10 major reasons making adult acne worse

Once you’ve left your turbulent teen years behind, you assume your adolescent acne will clear up and go away. No more dealing with embarrassing pimples or breakouts when you least expect them. Now that you’re an adult, the main issues to deal with are managing excess weight gain or thinning hair, not acne, right?   

Don’t assume things quite so fast.  The clear skin you’ve dreamed of and expected as an adult may instead transition into adult acne.  Rather, you may find yourself having not only to deal with wrinkles but acne at the same time.

 If you feel like you’ve tried just about everything to get rid of your acne but it stubbornly keeps reappearing, don’t despair.  Most likely there are changes you should make that could possibly set you on the path to clearer skin.  Here are 5 reasons likely involved in making you adult acne worse:

1.  You’re picking at your skin

As tempting as it may be, constant picking, touching, or popping pimples can result in longer healing time, possible scarring and inadvertently pushing the plug of debris deeper into the skin.  Fight the urge and avoid picking at your skin.  But if you do, keep the blemish clean, don’t disturb the scab, and allow the pimple to heal.

2.  Infrequent washing of pillowcases, hats, and other items touching your face

Anything that regularly touches your face needs to be kept clean.  Regular washing of bed sheets every week and pillowcases 2 or 3 times a week can make a difference.  Every day, dead skin cells, bacteria, and dirt build up on these surfaces, which can clog your pores. 

3.  Washing your face too little or too much

Twice a day, use a gentle cleanser for acne-prone skin.  Skin prone to acne is sensitive and washing more than twice a day can irritate skin, making acne worse.  Dermatologists recommend washing your face first thing in the morning, again before going to bed at night, and if you get very sweaty.

4.  Being overly aggressive with scrubbing your face

If your skincare routine uses harsh scrubs, abrasive exfoliating pads, and over-cleansing, you are doing more harm than good.  Vigorous scrubbing is irritating to skin and can aggravate inflammation by scrubbing off the tops of pimples.  If your skin looks very red, burns, or stings afterwards, you are scrubbing too hard.  To achieve clearer skin, gently exfoliation is needed as it helps keep pores clear of debris and can make skin softer.  If you already use Retin-A or other topical retinoids for acne, then you don’t need to use an additional exfoliant.  Over-cleansing of skin can cause skin to become overly dry stripping away needed oils.

5.  Fluctuating hormones

Between the sexes, adult women tend to get acne more often than men. If you’re getting acne as an adult, it is likely due to one or more of the following reasons having to do with hormones:

·      An imbalance of hormones can lead to breakouts

·      Women are prone to adult acne around their periods, during pregnancy, peri-menopause, and menopause, and after discontinuing (or starting) birth control pills

6.  Stress

Researchers have found a relationship between stress and acne flare-ups.  In response to stress, your body produces more androgens (a type of hormone). These hormones stimulate the oil glands and hair follicle in the skin which can lead to acne.  This explains why acne can be an ongoing problem when you find yourself under constant stress.

7.  Family history

If you have a close blood relative, such as a parent, sibling with acne, there may be a genetic predisposition for it. 

8.  Hair and skin products

 If you have adult acne, you should read the labels on your skin care and hair care products.  Make sure you that you see one of the following terms on every container:

·      Non-comedogenic

·      Non-acnegenic

·      Oil-free

  Also check your moisturizer, cleanser, sunscreen, and all other products states one of these terms, resulting in a less likelihood to cause acne.

9.  Medication side effect

Acne is a side effect of some medication. If you suspect that a medicine is triggering your acne or making it worse, continue taking the medicine, but talk with doctor who prescribed it. Ask if acne is a possible side effect. If it is, then ask if you can be prescribed a different medicine.

10.  Not making an appointment to see a dermatologist

 At the first sign of acne, you may try treating it yourself believing it’s not serious enough to go see a dermatologist, a doctor who specializes in skin diseases.

Whether your acne is mild or severe, many people will benefit from seeing a dermatologist.  Signs you should seek their help include:

·      You’ve tried everything  to clear your acne but nothing is working

·      Your acne may clear but then new breakouts occur

·      You have deep, painful acne cyst-like acne along the chin and back

·      You’ve had acne for years and it’s not going away

·      Your acne has made you feel depressed, anxious, frustrated or embarrassed to be around others

·      You have noticed acne scarring or dark spots

With today’s acne treatments and a dermatologist’s expertise, the majority of people’s acne can be cleared up significantly.  The sooner you see a dermatologist for a tailored treatment plan for you, the less likely you will have scarring and instead seeing clearer skin sooner rather than later.