Adult Acne – Why am I breaking out?

July 1, 2016

Adult Acne – What is going on with my skin?!

Experience is a beautiful thing. So is the wisdom that comes with spending more time on this planet. My personal experience of 27 years in the ‘acne industry’ and successfully treating thousands of acne sufferers has solidified the notion that acne knows no bounds. From pre-adolescent acne to adult acne, it affects all ages, all skin types and all genders. It is color blind, age blind and socioeconomic blind. It doesn’t care where you live, how you vote or how many grey hairs you have on your head! If you have skin, there is a good chance you will have acne at some point in your lifetime. It affects nearly 80% of the human population and adult acne is part of that statistic.

We’ve always been told that one of the few good things about aging is that our skin will clear up, only to find that it’s not entirely true. A study by the American Academy of Dermatology examining the prevalence of acne in adults over age 20 found that acne affects more than 50 percent of women between the ages of 20-29 and more than 25 percent of women between the ages of 40-49. Even though men get off the hook a little bit easier, still 1 in 100 men suffer from adult acne.

So why is adult acne so prevalent? By the time we reach adulthood, leaving puberty long in the rearview mirror, shouldn’t our skin have figured itself out by now? Unfortunately, for some that is not the case. In some instances, people find they experience their first major acne breakouts after they are well into their adult years.

Remember that pimples form from the retention of dead skin cells in the hair follicles. These dead skin cells get stuck in the oils the skin produces – attracting bacteria which causes the body to produce a pimple to fight off the infection. Women in particular are more prone to adult acne. The hormonal fluctuations women experience through their lives – monthly periods, pregnancies, going on and off of birth control pills and finally, menopause – all affect the type and amount of oil the oils glands produce. Typically hormonal changes cause the production of more sticky oils, leading to more clogging.

That being said, adult acne is not *just* caused by “female” hormones. Stress is a huge culprit as well. Most of us find that as we get older, our stress levels skyrocket, thanks to the many pressures of adult life – family, finances, jobs, etc. And as we’ve reiterated many times, stress is the number one aggravating factor for acne-prone skin. Stress causes the body to produce a variety of hormones, but one class of hormones, androgens significantly affect the skin. Stressing out causes androgen production to increase, which in turn stimulates the skin’s oils glands to produce more waxy, sticky oils, leading to more acne breakouts. Also stress, left unchecked slows the body’s ability to heal, so pimples get larger, stay longer and leave behind a bigger mark on the skin. It’s so unfair having to deal with stress AND pimples at the same time.

Family history also plays a big role in determining whether or not you will experience adult acne. If you have a history of acne in your family, you may have a genetic predisposition for adult acne.

Some prescription medications make acne worse. If you’re acne prone, it’s always good to review any medications you’re taking or about to take with your doctor to find out if acne is a side effect. Often there are other medications available that do not make your skin break out.

Undiagnosed medical conditions can also play havoc on your skin especially if they affect your androgen or testosterone or progesterone levels. Getting these conditions under control is not only good for your skin, but your body as well.

Finally, if you take a bunch of small things and add them up – like using clogging skin and hair products, having an unbalanced diet, not having enough time to CHILL and/or exercise, drinking too much coffee or alcohol, smoking – they make a BIG thing. The good news is these are easy to avoid and change in seconds flat if you’re up for making the move to healthier living.

Just a little note – no matter your age, pimples are pimples and are caused from the retention of dead skin cells. Thankfully our acne fighting topical medications and skincare products prove time and time again to prevent future breakouts and clear your skin. Using topical medications is much easier on our aging body’s insides and we at Ninja work hard to make sure they are easy on your pocketbook as well. No one should have to suffer from adult acne.