You thought acne will be out of your life as soon as leave your teenage year behind? Well, you thought wrong. Adult acne is a real condition that can happen in breakouts or be a more permanent problem.
Adult acne looks a lot like teenage acne and it’s pretty common.
Hormones cause women to get acne during their menstrual cycle but if there are no other symptoms of hormonal disbalance, this is normal.
However, sometimes acne is caused by other health related issues.
Here are some of them:
- Hormonal disbalance
If your acne appears along other symptoms of hormonal disbalance, there might be a reason to suspect a hormonal disbalance. If you do have this condition, you might get unwanted hair on strange places like your face or chest or you might lose a lot of hair.
The most common reason for this is the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and it also causes irregular periods.
If you notice any of these signs, you should visit your dermatologist. They will perform tests and let you know about your treatments. In more severe cases, you might have to see an endocrinologist.
- Cancer
While this is extremely rare, it’s worth noting just because cancer is such a serious condition. If you notice an acne that has been there for weeks or even months, you might need to see a doctor.
In most cases, it’s not cancer but if the acne has been there for longer, you should check it out with your doctors, just in case.
- Steroid use
Sudden breakout of acne can be related to your steroid use. This type of acne appears inflamed and uniform over a certain area.
If you are using a steroid inhaler or any other type of steroid therapy, you need to talk to your doctors, especially if acne isn’t a normal condition for you.
- Clogged pores, sun damage or oily skin
Sometimes what looks like acne may not be acne.
Small white bumps which appear hard to the touch may seem like acne but they are, in fact, not. They are clogged pores, Milia.
Next, blackhead-like lesions on your cheeks can be caused by sun and harmful UV rays.
If you have yellowish bumps on your T-zone, this is a sign of oily skin that could use some treatment or a routine.
While some of these conditions don’t require a visit to the doctor but just a good skincare regimen, you could benefit from seeing an expert.
- Impetigo
If you have something that looks like acne but has a yellow crust and is located near your mouth or nose, you can be sure that it’s not acne but a type of a staph infection, impetigo.
Especially if it forms a crust which leaves the skin underneath wet and red when peeled, you should see a doctor.
Most of the time this condition gets written off as acne but it might require professional treatment and oral medications.
- Deep cystic acne
Deep cystic acne requires treatment of anti-androgen therapy and some medications. You’ll recognize that you have this condition by noticing deep breakouts which seem to heal slower and leave inflammation or redness on your face.
This condition can get worse during your period.
If you get any of these conditions, you should visit your dermatologist for consult and further treatment. However, if it’s just acne, there might be some treatments that could help you.
Adult Acne Treatment
While you may thought that acne is something you can leave behind along with your teenage years, this condition may follow you into adulthood. Or you may breakout for the first time as an adult. As you can see, there are many reasons for this.
Women are more prone to getting adult acne than men and this is a genetic condition.
Most of the time it’s about hormones, poor lifestyle and skincare. If your lifestyle is busy and you don’t have a lot of time to care for your face, this might be the reason why your acne appears.
Eating sweets or starchy foods, not getting enough sleep and having a lot of stress in your life can also be to blame.
But if you really want to get rid of acne, you might not require expensive treatments at all.
Here are some natural solutions to adult acne which may help the condition:
- Forget about refined carbs
Refined carbs which include chocolate and other sweets, pastries and so on are not directly affecting your skin but rather indirectly. They cause a spike in insulin an increase the inflammation which is one of the reasons why acne appears.
- Drink less milk
Scientists have found that there is some relation between drinking milk and acne, especially in people sensitive to milk. If you are prone to acne breakouts, you might want to stay away from dairy products or at least reduce the intake.
- Reduce stress
Stress is a known factor in acne appearing in adults, especially to those prone to acne. It increases oil production which creates more acne. Reducing stress by meditating and relaxing more often, you can possibly reduce the amount of acne.
This oil is able to fight bacteria and reduce inflammation thus reducing acne. It's a natural counterpart to products and OTC medications which claim to help acne.
- Eat less salt
Iodine often found in salt is one of the things that can cause acne breakout. If you want to try this method, simply salt your food less and don’t eat processed foods packed with salt.
- Try apple cider vinegar
Like all vinegars, this one too has the ability to fight bacteria. It has anti-inflammatory qualities and it’s powerful in reducing scars.
- Honey and cinnamon
Both honey and cinnamon are excellent sources of antioxidants which can help skin fight acne. They also reduce inflammation, fight bacteria and provide all kinds of healthy elements to the skin.
You can use them both at the same time by preparing a honey cinnamon mask.
- Green tea
Flavonoids and tannins from the green tea are known for killing bacteria and reducing inflammation which are the two main causes of acne. It can also reduce sebum production.
You use it by making a regular tea, leaving it to cool off and then applying it with a cotton ball.
If these natural solutions don’t help, this means that you have a more severe case of acne and you should try some OTC medications and treatments:
- Acne face wash or retinoids
If you see that natural remedies and better lifestyle aren’t helping you, you should try an acne face wash. These face washes contain benzoyl peroxide which minimize irritation. For even more severe cases, you can try retinoids which fight bacteria and are a standard in fighting against acne.
- Use salicylic acid
This acid is incorporated in various product and you can apply it as a way to reduce swelling and redness.
- Try with blue light therapy
Blue light therapy is one of the best treatments for acne and you can find it in spas and clinics. Some say that the effectiveness is in levulan which is applied before the blue light treatment. The combination of this chemical and blue light rays is highly effective.
- Birth control pills
Birth control pills are effective in normalizing hormonal disbalance. If hormones are in balance, then the face isn’t producing excess oils and thus the face becomes less prone to breakouts.
Hormonal Adult Acne
Hormonal acne happen in women between the ages of 20 and 40. Estrogen and progesterone vary in amounts throughout the month and the menstrual cycle and cause the skin to produce more oil.
Hormonal adult acne usually appear on the chin and along the jawline. This happens because most of the oil glands are located in the lower part of the face, especially chin and jawline.
These also appear once a month, right before the period or during the time before you get your period. However, there are no strict rules, except that acne appear at the similar spot at approximately the same time each month.
These also tend to be painful and almost impossible to extract manually. They appear on the same spot over and over again because the pore there is enlarged and thus produces more oil.
How to get rid of Adult Acne
There are no certainties when it comes to acne, but some things work better than the others.
The most effective way to get rid of adult acne is to develop a steady skin care routine for both the mornings and the evenings.
Washing your face and cleansing it of buildup and makeup as well as applying acne treatments like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid is effective.
So is improving your lifestyle – eating less sugar and salt as well as milk. Exercise helps too, especially as a way to reduce stress. Meditation helps too.
If your acne breakouts get more serious, you can visit your dermatologist and get prescription medication and treatments.
Sudden Adult Acne
Sudden breakouts happen for various reasons. Number one reason to blame is hormonal disbalance of fluctuations, of course.
This could also happen because of stress or due to using bad product on your face. This is why you should talk about products with your dermatologist and get a good recommendation for your skin type.
Lifestyle and diet are also a factor. Sudden adult acne can happen because of a change in detergent or softener. It could also happen because of weather – if it gets too cold or too hot suddenly.
Being proactive is crucial. Having a steady regimen is important because it acts before the acne even appear.
There is no single way to solve all skin problems. However, a better lifestyle and diet as well as applying natural remedies and solutions can help you keep acne breakouts away or at least make them less painful.
Sources
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/13-acne-remedies#section5
https://www.self.com/story/hormonal-acne
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/beauty/g19916387/acne-fighting-treatments-ranked/
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