Ah, adulthood. You're probably thinking that you’ve passed through all the challenges that caused your teenage acne by now, right? Your random breakouts, on the other hand, might be saying something different. While we may stop growing once we hit puberty, our bodies will still continue to go through hormonal changes long after we’ve graduated from high school. When you combine stress, genetics, bacteria, and contact irritants, you have a formula for adult acne.
Adult acne can be incredibly frustrating to deal with. Especially if you’ve tried almost every treatment on the market. However, sometimes it’s all about getting to the root of the problem. To put it another way, in order to truly cure adult acne, you may need to first understand what causes it.
Knowing what is causing your breakouts will help you clean up your skin and prevent future breakouts from happening. Let’s learn about some of the most prevalent adult acne causes—as well as the best strategies to cure these pesky outbreaks.
The Most Common Reasons For Your Adult Acne
Breakouts and acne are all essentially clogged pores. Our pores contain sebaceous glands, which are the openings that surround each hair follicle. These glands secrete oil to keep our skin healthy and soft. However, if bacteria, dirt, and excess oil all clog up the pores in our face then acne will begin to take over. So what exactly causes our adult acne?
1. Hormone changes
If you have a menstrual cycle, then you know that pimples are typically an indication that your monthly flow is on its way. This is because adult acne can be caused by hormonal changes or an overabundance of male or female hormones.
For example, we know that an increase in progesterone production (which occurs after ovulation) is linked to acne because it increases sebum production in your skin. Androgens (male hormones) such as testosterone can also enhance sebum production and hence have a role in hormonal acne in both men and women. Inflammation, clogged pores from excess oil, and pH abnormalities in the skin can all be caused by hormonal fluctuations. Hormonal acne is often more painful in nature and cystic in appearance.
This type of acne is most likely to show up during your period, throughout pregnancy, during menopause, and when you start or stop using birth control.
2. Using the wrong skincare products
Not all skincare products are made the same. There’s a reason why the natural skincare movement has been making headway these days. Some skincare products are filled with ingredients such as fragrances or harsh chemicals that can leave our skin feeling irritated, dry, and angry at us! The right skincare products, on the other hand, will leave our skin feeling refreshed and taken care of.
Pay attention to the types of products that you are putting on your face. For example, those with oily or combination skin or those prone to breakouts should use skincare products that are free of oil, labeled non-comedogenic, or are water-based. These kinds of products are less prone to clogging your pores.
3. Cleansing your face too much
Excessive cleaning of the face might aggravate acne and make it worse. Those with very dry or sensitive skin may only need to cleanse once per day, but for the most part, we should cleanse twice per day with a mild cleanser. Any more cleansing is typically excessive and will only dry out the skin, causing it to create more oil to cope with us drying it out. On the same note, exfoliating too frequently or with too harsh products can harm the skin and aggravate acne.
Most people should exfoliate no more than three times each week, according to experts. If you have dry or sensitive skin, exfoliating once a week or every other week will do.
How To Treat Your Adult Acne
Adult acne therapy does not come in a one-size-fits-all package. However, there are basic steps that you can take to help begin the process of clearing up your skin.
1. Treat acne with topical acne-fighting chemicals
The first and most crucial step in treating acne is to stock your medicine cabinet with products containing scientifically proven acne-fighting agents.
With these types of products, it’s important to remember that it will take a few weeks to see results take place. Also, not every product will work for every type of adult acne.
However, the main ingredients that you should be looking for are salicylic acid products, benzoyl peroxide products, Glycolic acid, Lactic acid, Polyhydroxy acids (PHAs), retinoids, and sulfur. Since these products can at times be quite harsh on the skin, be sure to take it slow and build up a tolerance to avoid bad skin reactions.
2. Add hydration back into your face
Using an abundance of acne-fighting ingredients can begin to take a toll on your skin. It is of the utmost importance to keep your skin hydrated during this time. Hydrated skin is less likely to overproduce sebum which will lead to many clogged pores and breakouts.
A great option is to add a hydrating serum to your morning and evening skincare routine, such as the Everyday Essence.
The ingredients calm inflammatory skin and will help soothe acne scars, red patches, and hyperpigmentation. Another advantage is that it is intended to combat the initial indications of aging and prevent additional harm to the skin.
3. Give yourself an at-home facial once a week
Taking good care of our skin includes both our daily skincare regimen and our special treatments that we invest in at least once a week. Since stress is another factor that contributes to adult acne, allowing yourself the time to unwind is crucial. As hydration is also incredibly important, do yourself a favor by giving yourself an at-home facial once a week. The Premium Microcurrent Facial Dual Mask is an excellent way to nourish your skin from the comfort of your couch. The Premium mask is all about anti-aging. It defends against early symptoms of aging while nourishing the skin to treat present flaws.