What Causes Adult Acne?
Adult Acne. This is a common problem for many of our clients at The Sanctuary Skin Care and Beauty. In fact, 1 in 5 women between 25 and 40 suffer from adult acne.
There are several possible causes:
- Overactive androgen horomones are a common cause of adult acne. Androgen hormones become more active under the following circumstances:
- Stress – Causes in increase in androgens which stimulate sebaceous glands.
- Stopping birth control pills – Oral contraceptives contain estrogen and progesterone, hormones which control androgen activity. Acne flares up when the pill is stopped because androgen activity goes up again.
- Pregnancy – The androgenic hormone progesterone increases with pregnancy, causing sebaceous glands to be stimulated.
- Menopause – Strong fluctuations in hormones cause sebaceous gland activity to increase, causing pimples. Androgens (male hormones) have a stronger effect with the dropping of the estrogen (female hormones) levels during menopause.
- Certain medical conditions, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome in women, may trigger adult acne. See your doctor to rule this out as a cause of acne
- Prescription Drugs – Barbituates (found in sleep aids), Lithium (for treating depression), and corticosteroids are known to cause acne.
- Skin care products and make up can clog the pores.
- Poor skin care regime – not cleansing your skin properly and lack of exfoliation will cause more breakouts.
- Diet – A diet high in sugar and processed foods will do no favours for the skin and may cause further inflammation. Some sufferers of adult acne will benefit from adjustments to their diet.
- Genetic predisposition
So how can you treat adult acne? We have tips on how to treat adult acne on our next blog post here. Or, your can come and see us at The Sanctuary for advice ph: 02 9904 9842.
