What’s Causing My Adult Acne and How Can I Treat It?

Aging is a funny paradox — we’d love to recapture that youthful skin we had as teenagers, but not so much the accompanying acne.

In any given year, up to 50 million Americans of all ages deal with acne, and while teenagers account for a large portion of this number, adults figure in there, too. In fact, millions of adults continue to struggle with acne in their 20s, 30s, and even in their 40s — a quarter of women and 12% of men report acne in their fourth decade.

To understand why acne follows so many people into adulthood, we turn to the team of skin health specialists at Skin Shop MedSpa, including Dr. Tiffany Su and Dr. Hui “He” Kang. Below, we look at adult acne and review some of the great solutions available through our aesthetic services to get you back to blemish- and acne-free skin.

The road to adult acne

The primary drivers behind adult acne are, in reality, the same ones that drive acne among teenagers. Pores (hair follicles) that get clogged by the following cause acne at any age:

• Dead skin cells
• Excess oil (sebum)
• Bacteria
• Debris

The reason why acne tends to flare during puberty is that when reproductive hormones first come online, it often leads to excess sebum production in the tiny glands found in the hair follicles across your skin. 

With adult acne, the same mechanisms drive acne — namely, clogged pores. Thankfully, acne breakouts tend to be less severe in adulthood because we’re not dealing with the same sebum overproduction; however, they can still occur in milder forms.

Adult acne is more prevalent in women

While teenage boys don’t get spared from acne, men do have it easier than women in adulthood. Adult acne in women outpaces men by 2 to 1, and half of women in their 20s, a third in their 30s, and a quarter in their 40s report issues with adult acne.

A couple of reasons why women are more prone to adult acne include:

• Continuing hormone fluctuations
• Using skin products that can clog pores, such as moisturizers and makeup

The hormone fluctuations that women still experience throughout their reproductive years are the bigger influence on acne.

Fighting back against adult acne

The good news with adult acne is that we’re better equipped than ever to fight back with prescription medications and advanced skincare treatments, including:

• Oral antibiotics
• Oral isotretinoin
• Topical tretinoin
• Topical acid products
• Pore cleaning facials
• Chemical peels
• Light therapy

So, if you’re still struggling with acne in adulthood, it’s a great idea to visit us so that we can get you on the road to clearer skin.

For expert treatment of your adult acne, contact our Houston, Texas, office  at 713-701-1717 today. You can also use the convenient booking feature on our website to schedule an appointment.