Many people are misled by the idea that acne is a teenage skin ailment; whereas the fact is that the menacing blemishes can get through the age barrier and reappear at any point of life. Adult acne usually shows up after the onset of adulthood and prevails even up to 40 years or more.
It is more common among women than men. Studies have revealed that only 10% of adult men get affected by acne as compared to 50% adult women acne victims. Therefore, associating it with teenage stereotype is entirely a myth.
Hormonal Factors Playing Behind Adult Acne
As with any other acne type, there is no single or definite cause specified so far. Yet, after a close observation on the cases, hormonal imbalance is often thought to be of prime importance. Hormonal dysfunction caused by the abrupt surge in the level of male hormones leads to the onset of acne during menstrual and menopausal phases of a woman’s life and birth control pills are frequently preferred to get hold of such condition.
It is often found that women undergoing contraceptive medications generally tend to develop a sudden disturbance in their hormonal balance after stopping the birth control pills and subsequently plumping in a hoard of acne lesions.
As per medical experts, the equilibrium between androgen and estrogen determine the skin condition to a large extent. And if this equilibrium is jeopardized, it might result into many physiological complications including the clogging of the skin pores. And it is not an unknown fact for today’s health conscious people that it is a clogged hair follicle where acne takes shape.
What are the Solutions?
Several skin care regimens and treatments are available to get rid of this horrific ailment at a later stage of life.
• Gently wash your face twice a day in order to remove excess oil accumulation all over the facial skin. Use a mild face wash, and certainly not any harsh soap and warm water for better cleaning.
• Antibacterial products work well in removing adult acne inflammations. Apply benzoyl peroxide on the affected skin surface to destroy the acne-causing bacteria. Benzoyl peroxide, which is available in different strengths ranging from 2.5 to 10%, should be started initially with some lower strength and gradually increased depending on the progress and increased tolerance level of the skin. Side effects like irritation might appear at an early stage which usually disappears after a prolonged continuation. However, consult with your physician if the situation goes out of control.
• Products like benzoyl peroxide or equivalent are found to be responsible for absorbing the moisture from the skin surface. Therefore, it is advisable to use some mild water-based moisturizer in order to prevent this dryness. It also helps in reducing the irritation generated otherwise by benzoyl peroxide and restoring the overall nourishment to the skin surface.
• Stop using coarse cloths or hard scrubbers in order to rub and clean your facial skin. Scrubbing is certainly essential for skin exfoliation, but a hard scrubber is strictly a no-no. Use a scrub which is relatively softer for this purpose.
• Doctors are skilled with special training to pick or pop the inflamed lesions using sterile instruments. Their techniques are specially designed in order to prevent the spread of infection and scarring. However, never try this at home using your bare hands, or else you might be begging for further infection or permanent scarring of your own face.
• A relatively newer method of treatment called laser skin resurfacing is upsurging in the realm of adult acne remedy. Using this method the lesions are cured as well as the skin is restored from deep within.
• Apart from benzoyl peroxide, there are dozens of over-the-counter antiacne skin care products available at your near-by drug store. You can try them if your skin is not too sensitive or your acne condition is not too worse. Discussing with a physician before buying or using any such OTC products would of-course add an extra precaution to your acne removal program.
• Chemical peels are also suggested by doctors as another effective measure for adult acne treatments. Certain chemical solutions are applied on the affected skin surface for healing the lesions, and destroying the bacteria feeding on the inflamed contents. It not only assures acne removal, but also guarantees a healthier looking skin by restoring even the scars caused by the cystic acne growths.
