Why do Adults Suffer from Acne?

Usually people suffer from acne in their teenage years. At that age, they hope that as they grow up to adulthood, the acne will also go away. Unfortunately, they receive a jolt when acne doesn’t leave them even after they have reached their 30s. In fact, the skin gets worse in their twenties and thirties. There have been instances when people have suffered from acne even in their 40s. Even people who have had clear skin as a teenager sometimes begin getting acne for the first time as adults.

At an estimate, acne affects 25 percent of all adult men and 50 percent of adult women at sometime in their adult lives. People can develop acne, or have a recurrence of acne, in their 30s, 40s and sometimes beyond that. Acne is difficult to cope with in any age and can affect an adult in the same way as a teenager by bringing down the person’s self confidence, causing anxiety and depression. Fortunately, Acne is completely treatable. Taken care of the right way, a person can become acne free for the rest of their lives.

Adult acne is thought to have hormonal roots. It is better to get a thorough check up of hormones in your body if acne troubles you in your adult life.

Hormones

It is still not certain what triggers the adult acne. In women, the development of hormonal irregularity in the menstrual cycle may be one factor resulting in acne flare-up. Women benefiting most from hormonal treatment are usually in their 20s and 30s and have a history of showing intolerance to standard acne treatments, both topical and systemic.

Many of these women have been found to have menstrual irregularities, acne flare-up and facial oiliness. These women show positive improvement in acne treatment with hormones. However, in severe cases of cystic and nodular acne, hormone treatment is not used. The modalities used in most hormonal acne treatments are oral contraceptives and antiandrogens. There are currently studies being performed one hormone alteration, although there may be many side effects involved. Currently, topical exfoliants and repairing solutions are top recommendations by many dermatoligists (click to read more).

It should be noted that adult acne is more common then people may think. In fact, studies have shown that adult acne has been rising and in the past decade it has come to be acknowledged as a common skin disorder and not just a teen skin problem.

Recent statistics reported by American Dermatology Association suggest that the median age for patients suffering from acne has been gradually increasing. Earlier it used to be 20.5 years, whereas now it is approximately 26.5 years or age. More than 17 million adults are diagnosed with acne in the US, of which 50 % are adult women and 25% are adult men.

For the majority of people suffering from adult acne, the root cause seems to be hormones, just as is the case with acne related with the onset or puberty. This is the time when body starts producing male hormones called androgens. These hormones cause the sebaceous glands in the second layer of the skin, the dermis, to enlarge and increase the sebum production. This leads to acne formation by clogging the hair follicle and inducing a bacterial attack on skin tissue.

Sometimes these sebaceous glands continue producing a higher amount of sebum well into adulthood and thus acne infection continues even at that age. Androgens have also been associated with acne flare-up in women before menstrual cycles, or sometimes during pregnancy.

One of the examples of adult acne is acne rosacea. Although it is not exactly acne, its red-faced, acne like appearance can cause many physical, psychological and social problems if left untreated. In a recent survey by the National Rosacea Sociaty, nearly 70% of rosacea patients said that this skin disorder lowered their self esteem, and 41% of patients said that they avoided social contact or functions because of their skin disease.

The cause of rosacea in unknown and there is no cure, but with available medical help this skin disorder can be controlled and minimized. Its typical symptoms are redness on the cheeks, nose, chin or forehead, small visible blood vessels on the face, bumps or pimples on the face, and watery or irritated eyes.

Dermatologists agree that three-step acne fighting kits are an excellent way to treat acne without the harmful side effects or dangers of oral drugs. A 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide kit is ideal, and we strongly recommend our solution, Tru-derma, as it is backed by all of the research and information on the Acne-Resource Center. Click here to read more.

Adult acne (juvenile acne continuing into adult years) and the adult onset acne (acne beginning in the adult years) may involve dry skin, sensitive skin. Adult onset acne is usually triggered by a combination of factors like stress, dietary habits and hormonal changes.

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