A lot of people think of acne as a problem that only teenagers have, so adult acne often comes as a surprise to those suffering from it. It’s not quite the same as the typical teenage acne. In young teens acne usually means you have very oily skin, but in adults, the skin may be normal or even dry. Most people with adult acne have what is called “combination skin,” where some parts are oilier and some drier. It’s important to understand the cause of your acne before you can find the right way to treat it.

What Causes Adult Acne?

There are various reasons that you may experience adult acne. Most people find that they have more outbreaks during times of stress. The stress itself doesn’t cause acne, but your hormones react to stress in different ways, and this sometimes also causes the immune system to break down in a minor way, leading to unwanted acne. Some studies have shown that the steroid hormone called cortisol can be produced by drinking too much coffee, tea, or other caffeinated drinks. There can be a lot of dietary reasons as well, from allergies to vitamin deficiencies. If you are trying to find the source of your acne, visiting a doctor for some allergy testing and nutritional advice can be very useful.

Solutions for Adult Acne

Most of the commonly known acne creams you see in drugstores and advertised on television are marketed for teenagers, and this is because these products don’t work as well on adult acne. Most of them contain benzoyl peroxide, which can be far too drying for adult skin, and sometimes cause more damage than they cure. However, there are products designed specifically for use on adult skin. They are more frequently found in the moisturizing and anti-aging sections of the drugstore or department store, as they are usually used for these purposes as well. Adult acne is also a cause of early skin aging, something most people want to avoid. If you’ve also been exposed to a lot of tanning or sunburn over your life, you may already be concerned with the damage and aging done by the free radicals, which are sometimes created by too much sunlight and UV. Using improper acne treatments designed for young skin will make the problem worse, not better, so do your research and find the treatment right for your skin type and age.

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