At one point in your life, have you ever had adult acne? Adult acne is one of many skin problems that afflict millions of people – men and women – all over the world. For many, acne affects their social and personal lives. Who would want to pose for pictures if the pimples will take center stage? Having adult acne can bring about depression, anxiety, shame and make you lose your self-esteem. Fortunately, with the advances in technology, many adult acne treatments have been formulated to help people who are suffering from this skin problem to get rid of their pimples and have clear, acne-free faces and bodies.
Adult acne can be classified into two: facial acne and body acne. Facial acne is confined to the face and sometimes the neck. Body acne, on the other hand, includes back acne, where the back is spotted with pimples. Other body acne also includes those found on the chest, shoulders, and sometimes the arms. Pimples can sometimes be painful and irritated. They grow on most parts of the face: the nose, chin, forehead, cheeks, etc.
Here are the most common causes of adult acne:
- Stress. When a person is stressed, her oil glands go on overdrive. An oily skin is the perfect breeding ground for pimples. Stress brings about over production of facial oil, so when you are stressed from work or home, you will most likely get a pimple or two, or suffer from a full-blown breakout.
- Hormonal changes. Hormones are another culprit to blame for adult acne. Hormonal acne is most common in women. Women go through different hormonal changes and imbalances throughout their lives, and these hormones cause adult acne. When a woman is about to have her period, a pimple or two will sprout on her face. Menopause also brings about adult acne. Menopause and menstruation are two situations where hormonal changes are rampant.
- Poor hygiene. Sometimes you forget to wash your face or take off your makeup. These unhygienic practices pile the dirt on the face, which in turn causes a breakout. Dirt and makeup clog the pores, making the skin unable to breathe freely, causing for a blackhead or two to appear and then develop into pimples. This may be the most common cause of adult acne.
- Pollution. Smoke, dirt and debris present in the air cause adult acne. You sometimes cannot avoid going to a place with so much pollution that your skin suffers the effects. Adult acne cannot be prevented if this is the cause.
- Over-production of oil. There are some people who produce more facial oil than most. When your face is oily, you have more chances of developing a breakout every now and then.
- Taking birth control pills. Being on birth control may trigger breakouts. Taking birth control pills causes hormonal changes and imbalance, so whenever you take the Pill, you may notice a pimple or two, or worse, a full-blown breakout.
There are certain risk factors in developing adult acne. Here are some. When you know of the risk factors, you can avoid them so you can in turn avoid having adult acne from recurring.
- Family history of adult acne. Now this risk factor can never be prevented. If your parents and other members of the family suffer from adult acne, you will most likely have adult acne at one point in your life too.
- Wearing very tight clothing that rubs on skin. Adult acne is not only confined to the face. Body acne is as much a problem to many as facial acne. If you keep on wearing clothing made of abrasive materials, chances are you will develop body acne.
- Hair and skin products. Some hair and skin products contain very harmful chemicals. If you have sensitive skin, these products may cause you to have adult acne. The chemicals may not be compatible with your skin type and they may irritate your skin and cause you to have breakouts.
- Too much sweating. If you cannot avoid being too sweaty during your workouts, try to wipe your face as often as possible so that the sweat will not have time to settle and be absorbed by the face, which in turn may clog the pores and produce pimples.
- Hair that gets in the face. You will notice that when you have bangs, your forehead tends to develop adult acne. This is because hair gets in the way and makes the face produce more oil, thus producing adult acne. This is a very avoidable situation: to make sure that you do not get adult acne, take your hair away from your face. Pull back your hair in a ponytail or a headband.
- Wearing too much makeup. If you cannot avoid wearing makeup, at least keep it to a minimum. Heavy makeup regimen causes adult acne, especially when not washed off at once and when left overnight.
There are many treatment options available for adult acne. Treatments may vary depending on several factors: sensitivity of the skin, severity of adult acne, etc. Here is a list of home remedies, prescription medications and dermatologist-assisted adult acne treatments.
- Wash your face often. This may be the cheapest treatment for adult acne. All you need is clean water. After a day outside the house, wash your face with lukewarm water to get rid of the accumulated dirt and debris. This will unclog your pores and make your skin breathe freely. Wash off your makeup as soon as you can to give you clear skin and free of anything that may block the pores. Remember that adult acne thrive on dirty, moist and oily places.
- Moisturize. Have yourself prescribed a mild moisturizer for your face. It will clean your face and get rid of adult acne fast.
- Benzoyl peroxide. Applying benzoyl peroxide on adult acne is very effective. Ask your dermatologist if your skin can take the chemicals present in benzoyl peroxide.
- Oral antibiotic. If your adult acne is so severe, you may be prescribed to take an antibiotic medication to get rid of the infection the adult acne brings.
Topical creams and ointments. Cystic acne and adult acne can be treated with these creams. You need to put these ointments on your face regularly to get rid of adult acne as fast as possible.