Adult Acne Care
Treating Adult Acne

Start by selecting a water-soluble cleanser that is formulated for your skin type. Plan on cleansing your face twice a day and use lukewarm water to rinse off the cleanser. You can also look for a cleanser that contains salicylic acid, which is a beta hydroxy acid that has both antiseptic and exfoliating properties. This ingredient will help to promote cell turnover, along with eliminating the excess oils. Another option to consider which has antibacterial properties is a cleanser that contains benzyl peroxide. However, it might be too drying for some people and cause irritation or allergic reactions to the skin.

Take stock of your skin and hair products. If they contain ingredients that will aggravate your acne, get rid of them. For example, waxes and oils will wreak havoc with your skin. Elimination of oil-based products will lessen the likelihood of acne developing around the hairline and reduce the chance of breakouts in general. Be sure your sunscreen and moisturizer are, along with any other skin care products that you might use are water-based. Check your makeup as a lot of it is comedogenic, which means it contains ingredients that may cause acne or clog the pores.

When considering adult acne care, one must also look at lifestyle habits that might negatively be impacting the problem and making matters worse. For example, if you wear glasses or sunglasses and only cleanse the frames when you think of it, you are allowing sweat and bacteria to be redeposited onto your face each time you wear the glasses without first cleaning the frames. Another big offender is the cell phone. If you rest it against your face day after day without every cleaning it, you're setting the side of your face up for a breakout.

Another lifestyle habit that needs to go by the wayside, is being a pimple picker. If you look forward to those quiet moments at home when you can pop that zit, then you need to get another hobby. Work on resisting the urge to do pimple popping. Every time you succumb to squeezing out those zits, you simultaneously increase the chance of spreading the infection to other parts of your face that are not experiencing a breakout, along with ultimately developing a scar.


ADULT ACNE CARE - MEDICAL INTERVENTION

Topical & Oral Medications - Your dermatologist will determine if he or she feels your acne could be improved with a prescription strength topical medication. For example, if you have not had sufficient success with salicylic acid unclogging your pores, your doctor might step it up a bit with a prescription for a retinoic acid, which is a Vitamin A derivative. However, there are possible side effects with this medication such as excessive dryness, irritation, redness, and possible peeling, along with an increased sensitivity to the sun. To treat moderate to severe acne, your doctor might determine a prescription for an oral retinoid or antibiotic might be in order.

Microdermabrasion - Other options your doctor might recommend to augment your acne treatment regimen could include a series of microdermabrasion treatments. These will help to diminish not only sun damage, pigmentation, and fine lines and wrinkles, but also whiteheads, blackheads, and enlarged pores.

Enzyme Peel - Another option for adult acne care might be an enzyme peel which has proved to be beneficial for people who have oily, clogged skin and minor acne outbreaks, blackheads, and whiteheads.

Chemical Peel - A series of chemical peels might be done by an esthetician to help eliminate dead skin cells and free up those clogged pores. They are usually done in a series of 4-8, once a week. They will leave the skin feeling smoother and softer. Your doctor might determine your skin could benefit from a deeper peel which removes layers of skin down to the dermis (ouch!).

Light & Laser Therapy - Light therapy can treat various skin disorders with the application of light rays to the skin, including the reduction of inflammation that results from acne-causing bacteria. Lasers are medical devices that are not only used for hair removal, but also for numerous skin treatments. For those who suffer with acne and produce an excessive amount of oil, your doctor might decide that a laser treatment could be beneficial in order to slow down the production of oil.


ADULT ACNE CARE - CONCLUSION

As you can see, there are several adult acne solutions that you can institute in treating adult acne. Just remember, to get rid of acne does take some time and perhaps a little trial and error. To give your skin a fighting chance, be sure to strive to learn about ingredients so you will be in a better position to make quality product selections.