What is Adult Acne?

Acne is the most common skin condition in the world. It is most common among teenagers, but anyone can get it. In fact, adult acne is fairly common as well.

When you get acne in your mid-twenties or beyond it is considered adult acne. When a teenager gets acne, it is usually due to increased hormone levels. Adult acne has a few different causes. Hormones could still be what is causing it, but stress is one of the leading causes of adult acne. When a person becomes stressed, the sebaceous glands produce more sebum, which is the acne-causing oil. The same thing happens when hormone levels increase, but adults tend to become stressed very easily, so the adult acne is normally caused by stress. It can also be caused by a reaction to beauty products, such as make-up, lotions and cleansers. Adult females use more beauty products, especially ones that contain anti-aging and wrinkle-decreasing ingredients. If a person is sensitive to these products, the body may react by producing more sebum. Also, a dry skin rash may occur and therefore, more dead skin cells will be present. The mixture of the excess sebum and dead skin cells will produce a large outbreak of adult acne.

Treating adult acne is similar to treating teen acne, but you will have to take it a step further. Let’s face it, your skin gets worse as you age so you have to take more steps to make it better. The same thing can be said for treating adult acne. You will first want to wash with an acne cleanser that contains benzoyl peroxide. It is a mild wash but will help kill the acne-causing bacteria and will also reduce inflammation. Next, you will need to exfoliate your skin to get rid of the dead skin cells. Using an exfoliator that contains salicylic acid is a great choice. Salicylic acid is an acne fighting agent, so it will be working double time for you. Finally be sure to moisturize your skin. Moisturizing will stop dead skin cells from forming and therefore, will prevent them from clogging your pores.

Taking these simple steps should help clear your adult acne. In some cases, the adult acne will be too severe to get rid of by just using over-the-counter acne products. If this happens, you will need to speak with your doctor. The doctor will most likely prescribe a retinoid cream to help cure your adult acne. This could be a plus, because it also helps with aging skin.