Acne is one of the most comยญmon skin conยญdiยญtions in peoยญple of all ages, though it affects teenagers at a highยญer rate than adults. An estiยญmatยญed 93 perยญcent of teenagers strugยญgle with acne while only 73.3 perยญcent of adults expeยญriยญence regยญuยญlar breakouts. Regardยญless of the age of onset, acne always forms in the same way. That being said, the underยญlyยญing facยญtors which conยญtribute to acne breakยญouts may vary by age. Hereโ€™s what you need to know about the difยญferยญence between teen and adult acne.

How Does Acne Form?

Acne vulยญgaris, more comยญmonยญly known as acne, is a skin conยญdiยญtion in which the hair folยญliยญcles or pores become clogged. Sebum and dead skin cells accuยญmuยญlate to creยญate a plug which can then become infectยญed with bacยญteยญria on the surยญface of the skin. The resultยญing infecยญtion trigยญgers inflamยญmaยญtion and the forยญmaยญtion of varยญiยญous types of acne lesions. Acne breakยญouts can occur anyยญwhere on the body but are most comยญmon on the face. Othยญer areas where acne breakยญouts are likeยญly to occur include the chest, back, and shoulยญders. Though acne typยญiยญcalยญly appears in adoยญlesยญcence, it can perยญsist through the earยญly thirties.

Common Factors in Adult vs Teen Acne

Horยญmones are the most comยญmon facยญtor impliยญcatยญed in teen acne. Durยญing puberยญty, both boys and girls expeยญriยญence flucยญtuยญaยญtions in horยญmones, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly androgens. Androยญgens are male sex horยญmones and, in addiยญtion to trigยญgerยญing the physยญiยญcal changes assoยญciยญatยญed with puberยญty, they also play a role in regยญuยญlatยญing the skinโ€™s oil proยญducยญtion. An increase in androยญgens like testosยญterone can increase oil proยญducยญtion in the skin, increasยญing the risk for acne breakยญouts right along with it. Othยญer facยญtors impliยญcatยญed in teen acne include genetยญics and diet. Cerยญtain ethยญnicยญiยญties and skin types are more prone to acne than othยญers. Conยญsumยญing high-glycemic foods includยญing refined carยญboยญhyยญdrates and added sugยญar may increase your risk for teen acne as well. Teen acne is often linked to changยญing levยญels of male horยญmones, but adult acne often involves female sex horยญmones like estrogen. Horยญmonยญal flucยญtuยญaยญtions trigยญgered by menยญstruยญaยญtion and stress can lead to an increase in oil proยญducยญtion and breakยญouts. In fact, 70 perยญcent of women report worsยญenยญing acne right before they get their period. Othยญer facยญtors that may affect adult acne include perยญsonยญal hygiene, the use of cerยญtain beauยญty prodยญucts, diet, and medยญicaยญtions. Pore-clogยญging makeยญup and skinยญcare prodยญucts can trigยญger acne breakยญouts along with bad habits like sleepยญing in makeup. The same high-glycemic foods that trigยญger acne in teens can affect adults and takยญing cerยญtain medยญicaยญtions like steroids or antiยญconยญvulยญsants may lead to an increase in acne breakยญouts as well.

What Are the Best Acne Treatments?

adult and teen Acne Acne treatยญments are not deterยญmined by age but by the type of acne and its underยญlyยญing cause. Both teen and adult acne can be treatยญed by the same means and these treatยญments are often more effecยญtive when used in comยญbiยญnaยญtion with rouยญtine skinยญcare and a healthy diet. Here are some of the top acne treatยญments recยญomยญmendยญed by dermatologists:
  • Benยญzoyl Perยญoxยญide โ€“ An over-the-counter acne treatยญment, benยญzoyl perยญoxยญide helps preยญvent the growth of acne-causยญing bacยญteยญria. It comes in 2.5%, 5%, and 10% conยญcenยญtraยญtions, typยญiยญcalยญly as a cream, lotion, or gel, though it can also be found in medยญicatยญed cleansers.
  • Azeยญlaยญic Acid โ€“ As a kerยญaยญtolytยญic agent, azeยญlaยญic acid helps unclog blocked pores and may also reduce the swelling and redยญness assoยญciยญatยญed with inflamยญmaยญtoยญry acne. Topยญiยญcal azeยญlaยญic acid comes in varยญiยญous forms includยญing creams, lotions, liqยญuids, gels, and wipes.
  • Topยญiยญcal Retinoids โ€“ This group of medยญicaยญtions work by increasยญing the rate of skin cell turnover, helpยญing reduce the buildup of dead cells on the surยญface of the skin. One of the most well-known topยญiยญcal retinoids is tretinoin, availยญable in creams, lotions, and serums.
  • Antibiยญotics โ€“ Because acne is often worsยญened by bacยญteยญria, both topยญiยญcal and oral antibiยญotics can be used to treat it. Topยญiยญcal clinยญdamycin helps reduce swelling and slows the growth of acne-causยญing bacยญteยญria while oral antibiยญotics like tetraยญcyยญcline may be used for severe forms of acne.
  • Horยญmonยญal Therยญaยญpies โ€“ For casยญes of horยญmonยญal acne, horยญmonยญal therยญaยญpies may be benยญeยญfiยญcial. Birth conยญtrol pills โ€“ parยญticยญuยญlarยญly those that conยญtain both estroยญgen and progยญestin โ€“ help balยญance the bodyโ€™s horยญmone levยญels to conยญtrol sebum proยญducยญtion and reduce acne breakouts.
The key to sucยญcess with acne treatยญments is conยญsisยญtenยญcy. Keepยญing your skin clean and folยญlowยญing a daiยญly skinยญcare rouยญtine can help keep surยญface oil in check, reducยญing your risk for breakouts. Just keep in mind that difยญferยญent forms of acne may respond betยญter to difยญferยญent treatยญments, so be preยญpared to underยญgo a litยญtle triยญal and error to find the treatยญment that works best for you.

Tips for Caring for Acne-Prone Skin

adult and teen Acne The treatยญment methยญods disยญcussed above are your best bet for reducยญing acne breakยญouts and healยญing your skin. It will take time to corยญrect the underยญlyยญing facยญtors trigยญgerยญing your acne, but in the meanยญtime, there are cerยญtain things you can do to keep your skin clean and clear.  Here are some simยญple tips for carยญing for acne-prone skin:
  • Avoid squeezยญing or pickยญing at pimยญples โ€“ this can push the bacยญteยญria furยญther into your skin, makยญing inflamยญmaยญtion worse and increasยญing your risk for scarยญring and redness.
  • Folยญlow a daiยญly skinยญcare rouยญtine of cleansยญing and moisยญturยญizยญing โ€“ it may also help to exfoยญliยญate your skin two to three times per week.
  • Include acne-fightยญing ingreยญdiยญents like salยญiยญcylic acid and glyยญcolยญic acid in your daiยญly skinยญcare rouยญtine to help conยญtrol surยญface oil and remove dead skin cells.
  • Talk to your derยญmaยญtolยญoยญgist about teen acne treatยญments โ€“ preยญscripยญtion-strength ingreยญdiยญents like tretinoin and niaciยญnamide could help reduce breakouts.
  • Always remove makeยญup and wash your face before going to bed โ€“ sleepยญing in makeยญup can clog your pores and make acne worse.
  • Avoid pore-clogยญging ingreยญdiยญents like minยญerยญal oil and lanoยญlin as well as stripยญping ingreยญdiยญents like alcoยญhol that may cause your skin to proยญduce excess sebum.
Though teen and adult acne may be caused by difยญferยญent facยญtors, the underยญlyยญing issue is the same. Clogged pores lead to breakยญouts which have the potenยญtial to negยญaยญtiveยญly impact your emoยญtionยญal and menยญtal well-being. If youโ€™re conยญcerned about your acne, talk to your healthยญcare provider about an indiยญvidยญuยญalยญized acne treatยญment plan to start getยญting your breakยญouts under control.

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