Acne is a common skin condition that affects people of all ages. While acne in teens often goes away on its own, adult acne can be treated with medication. The best way to prevent both types of acne is by going for facial extraction for acne removal as well as maintaining healthy skin practices like washing your face daily and wearing sunscreen.
The post will discuss the differences between teenage and adult acne, how to manage each type, and what you can do at home to treat them.
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What Is Adult Acne?
As an adult, we’re dealing with many things going on in our lives; whether it’s work, family, relationships, and social life. However, one thing that adds to this pressure and stress is “adult acne.”
Adult acne is otherwise known as “late onset acne,” which means that this type of acne doesn’t show up until after puberty has ended. Most adults who get adult acne will notice that they break out mainly around their time of the month (periods for women) pregnancy and rising stress levels.
While some people can experience periods of clear skin throughout adulthood, others may continue to suffer from the same type of acne.
Adult acne can be embarrassing to have and can make a person feel very self-conscious.
The Causes of Adult Acne
If you’re dealing with adult acne, you most have probably wondered what causes these annoying bumps in the first place.
To answer your question, adult acne is caused by overactive oil glands being exposed to the same type of hormones that are present during puberty. As a result, this leads to your skin producing excess oil, which creates clogged pores.
Other causes of adult acne may include :
- Hormonal changes, such as during pregnancy or menstruation
- Exposure to certain medications
- Stress levels increasing
- Certain types of cosmetics irritating the skin
How to Treat Adult Acne
There are many over-the-counter treatments available in stores that can help to treat adult acne. The most common types of ingredients in these medications include benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, resorcinol sulfur.
If you find that these don’t work for you, a specialist may prescribe a type of medication called retinoids. They are medications derived from vitamin A which help to unclog pores, stop whiteheads and blackheads from forming, as well as helping with the shedding of dead skin cells.
Ways to Prevent Adult Acne
The best way to prevent adult acne is by washing your face twice daily with a gentle cleanser and avoiding picking or popping spots.
Moisturizers should also be applied after washing your face, but avoid moisturizers that contain oil as they can cause breakouts.
If you’re someone who wears make-up regularly, it’s important to cleanse the skin before applying another layer of make-up over acne. This will help reduce the chances of skin irritation and further breakouts.
Also, be sure to always use sunscreen! The sun’s rays are very damaging to the skin, especially when acne is present; not only does it age facial skin prematurely, but it can also potentially damage blood vessels which could result in dark patches.
What Is Teen Acne?
Unlike adult acne, teen acne is acne that is caused mainly by hormonal changes.
These hormonal changes are stimulated by testosterone production, which leads to increased oil production, leading to breakouts on the chin, forehead, cheeks, and temples of the face.
Teen acne is usually more severe than adult acne because teenagers are more susceptible to it due to their oily skin that is not used to normal levels of oils being produced in the body.
At this stage, sebum is over-secreting from oil glands which leads pores to become blocked with dead skin cells and excess oil or sebum being produced faster than usual.
The Causes of Teen Acne
Unlike adult acne that is triggered by pregnancy or menstruation, teen acne is caused mainly by hormonal changes.
More specifically, the following are the main causes of teen acne:
- Stress levels increasing in teenagers can cause an increase in testosterone production, leading to increased oil secretion and blocked pores
- Using greasy cosmetic products without cleansing the skin afterward or wearing makeup for long periods of time can lead to blocked pores, blackheads, and whiteheads, resulting in breakouts on the face, back, and shoulders.
- Hormonal changes during puberty stimulate oil glands located in hair follicles to secrete more sebum than usual, causing pores to become blocked with dead skin cells and excess oils.
How to Treat Teen Acne
As with treating adult acne, several non-prescription medications are available at drug stores that can help treat teen acne.
The most common of these ingredients include benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid.
If you find that your skin does not respond well to over-the-counter treatments, a specialist may prescribe a medication called an antibiotic which will help to reduce oil production on the skin as well as kill bacteria on the surface of the skin.
When trying to prevent acne breakouts in teens, it is important to maintain regular washing of facial skin twice daily by using mild cleansers and avoiding picking or popping spots, as this could create more inflammation on the face.
Ways to Prevent Teen Acne
The main way to prevent acne is to avoid touching the face with dirty hands and avoid squeezing pimples, as this can spread bacteria across the skin and cause more acne breakouts.
It is also important to wear sunscreen every day, even when it’s cloudy or winter time because sun damage can increase sebum production, leading to blocked pores, blackheads, and whiteheads.
If you suffer from back acne, wearing loose-fitting clothing will help reduce friction on the skin caused by tight clothes rubbing against the body, which increases oil secretion from glands in hair follicles, causing them to become blocked.
Using moisturizers and organic skin products will also help to reduce acne breakouts as these products are less likely to clog pores.
In a Nutshell
This post explored the difference between adult and teen acne, providing a helpful guide for adults who have been suffering from these breakouts.
We hope that this post has given you some useful information to help combat your own personal struggles with acne.
If not, we would love to hear more about what you want to know about how this condition affects people of different ages in the comments below!
