It may be a surprise to learn that acne affects many adults as well as teenagers. This mild to chronic skin condition which presents a variety of symptoms such as whiteheads, blackheads, pustules and papules, as well as oily and congested pores, doesn’t always necessarily start in our teenage years. In many people, adult acne can start as late as in our 30s and continue throughout our 40s and 50s, and so persuing adult acne treatment may feel difficult.
Acne can cause embarrassment, emotional stress and even physical scarring after the condition subsides. Adult acne can differ in appearance from teenage acne, both in its causes and how it’s treated. In teenage acne tiny bumps, blackheads or whiteheads on the surface of the skin, especially on the forehead, chest and the back can appear. This is because in our teens, skin tends to be oilier and stickier and pores are more likely to become clogged with sebum and dead skin cells. In adults, acne tends to appear more on the lower part of the face, especially around the mouth and the jawline. It usually appears as deeper nodules or red papules in these areas. Fine little bumps of teen acne can still occur but this is less common.
Adult Acne Treatment: The Causes
Causes of adult acne differ from teenage acne too. Teenage acne usually arises due to the hormonal changes that boys and girls go through in puberty. Pores become congested through excessive sebum production which clog the hair follicles in the skin and cause congestion. Adult acne can arise from hormonal changes in women such as pregnancy or the contraceptive pill. Other causes can include some medications and some foods such as chocolate and carbohydrate rich foods as well as too much sugar. A lack of water in the diet can slow down the body’s ability to eliminate toxins which can exacerbate adult acne – as can stress and lack of sleep. It’s a myth that greasy food, poor hygiene or cosmetics cause acne.
Just as teenage acne requires specialist treatment, adults also require tailored diagnosis and adult acne treatment advice from a medical professional. At Skin Perfection in Central London, we specialize in adult acne and offer a wide range of treatments to control, treat and prevent further acne outbreaks as well as reduce post-acne scarring.
Adult Acne Treatment at Skin Perfection
We have a range of treatments available to treat your condition; the best treatment strategy for you is determined at your Skin Perfection consultation. Everybody’s skin is different, so we tailor each plan individually, using the following treatments:
- Laser photofacial skin rejuvenation – this device-led procedure improves skin tone and texture, calms angry and painful skin and helps to prevent further acne breakouts.
- LED Light therapy – a pain-free treatment which actively treats the causes and symptoms of adult acne such as inflammation, irritation and bacteria, either as part of a four-stage process or as a follow-on treatment to other skin treatments. There is no discomfort and no downtime with LED Light Therapy and you can have this treatment at any time with no side-effects.
- Medical Microdermabrasion – this is a deeply penetrating resurfacing procedure which cleans and resurfaces the skin. It assists with a more regular sebum production by sloughing away dead skin cells, dirt, debris and excess oils. As the skin is resurfaced with medical microdermabrasion, over time, any acne-scarring can be greatly improved with this procedure.
- Skin peels or resurfacers – these treatments are like medical microdermabrasion but utilise chemical substances such as natural acids to either gently or aggressively peel away the dead layers of skin, peels and resurfacers improve skin texture, regulate sebum production and redefine pores. Depending on the strength of the peel or resurfacer, you may experience some peeling, shedding and dryness for a few days following a peel or resurfacer, but this is quite natural and assists in obtaining optimum results.
If you suffer with acne and would like to attend a no obligation consultation for adult acne treatment with one of our skin specialists, please feel free to call us on 0207 629 4116.
