Adult Acne and Teenage Acne causes and treatment depend on many factors and Acne Grades. However, this is a very common skin condition that we see a lot of at the Temple Skincare & Spa… much more than you think!
Acne is often thought of as a teenager’s skin concern. However, many adults also suffer from this problem and in fact, pimples can affect you at any age and even become a chronic skin issue that follows you throughout your adult life. While the primary reason you get pimples is the same whether you’re a kid or a grown-up, there are some differences that determine your risk for developing acne as you age.
If you have a adult acne it will be one of two types: Continuing Acne meaning that it has carried on from acne that you had in your teenage years without going away. Or, Adult Onset Acne, meaning that it begins suddenly when you are past the age of 25.
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So let’s get into what can cause Adult Acne
1. Hormones
A hormone imbalance of any scale can cause breakouts. You may be more likely to have breakouts during your period, during pregnancy and even during menopause. Clients with polycystic ovaries and endometriosis can also suffer with breakouts hormonal breakouts tend to occur on the lower half of the face along the jaw line, chin and mouth.
Men can also suffer with adult acne if they have a hormone imbalance. Men use anabolic steroids to build muscle mass quickly will develop acne as steroids contain synthetic testosterone.
Learn how out Temple Skin Expert Lucille cleared up her hormonal acne in 10 days.
2. Genetic Predisposition
Clients may be more likely to be an acne sufferer if it runs in the family.
3. Stress
Stress can play a big role in affecting our skin. When we are stressed our body responds to stress by producing more androgens in the body. These androgens stimulate sebaceous glands leading to them producing access oil which can lead to the possibility of papules, pustules and blackheads appearing on the skin.
4. Products
You need to make sure your products are non-comedogenic meaning that they will not block your pores this includes make up and skincare.
5. Diet
Your diet can also make breakouts form on your skin. It may be because you have an intolerance to a certain food which if you think you do we would advise that you have an intolerance test to find out what intolerance you have or to rule it out. Sugar can also cause the skin to break ash as sugar raises insulin levels in the skin which may trigger hormones which can lead to and increase in oil production.
Read more about Causes of Acne what you can do about them here.
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Teenage Acne
If you’re going to suffer with acne it normally begins when you reach puberty.
During puberty the body increases the production of a hormone called androgen. This hormone increases sebum (oil) production in the skin. This then leads to the increased sebum mixing with the dead skin cells in the follicle and this build up forms breakouts.
It is important to treat teenage acne quickly even if it’s mild, if it is left on treated it can progress to a more severe form of acne leaving behind scarring and making the acne harder to treat.
When treating teenage acne it does depend on the grade of acne the client has. We would prescribe salicylic based products for to speed up cell renewal and also because of salicylic acids antibacterial properties , anti-inflammatories for any redness in the skin, benzyl peroxide to dry out and kill the breakouts and hydrating ingredients such as essential fatty acids and hyaluronic acid to nourish and soothe the skin.
Read more about Salicylic Acid here.
Also depending on what grade of acne the client has we would treat the skin using LED light therapy skin peels and clear skin treatments including extractions. If the acne is severe or cystic and infection is present we would recommend you see your doctor and possibly start on an antibiotic.
Here are some general tips for controlling teenage acne:
- Wash the face twice a day using anti bacterial ingredients such as salicylic acid.
- Don’t bust or pop pimples. (This is a big no-no it can make the bacteria spread, make breakouts worse and it can also cause scarring)
- If you wear glasses wipe them down daily with an anti bacterial wipe and also wipe your phone down daily with an antibacterial wipe.
- Avoid touching the face.
- Avoid wearing make up that maybe too heavy on the skin or that may contain minerals oils and talc. If you want to wear make-up used a mineral make up only.
- Wash make up brushes regularly at least once a week.
- Keep your hair clean and off the face especially when sleeping at night.
- Change pillowcase regularly every maybe 2 to 3 days.
Stress can be a huge trigger for acne on teenage skins this is because of the raised cortisol levels leading the skin to produce excess oil, we see a lot of this when teenagers are stressed because of school and exams so try and keep the stress levels under control as it will show on your skin.
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So how can we treat Adult Acne or Teenage Acne?
When it comes to adult acne or any form of acne for that matter, there is no one size fits all prescription or treatment plan. Every skin is different so treating acne is a process and unique to each person. It all depends on what Grade of acne you have as well. By Grade of acne I mean whether it’s a mild form of acne or more severe and cystic it also depends on what is causing the acne to form.
Of course we can recommend antibacterial ingredients for the skin, anti-inflammatory ingredients for the skin and supplements to improve your skin and help you find the cause of what is causing the acne to form.
So the best thing to do is book a consult with your Temple Skin Therapist so together we can decide what ingredients topically we can put on the skin and what treatment plan would be best for you. The first step is always a consultation to discuss the best prescription no treatment plan for each individual giving us the best chance of reaching your skin goals together.
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The 4 different grades of Acne
Grade 1 (Mild)
This is the most mildest form of acne. This grade of acne is mainly due to excess oil production in the skin. It’s mainly just blackheads and closed comedones that aren’t raised or inflamed.
Grade 1 acne is most commonly seen on the t-zone area and it generally doesn’t need intensive treatment just a solid skincare routine to control the oil production and facials every so often including extractions will keep grade 1 acne under control.
Grade 2 (Moderate)
With grade 2 acne there will be more blemishes present on the skin including white heads with some inflammation. This is where you may see more papules (these type of spots are small and headless) and also some pustules (these type of spots are larger and usually grow a yellow or white head). Grade 2 usually affects the t-zone, cheeks, chin and jaw area.
A more active skin routine may be needed at this stage and also some intensive treatments including peels to prevent this grade of acne worsening.
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Grade 3 (Severe)
With Grade 3 acne the papules and pustules occur in larger numbers and are more visibly inflamed. The spots will appear closer together in an area rather than coming from a single pore and this will lead to the skin becoming infected. The structure of the skin is compromised and because of the inflammation and collapsing of the pores scarring can occur.
You can still treat the P.Acne bacteria on the skin with anti bacterial ingredients and treat the inflammation with soothing anti inflammatory ingredients and even incorporate some LED light therapy in your routine but as there is an infection present we advise you see your GP before commencing treatment with us.
Grade 4 (Cystic)
This Grade of acne is very angry and can be the most difficult to treat. It is deep and the breakouts can be very painful, the spots usually have a smooth texture and are very tender. There may also be nodules present which a solid painful bumps that contain no fluid, this grade of acne can last on the skin for a long time and even when treated can reappear.
Due to the severity of this grade of acne, we would suggest you see your GP as you may need to go on oral antibiotics such as Roaccutane (prescription only) when on oral antibiotics we are greatly restricted on what ingredients we can prescribe and what treatments we can do so we would only prescribe and try to help reduce the inflammation after your visit to the GP.
For more advice and for how you can get your acne under control, book a Virtual Consultation with our Temple Skin Experts. We’d love to help.