Image via Wikipedia Besides menopause hot flashes and night sweats, adult acne is a real concern for many women. Acne is normally associated with adolescence and teens. However, it is not uncommon for many adults, men and women, to be burdened with acne. Acne is simply a build up of bacteria and sebum, an oily substance that is produced by your skin. This build up clogs and irritates your pores, in turn causing different types of blemishes such as blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, etc. Acne does not only attack the face, it can range from your back to your neck and even to your chest.
Acne can be genetically traced and according to Dr. Jeannette Graf, a dermatologist, if you suffered from acne in your teen years it will more than likely resurface when you become an adult. Adult acne tends to be redder and stay red for longer, it is also, at times, accompanied by dry and irritated skin.
What is the reason for adult acne?
As stated above, acne does have a lot to do with a person’s genetic make up. However, there are other triggers related to everyday life that can provoke the reoccurrence of adult acne. Hormones are definitely a trigger, especially for women during menstruation and menopause. Experts also confirm that during your 20’s and 30’s your glands are more susceptible to hormone shifts. Another big contributor is stress. This goes for men and women, everyone suffers from stress at one point in time or another. Being stressed out can aggravate and trigger acne breakouts, which in turn cause more stress. It is one dreadful cycle. Other triggers come from products that adults put on their faces. Whether it is lotion or an anti-aging cream, the oily substances in the cream cause build up and irritation to the pores.
A common mistake that many adults are guilty of is treating their acne like teenage acne. There is a difference and adult acne should be acknowledged and taken care of differently. A main and key difference is that teenagers have oily skin and adults are more inclined to have dry skin. Using a teen acne treatment will only cause more irritation to dry, adult skin.
For adult acne cure, try cleansers that are not too-strong gels and that do not have beads and granules in them. Products like that will only cause more aggravation. As for creams and lotions, try a product like ClearPores. There are many other lotion products that contain retinol, glycolic acids, and benzoyl peroxide. Retinol helps to clear pores and prevent wrinkles, where as glycolic acids are for skin discoloration and scar smoothing. Benzoyl peroxide is more for spot-breakouts and will kill bacteria directly.
Medications come in other forms such as oral prescriptions that can fight bacteria, help balance hormones, fight infection and prevent inflammation. Other acne cures are high tech and known as, laser removal and light therapy treatments.
All in all, adult acne is a completely different problem than teenage acne. As stated before, adult acne needs to be recognized and taken care of in a proper manner. Posted by guest author Alyssa Johnson.
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