image credit: flikr, Crystal-Rose Mihaylo
Recently I feel like I have been seeing many clients who are complaining about acne in their 30’s. Many of these women may have even been lucky enough to not struggle with acne in their teenage years, and are frustrated and confused as to why they are experiencing acne as an adult.
There are many causes for adult acne. It can be hereditary. If you have at least one parent who was had acne prone skin or excessively oily, there is a good chance you too will develop acne. A few of the reasons acne may affect adults are: stress, bad cosmetic products, hormone changes due to premenstrual, pregnancy, or birth control pills, and even over washing and scrubbing of the face.
Stress can lead to acne because stress causes the adrenal gland to secrete more hormones, which in turn causes the sebaceous (oil) gland to overwork. The excess oil can lead to clogged pores and acne. So learning a means to control or release your stress whether via yoga, meditation, a run on the treadmill or kickboxing it is important to know how to manage your stress so it won’t show up on your face.
Hormonal changes often lead to acne due to a drop in estrogen and a rise of testosterone and androgen. Androgen is a male hormone in our bodies which is largely responsible for oily skin or acne because it stimulates our sebaceous glands. Hormonal breakouts tend to occur along the jaw line. Premenstrual woman tend to have breakouts also because the estrogen levels in their body drop causing a predominance of androgen. This hormone change is in correspondence with the eventual loss of the egg. This elevation of male hormones in the bloodstream begins 8-10 days before the period. The birth control pill also causes rise in androgen in the body. Most women have breakouts when starting, stopping or changing pills because this is when the hormone change is at its greatest. Luckily we can discuss this with our doctors; there are some birth control pills that are known to improve acne. Pregnancy has been known to both improve acne as well as cause acne due to the hormonal changes. It is most common though for woman to have breakouts during the first 3 month of pregnancy, and they may also have flare ups after birth, after stopping breast feeding. This all occurs due to obvious hormonal changes, but stress is also a factor.
Bad cosmetics can cause acne because they can clog the pores. This leads to a build up of bacteria, which in turn causes clogged pores and acne. It is best to always look non-comedogenic skin care products. Cleansers, creams, makeup can all clog the pores, leading to the small bumps on the skin, that are very difficult to extract. So it is important to know what you are using on your skin.
Proper care for oily or acne prone skin is to receive regular (every 4-6 weeks) professional treatments to deep clean the skin. Home care is also a vital aspect to fighting acne. It is important to clean the skin but so people can actually over wash or scrub their face. This can damage the skin and often causes it to create more oil because you have washed away too much. It is best to be gentle when washing and only wash 2-3 times a day. Home care begins with a good foaming cleanser which is easy to wash off completely, and if the acne is sever it is best to use a cleanser with a alpha hydroxyl acid in it which will gently exfoliate the skin. If you are not using an Alpha hydroxyl acid it is good to use a gentle exfoliant (a scrub with spherical beads or a mask) at most 3 times a week. Toner is helpful because it balances the skins ph, decreasing the risk of bacteria growth. A moisturizer which is light, such as a moisturizing gel is best to give your skin the moisture it needs while avoiding heavy creams which can be too much for an oily skin. Also it is important to eliminate comedogenic products (clogging makeup and creams) this is a reason mineral makeup is so popular lately because it is non-comedogenic.
Acne when we are 30 or older is annoying. But is can be managed and controlled. It is best to work with both your esthetician as well as your dermatologist to figure out what is best for your skin. I hope you better understand this aggravating skin condition, so many of us are familiar with.
-Stephanie Keenan
Leave your comments!
Do you have a favorite product that you use to treat your acne?
Image Credit: flikr, Crystal-Rose Mihaylo
6 comments
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July 17, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Annie
Hi,
Thanks for the great article. Its on point for me as I’m 31 and have this problem at times as well, I suspect b/c of some combination of the above reasons. I have “normal” skin, use minimal makeup and daily UV sunblock lotion. Can you recommend specific products or services at the HW Back Bay spa that would help? Such as which daily face soap to use, or which facial would do the trick?
Annie
July 21, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Stephanie
Hi Annie,
Thank you for your comments and I am glad the article interests you. Honestly to truely assist you with your skin, I would really need to see it. If you came in for a signature facial, your esthetician could then recommend what would be best for your skin both as a treatment and as homecare. A few of our specailty services that may help you would be our puracne facial which has a deep exfoliation and a purifying clay mask. The Derm Renewal treatment would also be good because it is a deep exfoliation. Often a series of these once a week for a few weeks is best to work through what is going on under the surface.
Also concerning homecare, first off, it is great you use a sunscreen everyday! You should check your makeup to make sure is non-comedogenic (won’t clog your pores) Mineral makeup is, which is one reason it is so popular. We do have a great spot treatment called Clear Skin Gel. You put it on an acne spot and it helps dry the spot up and heal. Also the Acne complex is a wonderful treatment to heal the acne. As for a cleanser and moisturizer I would really want to see your skin.
If you would like to visit me at the Chestnut Hill Healthworks, I am here Tuesday- Saturday and my schedual is online.
Otherwise Danielle at Brookline will be able to assist you further.
Good luck clearing up your skin.
Sincerely,
Stephanie
July 20, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Laurie
What I’d like to know is how to deal when you have both adult acne and rosacea. I’m 38, have somewhat sensitive and very oily skin, and I get blackheads, normal pimples, and occasional cystic acne, plus I developed rosacea last year (the main trigger seems to be hot, humid weather). The things that normally treat acne can make rosacea worse. Help!
July 21, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Stephanie
Hi Laurie,
I would really like for you to see your dermatologist to further discuss the issues you are facing. Unfortunately often with rosacea comes erruptions (as many people call it) of deep pimples and blackheads. But most traditional cleansers and moisturizers – especially anything strong with a salisylic acid or glycolic acid, or scrubs will further aggrivate your skin.
A dermatologist should be able to suggest a mild cleanser such as cetaphyl and they have a few options, everything from topical creams to pills, to treat the breakout of your skin and rosacea. I know people with very severe cases of rosacea who have managed to controll it with the aid of a dermatologist.
Good luck!
Stephanie
August 8, 2009 at 12:26 pm
mickey zicker
Thanks for this informative article about acne treatments. Acne is very hard to treat, i’ve been suffering 10 years now, and from my experience topical gel such is tretinoin can be very good choice.
Real problem is when acne come in your adult years. It’s probably because of some hormonal imbalances, so these people should adress hormones in treating acne.
February 12, 2010 at 10:12 pm
acne laser treatment
Thanks for sharing this information. I am also in my 30′s and have had acne problems since I was a child. It’s good to know others are having the same issue.