Adult Acne Causes And Treatments

Acne can occur in your adulthood also. The reason for adult acne breakout may not be the same as teenage acne. Acne is most common when you are growing up, but it can happen later in your life as well. Don’t think that it cannot occur when you are adult.

Most dermatologist say acne breakout is not just for teens. But do not despair when adult acne occurs. In this article you will find adult acne tips, such as what is acne, causes of adult acne and also about adult acne treatments.

What is Acne: At the hub of an acne sits the pimple – what the dermatologist call a comedo. It’s nothing but a mass of fat, skin debris, and keratin (the substance nails, hair, and skin are made of) trapped in a hair duct. When it is open, it is known as blackhead and when it is closed over, it is known as whitehead. Whiteheads sometimes cause the walls of hair duct to rift. This process contributes to redness, infection and scars.

It’s a known fact that boys are more prone to get acne scarring than girls. On the other hand girls are more prone to suffer from adult acne.

Adult Acne Causes: Most of the people think acne is caused by poor hygiene. The truth is that adult acne can be caused by a combination of several factors. The most common causes of adult acne are:

(i) Sebum: Sebum is an oily substance that is created by the sebaceous glands in your skin. The sebum often clogs up skin pores and gets inflamed as it gathers bacteria and can cause adult acne.

(ii) Adult Acne Hormones: Hormones are occasionally responsible for excessive oil secretion which can cause adult acne. That is why you often find women suffer acne breakouts during their menstruation cycle and menopause.

(iii) In case of men adult acne can occur as a result of hypersensitivity or overproduction of androgens (male hormones)

(iv) Cosmetics: Cosmetics can many times be responsible for adult acne. The people who are prone to acne should minimize use of cosmetics to avoid aggravation of acne breakouts.

(v) Stress: It has been observed that stress can trigger hormone imbalances leading to excessive sebum production in the skin and therefore can be cause for adult acne.

(vi) Hereditary: If in your family there are more members who suffer from adult acne, you are likely to suffer too.

How to Get Rid of Adult Acne naturally:

(1) Cleansers: Aim is to keep your face clean during the day.

(a) Do not wash your face too often. Gentle face washing twice a day is enough. If you have dry skin then wash with only water the second time.

(b) Do not use too strong gels and products containing beads or granules. They work as abrasives and can irritate your acne conditions.

(c) If during the course of the day you feel like washing your face or you feel your face is getting oily then you can splash your face with water only to cleanse your face.

(d) Do not use hot water for washing your face. It will dry out your face. Instead use warm water.

(e) Do not use rough washcloth to wash your face. Use either your hands or use a wash cloth made for babies.

(2) Ante Acne Creams and Lotions: Use anti-acne creams to get rid of the acne causing bacteria.

(a) Try an over-the-counter retinol product to clean pores and help reducing fine wrinkles.

(b) To avert discoloration and reduce acne scars, use products that have salicylic and glycolic acids.

(c) Another adult acne treatment for immediate result is to try a product that contains low strength benzoyl peroxide, as it helps in exterminating bacteria.

(3) Oil-free cosmetics: As one of the main adult acne causes is oil, so try to use oil-free products. Also look for those products that are non-acne genic (will not cause acne) and non-comedogenic (will not clog pores)

(4) Never squeeze pimples as this leads to infection and scars.  Squeezing also contributes to spreading of acne.

(5) Consult a dermatologist: If the above adult acne treatments do not give you results, it’s worth visiting a dermatologist. He will find out the main cause for your acne and give prescription accordingly.

(6) High-tech treatments: Depending upon your conditions, your dermatologist may offer you some of the high-tech treatments, like laser and pulsed light treatments. These are mainly targeted towards scars elimination. Another option they offer is blue light therapy to kill acne-causing bacteria. As these options can burn hole in your pocket, so explore the other options first.