Skip to main content

I'm Embarrassed About Adult Acne — What Can I Do?

I'm Embarrassed About Adult Acne — What Can I Do?

You’ve escaped your teen years with few or no pimples. Your skin tone is the envy of all your friends, smooth, soft, and even, and then… pimple. 

Wait, what? Acne as an adult? 

Yes, it’s a thing. Some people continue on the acne cycle long after their teen years fade in memory, while others experience the bumps and redness of acne for the first time. It’s called adult-onset acne, and it’s, unfortunately, a common problem. 

Visit us at Bayview General Medicine for diagnosis and treatment. As well as being a general medical practice, Dr. Richard Blanchar and his team specialize in medical aesthetics and skin care to help you look and feel your best. We have a range of solutions for adult acne, and we’ll help you find the answer that’s right for you. 

Causes of adult acne

The acne process isn’t a mystery, but why it affects some people and not others isn’t fully understood. Why those chosen few experience acne for the first time as adults is even more baffling. 

When acne occurs, it’s because hair follicles fill up with a skin oil called sebum and dead cells that your body sheds regularly. Everyone produces sebum, and everyone sheds skin cells, but not everyone suffers from clogged follicles. 

When it does occur, the mixture provides a food source for certain bacteria that collect and grow, causing localized infections that, in turn, create the red bumps and pustules characteristic of acne. 

There’s usually a hormonal component to acne outbreaks. While the teen years are prime time for acne conditions, it can also be triggered by pregnancy, the menstrual cycle, menopause, or other hormone events. Diet, stress, and skin care products can also play a role. 

What can I do about adult acne? 

Treatment methods can clear up acne, though sometimes it takes trial and error to find the one that works for you. Salicylic acid exfoliates the skin, removing excess skin cells and stripping acne-causing bacteria, while benzoyl peroxide products break down skin oils while further neutralizing bacteria. We recommend Glytone Acne skin care products, which contain both of these powerful acne-fighting ingredients. 

For a more complete cleansing process that benefits skin texture and smoothness, we also offer HydraFacials®. A three-part treatment that cleanses, extracts, and nourishes your skin, HydraFacial is an ideal way to deal with adult onset acne. 

As a medical-grade hydradermabrasion process, HydraFacial deeply cleans pores and loosens dead skin cells, making it easy for its vacuums to lift away pore-clogging debris. Your treatment finishes with a nourishing hydration process that helps your skin thrive and glow. 

When you’re experiencing unwanted acne growth long after high school graduation, contact us at Bayview General Medicine for a skin care consultation. Call or click to request your appointment today.

You Might Also Enjoy...

Let's Talk About Losing Fat During Menopause

Weight gain during menopause is a common challenge for women as they get older. Hormonal changes affecting how your body stores fat make it more difficult to maintain your ideal figure. Weight gain doesn’t have to be inevitable, however.
 Can You Help Me Reverse Sun Damage?

Can You Help Me Reverse Sun Damage?

There is a wide range of treatments to help you reverse the effects of sun damage on your skin, including new technology and refined traditional therapies. Here’s how we can help you regenerate and resurface your sun-damaged skin.
Title: 4 Tips for Getting Rid of Love Handles

4 Tips for Getting Rid of Love Handles

It’s not simply your imagination when you think your body shape changes, even when you’re neither gaining nor losing weight. Love handles are a common problem area for many. It’s a difficult area to tone with exercise. 
 I'm in My 20s —Why Do I Already Have Wrinkles?

 I'm in My 20s —Why Do I Already Have Wrinkles?

While it’s normal to expect wrinkles as you age, you might expect these later in life than in your 20s. Many factors contribute to wrinkles, and more than one could create creases, crinkles, and crow’s feet before your 30th birthday.

What Does Laser Tattoo Removal Feel Like?

Change is often a natural process, but when it comes to tattoos, you’ll need to help it along when you want to move on from a tattoo. Laser tattoo removal is commonly available today, but what does it feel like?
What to do About Stubborn Belly Fat After 40

What to do About Stubborn Belly Fat After 40

You can work hard to achieve and maintain your ideal body weight, but there’s no guarantee your body will retain the shape you want, particularly if you’re over 40. Here’s what you can do to alter the contours of stubborn belly fat.