If you noticed the acne you had when you were 15 has returned in your
30s, rest assured, you're in good company. One in five women between
the ages of 25 and 40 suffer from adult acne. Here are a few facts
about adult acne and how to rid your skin of it:
Fact #1: Acne usually begins with blackheads Blackheads are not
dirt, they're actually the result of oil and dead cells getting trapped
in a pore where they block the duct and mix with bacteria. They then
turn black when exposed to air. Red pimples develop when blackheads
become inflamed and they spread when touched with dirty hands. When the
pimple becomes infected, it develops a whitehead or pustule. These can
break and cause scars.
Fact #2: There are several causes of adult acne These are:
Stress, bad cosmetics, hormones and birth control pills. Stress causes
your oil glands to overcompensate. Bad cosmetics lead to bacteria-laden
pores. Hormones cause the sebacuous glands to overact and birth control
pills with androgen in them can cause breakouts.
Fact #3: Cheese and Chocolate have nothing to do with your acne. Your skin, however, WILL benefit from a good facial. Why? Because acne
is not a disease, rather it is a condition of the skin and a good
facialist knows exactly what your skin needs: Sulfur, zinc and camphor
masks, exfoliation, blackhead extractions and at-home follow-up.
Fact #4: Don't treat adult acne like the teen kind The products
you used as a teenager won't work on adult skin. Here's a 2-step
program for cleansing and treating your blemished skin:
Step 1: Pick the right cleanser. Look for medicated cleansers with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid.
Step 2: Exfoliate with a salicylic acid treatment,
which will clean out pores. Just don't exfoliate too much or scrub too
hard (see the blackhead section above). Two to three times a week is
perfect.
Fact #6: The dermatologist will clear your skin up fast Too
many women wait to see a doctor for their skin problems. If you have
basic acne, over-the-counter treatments with salicylic acid (there's
that magic word again) to unclog pores and benzoyl peroxide to reduce
bacteria on skin should do you, but for serious acne, a dermatologist
has an arsenal of products to clear up your skin.
Retinoids, antibiotics, azelaic acid and birth control pills are all
options usually covered by insurance. You might consider laser
treatments, but these are more costly (about $500-$2,400). Severe cases
are best cleared up by Accutane, which is a 5-month course that is
considered the most effective treatment available. It can, however,
cause serious birth defects if taken during pregnancy.
Fact #7: Yes, those new machines that target acne do work We were surprised to hear this as well, but the reports are out on devices such as Zeno and Omnilux MD Blue Light Therapy
and they are good. They won't help blackheads or deep cystic acne, but
they do work for your general run-of-the-mill acne lesions.
So how do they work? The Zeno, which is a hand held machine that looks
like an iPod, works by driving heat through a pimple. The heat kills
the bacteria and supposedly improves blood circulation to the affected
area so it heals faster. Clinical trials show 90% of pimples treated
with Zeno disappeared or were significantly reduced within 24 hours. Clear-U Blue Light Therapy by Omnilux MD offers the advantages light therapy to clear up acne prone skin. Researchers have discovered that something as simple as light holds the key to clearing up problem skin. When skin is flooded with alternating blue and red light, the bacteria self destructs and inflammation is decreased. Blue Light destroys the bacteria responsible for acne and has been clinically proven to effectively treat mild to moderate acne vulgaris while Red Light stimulates cells responsible for tissue repair and regeneration.
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