Yes, Adults Can Still Get Acne

There’s a lot that we want to leave in the past, and acne surely tops many lists. Unfortunately, this common skin condition often pops up in adulthood. We look at why this happens and what we can do.

Adults can have conflicting wishes when it comes to skin. Sure, we’d love to have that toned, wrinkle-free skin from our youth, but we’d rather leave acne in the rearview mirror.

Unfortunately, that’s not how skin works. Age not only brings wrinkles — it can also come with adult acne.

Acne among all age groups is the most common skin condition in the United States, affecting 50 million people each year, most of them in their teens and 20s. But it may surprise you to learn that 25% of women and 12% of men still experience acne in their 40s.

The extensive multi-disciplinary services that we offer here at LaSante Health Center include dermatology, which means our team has considerable experience helping our patients to regain clear skin when acne strikes — no matter their age.

So if you’re in your 30s, 40s, and even your 50s and you’re experiencing acne, here’s what you should know.

The primary causes of acne

Whether teenage acne has followed you into adulthood or you’ve developed acne for the first time, the drivers of this common skin condition boil down to the same four factors:

Excess oil (sebum) production
Clogged pores that are filled with dead skin cells and debris
Bacteria
Inflammation

These four influences are usually behind all cases of acne in some combination or another.

The indirect, and equally powerful, causes of acne

To explain why some adults continue to deal with acne, we need to look at some indirect factors that can influence the four main causes of acne we just listed. These factors include:

Hormones

If you noticed that the numbers surrounding adult acne tipped toward women, that’s due to hormone fluctuations.

Female reproductive hormones can influence oil production, so when women journey through menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and perimenopause, reproductive hormone levels fluctuate up and down, which can affect oil production and lead to acne.

Stress

Adults are no strangers to stress these days, and among the many side effects is acne. This is due to higher-than-normal levels of cortisol hormones, which are stress hormones. These hormones lead to systemwide inflammation, which sets the stage for acne.

Clogging pores with products

Many adults use creams, lotions, and makeup — often more than when they were younger — and these products can clog pores and lead to acne.

Diet

If your diet leans toward sugars, saturated and trans fats, and processed carbohydrates, you could be promoting inflammation in your body, which can lead to acne.

Fighting back against adult acne

No matter what brought the acne on, the good news is that we’re armed with an arsenal of effective acne treatments, such as:

Antibiotics — oral and topical
Prescription medications that target acne, such as Accutane®
Topical treatments, including benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid
Topical retinoid to encourage new skin
Laser treatments
Hormone therapy
Steroid therapies

As you can see, we’re well-equipped to fight acne, and we’re confident we can come up with a solution for your adult acne.

For expert care of your skin and acne, please book an appointment online or call us at our Brooklyn, New York, clinic at 718-571-8173. We also welcome walk-ins during our hours of operation.

Our team proudly serves the Flatbush and East Flatbush, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Little Haiti, Little Caribbean, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens communities.