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Acne is usually associated with being a teen “problem,” but did you know that the average age of someone with acne is 26?
If you’ve tried everything to treat your adult acne, or are just experiencing acne for the first time and want to avoid the guessing game, read on to learn what you’re working with, and how to really treat the problem.
Adult acne, like cystic, inflammatory, or any other type of acne, is usually the result of a hormonal imbalance, and how those hormones interact with the sebaceous glands. These glands, which are responsible for producing sebum, the oily substance that travels through the pores to hydrate and moisturize the skin, can become triggered by certain hormones, causing them to create excessive amounts of the oily substance. When combined with dead skin cells from the surface of the skin, bacteria can grow in the pores, possibly leading to breakouts.
Adult acne is no different from ordinary acne, but the frustration many face regarding it comes with treatment. There are a couple of reasons why you may be having trouble treating your adult acne.
Many acne products are designed with teen skin in mind. When adolescents hit puberty, hormones can go haywire, triggering an overproduction of oil specifically around the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin,) and sometimes chest and back. Most over-the-counter acne products are designed to treat teen acne, and their solution is to zap that excess oil from the surface of the skin, which can actually end up triggering even more oil to be produced, possibly leading to more acne! And in some cases, the internal issue never resolves itself, so acne can stay with them into adulthood or they may even experience it suddenly in adulthood. Additionally, adult skin tends to be drier, retaining less moisture with age, so the best bet is to find a gentle topical wash to cleanse the skin with no more that two times a day, then follow up with a non-comedogenic moisturizer.
You aren’t working to treat your acne type. Like treatment solutions, not all acne is created equal. Cysts look and feel different than blackheads, so why would we use the same face wash, lotion or even cleansing technique to treat both as if they were the same thing? Additionally, it’s important to go with the flow when it comes to your skin, meaning, much in the same way as your eyesight or weight may fluctuate throughout your lifetime, your skin will too. You may have had dry skin two years ago, only to find a combination of types just this season. Work with it! Listen to your skin, and then give it what it needs - it will thank you, and save you from unnecessary frustration!
You aren’t taking a preventative approach. This is the most common reason many people with acne continue to experience acne symptoms - we wait until there is a problem before we begin treatment. There is a more effective way to truly treat acne, and it all starts within.
The fact that acne is not something most people “grow out of” says a lot about the way acne should be looked at when aiming to treat it. Obviously, keeping the surface of the skin clean is an essential aspect of any skincare regimen, but it’s important to remember that the real issue lies with rebalancing the sebaceous gland activity, which is done from within. Many of our AcnEase users have learned that our treatment specifically inhibits the impact of fluctuating hormone levels on sebaceous gland secretions, and does not affect hormone levels per se, but rather works as a buffer between the hormones and the sebaceous glands, modulating the amount of sebum produced. This helps explain why AcnEase® is equally effective in treating both adolescent and adult acne in both men and women - it assures that your body is producing only the amount of sebum necessary for proper hydration and protection, no more, no less!
Trial and error is a great way to learn, but when you don’t treat your specific acne type, success may not be on your side. Try this. We have a link on our site (/acne-treatment-system/) that helps you figure out what type of acne you have and which treatment is best for you. 96% of our clients have been successful with this, so you have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.