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.