Acne, which apparently seems to be a typical teenage ailment, might even reappear even after one reaches adulthood. It is too tough to bear the traumatic experience of acne even in the later part of one’s life especially when one feels contented thinking that the horrible mounds are finally gone along with puberty. However, with advanced medication techniques, it is not a difficult task anymore to cope with the intricacies of adult acne treatment.
Causes of Adult Acne
Studies have found that adult acne is quite prevalent even after late 30s and 40s among 20% of men and 50% of women. It proves one fact that women are more prone for adult acne than men, while the risk of scarring caused by adult acne is stronger among men. The reasons behind adult acne are not much different from those of teenage acne. Among women, it happens mostly due to hormonal imbalance during menstruation.
Stopping the consumption of birth control pills also plays an indirect role in this matter. Normal intake of contraceptive pills regulates the hormonal balance while suddenly stopping it can result into a disparity into the hormonal level. However, in men also an imbalance in the level of testosterone is the major cause behind acne formation during adulthood.
Methods of Adult Acne Treatment
Therapeutic measures that are extensively followed by dermatologists in treating adult acne are much like those meant for teenage acne since both acne types fall under the category of acne vulgaris. Intensive treatment procedure not only includes the removal of existing lesions, but also the prevention of further reappearance and acne scar treatment.
The most remarkable medicine for this purpose is Accutane, which is a kind of retinoid. Retinoid is the most remarkable revolution in the realm of acne treatment which is available both in oral as well as topical forms. Other successful ingredients used for adult acne treatment are benzoyl peroxide, azelaic acid, oral antibiotics, topical antibiotic solutions, gels and lotions, birth control pills, and so on.
There are a few serious side effects associated with some antibiotics and Accutane and therefore some restrictions had been imposed on the usage of these drugs. For example, as per FDA’s guidelines conducting two successful negative pregnancy tests before and having birth control measures during administering Accutane is mandatory.
Adult Acne Treatment and Exfoliation
Abnormalities in the natural skin exfoliation process are another reason behind the occurrence of acne at any age. The success of adult acne treatment depends to a large extent on regulating and speeding up this process. During exfoliation the skin cells die and peel off.
This is a cyclic process, in which a new cell takes birth deep inside the skin layers and travels up to the surface gradually. By the time it reaches the surface, it is dead and flakes off the skin. Acne victims often suffer some kind of abnormality in this process of exfoliation, as a result of which the dead cells in the follicle lining are stuck inside the follicle itself, trapping the body oil inside the blocked pilosebaceous unit.
There are several exfoliators available in the market to speed up this process. They come as soaps, cleansers, solutions and many other forms. Modern adult acne treatment measures have discovered another therapeutic revolution which is known as chemical peeling. Chemical peels are nothing but acidic solutions which work as an artificial exfoliator.
These solutions are typically composed of glycolic acids, alpha hydroxy acids, trichloroacetic acids, carbolic acids (phenol), applied topically on the affected skin lesions to get the best result. Chemical peels have been proved to be equally beneficial on any part of the body. Although surprisingly most of the chemical peels show unbelievable results merely after the first application, but sometimes more than one treatment session are required to obtain the best outcome.
Laser Treatment
Laser treatment is yet another famous adult acne treatment technique adopted by dermatologists worldwide. Although relatively new in medical field, laser resurfacing is an innovative process of fixing even the most horrible acne scars.
Some of the popular lasers that are extensively used for acne scar treatment are smoothbeam, fraxel, starlux, medilux, V-beam lasers and ellipse IPL. The magical effect of depressing the acne scars within minimum time is the best benefit that could be achieved through any treatment procedure.
