Dealing with Acne in Adulthood
August 24, 2008Acne isn’t something only teens have to deal with. Many adults get have acne come back well into their 40’s, often times earlier, or even get acne for the first time. Some even have to suffer from acne all the way from middle school through adulthood. This is usually a result of procrastination, but you should never let acne control your life for that long. Take responsibility for it, and get rid of it. It is most definitely possible no matter how long you’ve been suffering from acne.
Unfortunately, women are far more likely to develop acne in comparison with men. Hormones where to blame when you were a teen and their to blame as an adult as well. Pregnancy and menopause play games with your hormones resulting in adult-onset acne. This is the same reason we need to handle adult female acne far differently than how you would treat it in men.
Female Hormones and Acne
Women usually encounter adult-onset acne in their 20’s and 30’s but it is not uncommon to see adult acne for the first time much later in life. The occurrence of acne is very deeply tied to the timing of your menstrual cycle. Again, another effect of hormones. These hormones have a much different effect on your skin than teenage puberty did. Instead of testosterone playing the major cause of acne, as it did in your teen years, progesterone is the hormone at fault here. And Luckily estrogen is there to fight the effects of acne.
Adult Acne and Scarring
Breakouts aren’t nearly as bad as they used to be in most cases. Inflammatory lesions become more common than blackheads and whiteheads, but usually don’t scar as bad as they used to. Sometimes these lesions never reach the surface of your skin and develop into cysts. You can actually feel them under your skin. These babies can be very uncomfortable and leave your skin looking rough. After these mature they’ve been known to leave small scars.
As a women you’ve probably grown accustomed to the outbreaks you get during your period. During your period progesterone levels are high and estrogen is low, as a result, your sebaceous glands produce more oil, in turn, causing acne. They usually only last a few days before and during the beginning of your menstrual cycle, they quickly disappear, but sometimes they’ll stick around for weeks longer than their welcome.
Acne and Menopause
Some women are forced to deal with acne all the way through the struggles of menopause. Just as hormones start to settle down, menopause strikes, throwing your hormones into another frenzy. Now not only do you have to deal with the effects of menopause, but now you have to deal with acne once again. Estrogen levels start falling and testosterone is on the rise, and of course acne is, once again, in full force.
Adult Males and Acne
As an adult man, chances of getting another acne attack after your 20’s is highly unlikely. Those that do have acne reoccur in adulthood tend to develop inflammatory lesions on their back and chest this time rather than their face. There is typically a combination of causes of adult male acne and those are acne vulgaris, exercise, and performance enhancing drugs. Acne vulgaris is most common amongst teens but can sometimes stick with us well into our 20’s. Regular exercise can irritate the skin because of sweat and friction which can be counteracted with good hygiene. And lastly performance enhancing drugs such as creatine, testosterone, andro, and other drugs that boost the production of hormones. Another very likely possibility is that it is not acne at all. There are many other similar skin conditions that are commonly mistaken for acne. If you have suspicions that you are not dealing with acne, seek the advice of a dermatologist. Even though adult acne is more commonly found in women, men that don’t take care of the situation correctly are more likely to develop scarring.
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Tags: acne, adult acne, adult onset acne, adulthood, Breakouts, cause of acne, estrogen, female hormones, hormones and acne, inflammatory lesions, menopause, menstrual cycle, procrastination, progesterone, progesterone levels, puberty, scar, scarring, scars, skin, teen years, whiteheads
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