Nearly everyone has a condition known as acne vulgaris, or common acne, between the ages of 8 and 18. About 20 to 25% of people who have common acne as teenagers continue to have to deal with it in adulthood, but other kinds of acne do not appear until maturity.
The challenge of treating adult acne is that the skin does not grow as fast as it once did. Teens who use harsh acne treatments on their skin tend to get better despite their mistakes. Adults who use harsh acne treatments tend to get more irritation and more inflammation that can leave to formation of permanent brown pigmentation of the skin. A treatment that works in a few days for a teenager may take a few weeks for an adult. And some kinds of acne affect adults but are essentially unheard during the teenage years.
This article will discuss the most common forms of adult acne and what to do about them. Adult acne can be brought under control, but sometimes a completely different approach to treatment is necessary to get rid of blemishes for good.
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Summary:
- Nearly every one has acne as a teenager, but sometimes acne continues into adulthood. When this happens, it is important to use gentler products because the skin cannot repair itself as fast as when it was younger.
- Rosacea usually first appears after the age of 25. It is triggered by events that increase circulation to the skin in the center of the face, such as coming indoors from the cold, drinking hot coffee, or using skin care products that contain alcohol or menthol.
- Azelaic acid can treat both rosacea and common acne on the face.
- Sports acne appears on the chest, chin, and back of active adults.
- Sports acne can be prevented by wearing loose clothing, and it can be treated by showering immediately after perspiring heavily while working out or participating in a sporting event.
- Cystic acne can’t be treated by lancing, squeezing, or cutting. Use tretinoin topical to treat small cysts, or see your physician about stronger treatments.
- Senile acne occurs on tough skin. Salicylic acid may be just the thing for getting rid of blackheads caused by senile acne.
What to Do When Teenage Acne Just Won’t Go Away
Sometimes teenage acne just never seems to go away. Usually young adults who have ongoing acne problems lingering from their teenage years have a kind of acne that is stimulating more by stress hormones than by sex hormones. The key to getting this kind of acne under control is to minimize stress on the skin.
That doesn’t mean you have to stress out about being stressed out. The kind of stress hormones that cause acne are identical to the stress hormones that are created during times of physical or emotional duress by the adrenal glands, but they are created by the skin itself.
Minimizing stress on the skin is accomplished by taking a kinder, gentler approach to skin care. If you use detergent soaps, stop. Any kind of cleanser that makes big foaming bubbles on your skin or that leaves the skin feeling cool or tingly triggers stress hormones. Most botanical ingredients in skin care products, especially cinnamon oil and menthol, do the same thing.
It is also important to avoid overheating the skin (steam treatments and saunas), shocking the skin (zit zappers like the hand held electrical device made by Zeno), and getting sunburn. These changes, with continuing daily cleansing and weekly exfoliation of the skin, gradually bring this form of adult acne under control.
What to Do About Rosacea
Rosacea is a form of acne that usually does not show up until the age of 25. Unlike common acne, which results from clogged pores, rosacea is caused by weak blood vessels just below the surface of the skin. When these blood vessels leak, the skin turns red. Larger leaks cause small, pimple-like red spots to break out on the face, and scar tissue can cause lumps and bumps to form under the skin, especially on the nose.
The way to keep capillaries from leaking blood is to make sure they are not subjected to more pressure than they can handle. When you move from the cold to a warm room, for example, circulation suddenly increases in the skin of your face. This change in blood pressure in the capillaries can cause immediate redness of the skin. The solution is to keep covered up when you are outside, or to keep indoor room temperature to a minimum to avoid stress on the skin.
Similarly, it is important to avoid other rosacea triggers, such as hot drinks, alcohol, spicy foods, perfumes, after shave, and any treatment for any skin problem that stings and burns. Treating the skin with products that contain azelaic acid—used strictly as directed—can resolve both rosacea and any problem with whiteheads and blackheads on the skin.
What to Do About Cystic Acne
Cystic acne usually strikes in early adulthood, and the young adults who get cystic acne typically were free of common acne as teenagers. In cystic acne, the skin grows over pores containing acne infection. They are not able to drain, so the cyst only grows larger and larger and more and more inflamed.
It is never a good idea to pick at, poke, probe, lance, or cut an acne cyst. The only way to deal with cysts (aside from going to a plastic surgeon) is to treat them with retinoids that stimulate the growth of the skin. It may be possible to do this with an over the counter form of Retin-A called topical tretinoin, or you may need to get a stronger retinoid drug that has to be used under the supervision of a dermatologist. It’s important to treat cysts while they are still small and relatively easy to treat.
What to Do About Sports Acne
Active adults often get sports acne, which is also known as acne mechanica. This form of acne occurs when sweat gets trapped under straps, bands, or elastic clothing. The sweat shrivels skin the same way that spending too much time in the tub or shower can shrivel skin. The shriveling traps acne bacteria in pores and acne follows.
The solution to excess sweat begins with making sure to take a shower after activities that involve sweating under restrictive clothing. Showering removes excess oil and dead skin. Then it also helps to use softer padding or looser straps to prevent future problems.
People of African descent are especially sensitive to sweat-induced acne. People of Japanese descent are especially sensitive to acne triggered by allergies to the elastic used in straps.
What to Do About Senile Acne
Sometimes older adults get blackheads that just won’t go away, especially where the skin is tough, such as on the back. Picking or squeezing won’t get rid of the blackhead. It only injures the surrounding skin.
When blackheads resist other forms of treatment, try exfoliation with a product containing salicylic acid, which may be labeled as “beta-hydroxy acid.” These kinds of products loosen the hardened sebum that holds a blackhead in place, while reducing inflammation to surrounding skin. It may take more than one application of a salicylic acid exfoliant to get rid of senile blemishes, but there is no danger of inflammation or infection of the skin.
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