Best Adult Acne Treatment

One of the most painful experiences growing up must be embarrassing breakouts of acne through the teenage years.  Most people outgrow this but unfortunately, some do not.  Adult acne is just as embarrassing because you think you should have outgrown it by now.  You start thinking what’s wrong with you.  Are other people judging you?  People expect kids to break out but not adults.  Is there a reason why you are breaking out in adult acne?  Is it a hygiene reason?  What are you doing wrong that you cannot outgrow your problematic skin?

If it is any consolation, research indicates that there are more cases of adult acne than in previous decades.  On the flip side, adult acne can continue into your 20s, 30s and 40s.  Basically, you just can’t outgrow it but keep it at bay.  Twenty-five percent of adult men suffer from acne while a two-fold increase of fifty percent affects women. 

The causes are unknown but they might be related to hormones, cosmetics and stress.  This could also be a reason why women suffer from adult acne than men.  It is a fact that a woman’s hormones rise and fall throughout the month and a woman can breakout with a flair-up prior to her period.  Then there are the hormone fluctuations that come with pregnancies, and menopause.  If it is a case of hormonal acne, then oral medication can be prescribed for women’s adult treatment if typical topical treatment does not work. 

Adult acne treatments differ little compared with teenage acne. The most widely used topical acne treatment is benzoyl peroxide which can be purchased as an over the counter medication at 2.5% concentration. It can be obtained at higher concentrations at 5% and 10% but research also indicates that there is no significant difference between the higher concentrations than the lower 2.5% concentration. Benzoyl peroxide comes in a cream or gel form and acts as a peeling agent of the skin and can cause an itching and drying sensation. However, the effects last for up to a week and usually the patient’s tolerance for it is achieved.

People looking for a more natural homeopathic acne treatment can look to tea tree oil to combat adult acne. Tea tree oil is an antiseptic and when mixed with other extracts of natural astringent cooling herbs, has found to be an effective solution to moderate acne. However, with astringents, irritation and peeling is likely to occur which also can lead to more breakouts.

In conjunction with topical acne treatments, a skin cleaning regimen needs to be established to fight adult acne. Expensive and drying face washes are not needed nor are they recommended. Dermatologists recommend using either Cetaphil or Spectrogel. From personal experience, I like them both but I find that Cetaphil dries my skin more than Spectrogel so I use the latter. I feel that I can wash my face with more frequency if I feel grimy without drying my skin. And as always, after you cleanse your skin, you should use a moisturizer to prevent dry skin and flaking which can also contribute to acne. Again, expensive moisturizers are not needed. The Cetaphil moisturizer is quite adequate.

Because women are more prone to adult acne than men, a thorough review of potential triggers need to be reviewed. This includes the type of cosmetics that are being used and if they are non-comedogenic. Furtheremore, as suggested previously, a fluctuation in hormones can be the cause of acne in women. Approximately 60% of women who suffer from adult acne have breakouts 7-10 days prior to menstruation with the flair-up subsiding with the commencement of the period.

Hormonal acne treatment can be recommended by doctors after a course of topical treatment fails. 

For women, adult acne can be caused by an increase in the production of androgens.  To regulate this production, birth control pills are sometimes prescribed or switched to one which has a better reduction of acne for the patient.  Or, the woman can be prescribed androgen blockers which helps prevent the interaction of the body with these androgens. 

Finally, one of the most controversial treatments of acne is Accutane.  It is given to people who suffer from severe acne and the results are proven to be quite good.  However, it is not without some serious side effects.  The most severe side effects were reports of depression and suicidal thoughts.  You should only be prescribed Accutane after a thorough discussion with your doctor about its serious side effects.