What’s to Blame for Your Adult Acne?

It’s a great feeling to know that once you’ve surpassed your teenage years, your acne can be a thing of the past. But for many, that isn’t the case. Bad breakouts don’t necessarily end when your teens do. If you suffer from adult acne, here are five common things that may be triggering it.

• Hormones. A fluctuation in hormones is a viable cause. In women, this is especially true before their menstrual cycle. During this time, you may experience deep, painful acne around the chin, neck and back.
• Stress. When you stress levels are high, your adrenal gland produces the stress hormone cortisol to help your body deal with it. When this happens, small amount of testosterone eeks out with it, which can cause your oil gland to produce more oil and lead to breakouts.
• Enviroment. Pollution in the air can do a number on your skin, especially if you live in a big city.
• Over-cleansing. Ironically, washing your face too often can make your acne worse. Don’t cleanse your face more than twice a day or you’ll dry out your skin, making it produce more oil to make up for it. And when you do wash, use a gentle face wash and avoid the urge to scrub your face which can promote acne.
• Certain foods. The kinds of foods that cause acne differ from person to person. Pay attention to when your acne breakouts are at their worst and what you’ve recently eaten. For example, if you eat chocolate and break out, avoid chocolate.
• Sugar. Sugar raises your insulin level which, in turn, can boost male hormones that trigger oil production. Avoid sugar-rich foods and replace them with ones that have complex carbs like whole grains. These types of foods don’t break down as quickly in the body, so they prohibit a spike in insulin.

To learn more about managing your adult acne or any of the dermatologic services we provide, contact Westerville Dermatology online or by calling 614.895.0400 today to schedule an appointment.