What causes Adult Acne and how to stop breaking out
Just when you thought the terrifying days of acne breakouts were left long behind in your teenage years, the nightmare that is adult acne has reared its ugly (black)head!
Don’t stress babe (afterall, it’s worse for your complexion!) – we have all been there.
In fact, adult acne is a lot more common than you might think. While it’s commonly associated with teenagers, around 20% of adult women also suffer from acne.
When it comes to the best skincare routine to reduce your adult acne, it’s important that you’re addressing the cause of the acne, so as to not make the problem worse. This article will help you understand what causes adult acne, how to get rid of acne, and the best acne-reducing skincare products for adults.
What is adult acne?
Acne is generally regarded as something most people go through at puberty with a wide assumption that the condition fades as you get older. Unfortunately for many of us, adult acne is on the rise, with an estimated 50% of adults experiencing some form of acne. Be it back acne, face acne or somewhere else completely, adult acne can be extremely frustrating and embarrassing.
Characterised by red, inflamed pimples on the face, neck, chest and back, adult acne can affect people aged 20 or older, even through to your 50s and 60s – regardless of whether you had acne as a teen.
What causes adult acne?
While the root causes are still unknown, there are several contributing factors that are thought to play a role in adult acne developing. These include stress, hormonal changes, diet and lifestyle choices.
Adult acne can also sometimes be caused by certain types of medication, harsh weather conditions or polluted environments may trigger the situation even more. While a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet may not be directly related to acne, it can affect your hormones which eventually heads to more breakouts on the skin.
Hormonal changes can lead to excess oil production by the skin glands, and these hormonal changes happen for a number reasons when you are an adult, including stress and anxiety, pregnancy or pre-menopause. Nevertheless, they result in the same stressful outcome: acne.
At a physiological level, adult acne is caused by the same thing that causes acne in adolescence: an overproduction of sebum. This leads to the pores becoming clogged and infected, which results in breakouts, blackheads, and inflammation.
How is adult acne different from teenage acne?
There are several distinguishing factors between teenage and adult acne. For starters, their occurrence on a specific part of your face.
Teenage acne is usually on the upper half of the face or the T-zone. Adult acne on the other hand is typically more visible on the lower half of your face - more specifically around the jawline and chin.
Another key difference is the type of acne. While teenage acne is more on the surface, adult acne is usually further under the layers of your skin, which means it can appear as red, deep cysts that are difficult to drain.
When it comes to treating adult acne, the same treatments that worked when you were a teen could be disastrous when used on mature skin. Teenage skin is much oilier and can tolerate more targeted treatments. Young age means regeneration of skin cells is naturally faster too.
Adult skin is much drier and sensitive in comparison; therefore, healing is relatively slow, and requires a more gentle and different approach. Scarring and post acne marks are also slower to treat with adult acne. It’s therefore important to take care when treating adult acne, so it doesn’t leave its mark. Using professionally prescribed skincare and makeup products and reducing exposure to the sun with the use of a quality sunscreen can also help reduce adult acne aggravations.
How to care for your skin and reduce adult acne
Here are just a few factors that can make a lot of difference when it comes to getting rid of adult acne.
Use diet and lifestyle changes to improve your skin
Contrary to popular belief, there is no scientific evidence that connects eating dairy or sugary foods to acne and breakouts in adults. However, an unhealthy diet or little-to-no workout means you may be more likely to develop serious health conditions such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
Overall poor health contributes to hormonal imbalances and stress which can often lead to adult acne. Certain foods may also trigger an acne breakout for you personally. If you think this might be the case, keep a food diary and avoid foods that you feel might trigger your acne.
Overall skin health is important
Instead of spot adult acne treatment, opt for a more balanced overall skincare routine. Products that promote gentle cleansing and add to your skin’s natural moisture barrier are a must-have to avoid breakouts.
Choose the right combo of products
When choosing the right skincare products for you, go for labels that specify an oil-free or non-comedogenic formula. Don’t over-dry the skin with harsh cleansers, instead choose milder ones and look for ingredients such as Niacinamide and Retinol that help combat signs of aging too.
Don’t pick the spots
We know it’s tempting – but please, please don’t pick at your pimples or try to squeeze them. This can cause further inflammation and scarring. As an adult skin your skin is slower to regenerate, which means that any acne scars will be much more stubborn to treat. Always get the appropriate custom treatment plan from a trained skin therapist for the best results.
Acne & Stress
Stress can worsen your breakouts. It is a cycle - you stress out, you break out, and it makes you stress out some more. Try introducing some relaxing activities into your daily routine – practice meditation, deep breathing or yoga to help ease your worried mind.
Watch out for triggers
Going to bed with makeup on is a strict no-no. Going out without sunscreen is equally as bad. Cleanse and invest in the right skincare regime. Watch out for triggers like the sun, humidity and always wash your face thoroughly after a big sweat-sesh. Hair spray and some serums can also trigger breakouts in some people because of their heavy ingredients. Start to take notice of your daily routine if you think some environmental factors might be triggering your acne.
Professional treatment options for adult acne
Adult acne requires specialised care. In-clinic professional treatments not only make a huge impact in reducing acne, inflammation and breakouts, they also promote great overall skin health.
Here are our top 4 treatment options:
Bio-Sonic Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is a resurfacing treatment that removes the top layer of skin. This treatment can improve the appearance of acne scars, reduce blackheads, and enhance skin texture. While microdermabrasion is not a cure for acne, it can help lessen the appearance of blemishes and make skin look smoother.
Say goodbye to scars with Skin Needling
Acne scars are also a common complication of the condition. A variety of treatments are available for acne, but many people do not respond to conventional therapies or have difficulty tolerating them. In these cases, alternative treatments may be sought. One such treatment is skin needling.
Skin Needling is a non-invasive regenerative treatment which uses small needles to prick the skin. This causes the release of growth factors that promote collagen production and tissue repair resulting in tighter, fuller, smoother and firmer skin.
Discover a new layer of glow with Medical Grade Skin Peels
Targeted, medical grade skin peels contain healing minerals, botanical extracts, and plant stem cells which work to repair your skin at a cellular level. Peels can reduce acne and scarring, brighten up the skin tone and result in a smoother, younger and fresher skin appearance.
Shine bright with LED Light Therapy
LED light therapy is a painless and non-invasive treatment that naturally rejuvenates damaged skin by exposing the skin to therapeutic light in different wavelengths. These penetrate deep into the layers of your skin and trigger a natural intracellular process to heal and repair your skin naturally, as well as kill the bacteria which causes acne. As an acne treatment, it doesn’t require any recovery time and can be used in combination with other acne treatments such as a facial.
With at least 50% of adults experiencing acne, we hope these tips on how to stop breaking out can help you or someone you know reduce the effects of acne in daily life.
If you’re struggling with acne and would like personalised advice on how we can help with your acne, please book a consultation with us today. Acne should not be a problem for anyone, no matter what age of life.