but in severe cases, you may need to consult a dermatologist and have more extensive treatment to remove your visible acne scars.

What are the different types of acne scars?

Scar tissue takes several different forms and some people are more vulnerable to scarring than others. In general, there are two major types of scar—some are caused by a loss of skin tissue and are characterized by pits or holes in the skin surface, whereas others are caused by increased tissue formation.

Depressed scars are caused when a cyst ruptures and the body send lots of white blood cells to kill the infection, The end result is a hole or crater in the skin where the cyst used to be—a loss of collagen beneath the surface of the skin cannot support the tissue above and the a depression or pit is formed. This type of acne scar is called an “ice pick” scar or “box car” scar and is more common on the face.

Keloids are the opposite type of scar and are formed by excessive scar tissue forming at the site of the infection. The loss of collagen in the aftermath triggers the formation of fibroblasts or hypertrophic scars. This type of scar tissue is referred to as a “rolling scar” more common on the body, although it can also affect the face.

What are the different methods of repairing minor skin damage caused by acne?

In mild cases of acne scarring, vitamin E can help the skin to repair itself and reduce the visible scarring. You can take vitamin E as a dietary supplement or use it as a topical cream or lotion and it works by encouraging the skin to renew itself and heal. Rose hip seed oil also has a similar effect—apply it directly to the skin to repair damaged skin.

Eating a healthy diet with plenty of water can help to rejuvenate the skin and encourage healing. Our skin is always a reflection of our inner health, which is why we look so pale and pasty after a night of alcoholic indulgence, so eat a balanced diet containing plenty of vitamins and minerals, and drink between six and eight glasses of water per day to flush toxins out of the body.

What are the different methods of repairing more serious scarring caused by acne?

Treatment for severe acne scarring will require more invasive methods and is regarded as a type of cosmetic surgery, so unless you can show that your acne scarring is causing you serious psychological damage as well as affecting your appearance you may have to pay for treatment.

There are several methods uses to treat serious acne scarring, including:

Dermabrasion removes the top layer of skin using a sire brush. It is painful and the skin will be red and sore for a few months, but once it has healed, you should notice a good improvement in your acne scars.

Laser treatment is suitable for mild to moderate acne scars. Ablative laser treatment is used to remove skin from around the scar to promote new tissue regeneration. Non-ablative laser treatment stimulates new collagen growth.

Punch techniques are used to treat depressed scars such as ice pick scars and box car scars and are a surgical treatment. A punch excision removes a deep ice pick scar and the wound is sealed. Punch elevation surgery is used to treat box car scars—the scar is cut away and the remaining tissue lifted up so that once the area heals, the skin surface is level and less noticeable. Punch grafting is used on very deep ice pick scars—the scar is surgically removed and a piece of tissue from another area of the body is used to plug the wound.

Subscision is used to treat rolling scars. The surgeon removes the skin from above the scar to encourage bleeding beneath the affected area and regenerative repairs. Rolling scar tissue is pushed up into line with the rest of the skin surface as new collagen tissue grows. This process can be followed with dermabrasion and laser treatment to further improve the appearance of the area.

Acne: 10 Most Common Myths

There are lots of myths surrounding acne, but in order to beat this distressing condition, it is important that you are able to separate fact from fiction and clear up any misunderstandings you have about what causes acne. Knowledge is power, so arm yourself with the facts and beat acne before it steals any more of your happiness.

Myth #1: Acne only happens to teenager. Wrong—acne can happen to anyone, although it does tend to be more common in teenagers. The underlying causes of acne are often hormonal, and sadly fluctuating hormone levels can be a problem for many people, not just teenagers. Adult women can also suffer from acne, particularly during certain stages of their reproductive cycle and the menopause, and in rare cases, so can men.

Myth #2: Acne is caused by not washing often enough. No, acne is not caused by poor hygiene and being unclean will not give you spots. The causes of acne take place far below the outer level of skin and the build up of dead skin cells, excess sebum and bacteria occur in the underlying layers of skin before the outer infections begin. Keeping the skin clean through gentle washing twice per day will help, but it will not prevent acne from occurring, and in actual fact scrubbing at the skin in an attempt to get rid of the spots will even make the infection worse.

Myth #3: Acne is only a physical disorder. No, it is not and many people can testify to the psychological pain having acne can cause. Mild cases of acne cane be upsetting at time, but a severe case of acne can cause untold psychological damage and some people never recover from the trauma of suffering many years of debilitating acne—they become extremely socially withdrawn and depressed. And it can be even worse for adults with the condition—imagine how embarrassing it is to have to go to work with a face full of spots?

Myth #4: Acne is caused by certain foods. Although certain foods definitely aggravate the condition, there is no one type of food that can actually cause acne, even if you parents tell you to stop eating chocolate because it gives you spots. Diet does play a role in acne, but it is not the root cause of the problem. However, eating a healthy diet can certainly improve your skin and help your body fight the underlying infections, so do not be tempted to eat nothing but sugary snacks and fatty burgers in a bid to clear your acne.

Myth #5: Sun can help improve acne. Years ago, scientists thought that exposure to UV light helped to improve bad skin conditions such as acne, but we know now that this is not the case and in actual fact, repeated exposure to UV light can cause irreparable damage to the skin and potentially skin cancer. In the short term, sun can dry up the skin and cause a temporary improvement, but the skin soon adapts and you are back at square one, so stay off the sun bed and avoid skin cancer.

Myth #6: Acne should be left along as it will clear up on its own. Well there is some truth to that as yes, acne will probably clear up eventually, but why put up with acne for years when you could try some effective acne treatments and see a noticeable improvement within a few weeks? If one product does not work, don’t give up: go back to the pharmacy or doctor and ask for something different. Treating acne is often a case of trial and error and in many cases it takes a combination of treatments before you hit the jackpot.

Myth #7: The more acne treatments you try the better. Actually no, this is probably not such a great idea. You do need to experiment with acne treatments as what works for one person might not work for another, but be careful about overdoing it as some acne medications can be extremely dangerous if taken in excessive quantities. Be aware of the side effects and if you experience problems, consult your doctor.

Myth #8: Wearing heavy makeup causes acne. No, heavy makeup might aggravate acne, but it does not cause acne. There are some type of greasy makeup that can clog the pores and cause spots to develop, but the majority of modern makeup products are perfectly safe to use—and some even contain ingredients designed to fight the bacteria and excess sebum that cause acne!

Myth #9: Squeezing spots is the best way to get rid of them once and for all. It can be very tempting to squeeze spots full of pus, but you may be doing untold damage by picking at your skin. Popping spots spreads the bacteria inside the skin and inadvertently makes the infection worse, and if you are not careful, you risk causing a permanent scar that never disappears. So leave those zits alone and let nature take its cause.

Myth #10: Sex can cause acne. Really? This one is definitely an old wives tale and there is no definitive relationship between too much or too little sex and acne. Your mom may have told you that too much sex will give you acne, but seriously, this is completely untrue. There is, however, a strong relationship between the sex hormone testosterone and acne, so if we are being picky, there is some truth to the myth that sex causes acne, if only in a very indirect way.

About Acne – What can you do to cure or alleviate acne?

Acne is a very unpleasant skin condition often seen in teenagers, but also not that uncommon in adults. It is usually caused by too much testosterone in teenagers, and fluctuating hormone levels in adults, usually women. At best acne is a minor inconvenience and a blow before your big night our, but at its worst, it can cause serious psychological trauma and long term facial scarring.

The best way to cure or alleviate acne is to gain a greater understanding of what causes the condition. Once you know why acne occurs, you can look at ways of treating your acne in order to alleviate or cure the symptoms. So why does acne happen and what causes those monstrous spots and pimples?

How acne begins

Our skin is made up of several different layers: an outer epidermis, a middle dermis containing connective tissue, and a bottom layer that is mostly comprised of fat cells. There are pores called hair follicles all over the skin surrounding each hair follicle is a sebaceous gland that secretes sebum to lubricate the skin and hairs.

Acne is caused in part by an increased production of sebum by the sebaceous glands. Greasy skin is the first sign of a problem, but eventually the hair follicles become blocked and a build up of dead skin cells leads to blackheads and whiteheads.

Once the hair follicle is blocked, it continues filling up with sebum and infection sets in. A papule forms and the body’s immune system steps up the fight against the infection, causing pus to accumulate and the papule to turn into a pustule. In some cases, the infection spreads into the surrounding area and causes a nodule or cyst—a large hard lump beneath the skin which fills up with pus. Eventually the pustule or cyst bursts and released the pus, allowing the infected area to heal, although in some cases, a scar will be left behind.

Why does acne occur?

Acne in teenagers is caused in part by an excess of testosterone, which aggravates the sebaceous glands and encourages too much sebum to be produced. Hormones are also responsible for acne in adults, particularly women, and acne often comes and goes depending on menstrual cycles and menopause.

Aside from hormones, there are other factors that can cause acne to develop. Eating an unhealthy diet full of sugar, fats, and lacking in essential vitamins and minerals can lead to the development of acne in people of all ages, not just teenagers. Some people also suffer from poor digestion, which can exacerbate acne due to a build up of toxins in the body.

What other factors can cause acne?

Acne can occur as a side effect of certain medications, particularly anti depressants and steroids. Some types of contraceptive pill can cause skin eruptions such as acne, although this is primarily hormonal in origin. It is also common for acne to develop as a result of working in a greasy environment or using greasy cosmetics, although this type of scenario tends to aggravate rather than cause acne.

What can you do to alleviate acne symptoms?

Eating a healthy diet will do a long way towards improving your skin. Diet cannot cure acne, but by including essential vitamins and minerals in your diet, you can give your body the best possible chance of fighting the infection and healing the inflammation. Essential vitamins such as vitamin A, C, and E all play a part in keeping the skin in top condition. The B vitamins are also essential for healthy skin.

Zinc is known to be highly beneficial in healing inflammation, fighting bacteria and reducing the amount of sebum produced by the sebaceous glands, so consider taking a zinc supplement to help alleviate your acne symptoms.

The kind of food you eat will play a part in how unhealthy your skin is. A diet that is full of fatty foods and sugar is not good for anyone, least of all someone with acne, so try and reduce the fat content of your diet and boost your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables. Eat lots of fiber to encourage healthy digestion to remove toxins from the body and prevent them from clogging your pores.

Try and avoid wearing too much makeup every day as this only serves to block the pores. If you have acne, it can be tempting to try and cover up your blemishes with thick foundation and concealer cream, but let your skin breathe some of the time as it will help your acne.

It is also worth mentioning that too much time spent scrubbing and cleansing the skin can have a negative effect on acne. Strong soaps and cleansers can irritate the skin and exacerbate the sebaceous glands into producing even more oils, which only leads to further skin blemishes and spots. Avoid harsh skin cleansing products and try sticking to products that only contain natural ingredients.

Natural ingredients such as tea tree oil and aloe vera extract can help to kill the bacteria and sooth the inflammation. Grapefruit seed extract and citrus fruit extracts can also act as natural antibacterial agents to heal the infected skin.

If natural products do not work as well as you might have hoped, try some over the counter benzoyl peroxide products or those containing salicylic acid—these help to unblock pores and encourage the sloughing of dead skin cells. Stronger products will be available from the doctor if your acne falls into the moderate or severe categories.