THE TEENAGE YEARS are long gone, but you still find yourself getting spots from time to time.
Why is this happening? You thought it was all behind you, but it’s come back with a vengeance. Don’t worry though, here are some facts to settle the nerves:
1. Adult acne is ridiculously common
We’re all going through the same struggles.
According to this study, more than 70 percent of adults will experience outbreaks of adult acne between the ages of 20 and 50.
2. There are loads of reasons why it comes about
WebMD tells us that there are many different reasons why it might flare up:
There are many reasons you can break out as an adult. Stress or changes in your hormone levels, like menopause or switching or stopping birth control pills, are two possibilities.
3. Chocolate and fried food do not cause acne
As beauty.about explains, such things don’t make the situation any better, but the acne was going to be there anyway:
Blocked pores cause acne. Chocolate, fried foods, stress and your period do not. What they do, however, is exacerbate acne by causing your sebaceous glands to overproduce.
The myth persists that food like that is the cause of acne, but that’s just not true.
4. Picking at the acne is the worst thing you can do
Trying to clean up a pimple by scrubbing it is not advisable by the experts:
People will spend hours trying to get goop out of skin to heal the acne. But picking your skin is the number one way of getting a scar.
5. Stress might very well be a cause for outbreaks
As The New York Times ascertained in 2007, stress is a definite cause of acne in adults. So much so that the study that was undertaken showed that people were 23 percent more likely to experience outbreaks at times of stress than when they were relaxed.
6. Washing your face loads will not help the situation
Keeping regular levels of clean is obviously important – but washing your face more than twice in the one day will actually dry out your skin, and won’t help the acne situation.
7. Adult acne is not the same as teen acne
Your skin when you’re a teenager is, obviously, a lot different to when you’re an adult. This means that the acne on it is completely different too:
As teenagers, our skin is relatively thick. As we age, our skin thins out and becomes more sensitive to products.
Acne products are typically formulated for teenagers, because a larger percentage of teens suffer from acne than the percentage of adults who do. So if you’re an adult, you’re better off watching those labels.
So we won’t be throwing on the teenage-themed spot product any time soon and hoping for results. There are suitable adult treatments to be found out there, so we can all breathe a little easier.
