There are very few things that people become annoyed with as they get older more than they do adult acne. You go through your teenage years and puberty looking at all your skin changes and seeing the way that your face reacts to your hormones. You see the spots come out and you see the post chills arise and the scarring that it is behind. It’s hard on the ego to still deal with acne as an adult, and it’s a nagging and unsightly self-esteem depleting issue that you could be getting rid of.
The good news is that there are some ways that you can soothe sensitive skin and treat adult acne and we have 9 of them in this article. Your skin deserves the very best it can get, and so hopefully, these tips will help you to devote your resources to the right places to get some help.
- Proactiv. Most of the acne medications that are available on the market since you were a teenager have either benzyl peroxide or salicylic acid. Proactiv acne treatment is no different and these are the only active ingredients listed in their products. It’s not something that’s overpriced or overhyped, and there is a 30 day free trial with it. If you can find it on the market it’s always a good idea to at least try it once.
- A consultation with a skin expert. If you want to treat your adult acne, then you have to treat it like a problem. See your doctor and get a referral to a dermatologist who is a skin expert. They will be able to tell you your skin type, talk to you through the products that are best for your skin type, and teach you how to use a routine for your skin so that it actually doesn’t flare up. They might ask you to keep a diary of things that can trigger a flareup of acne, and they might even ask you to track your cycle if you’re a woman so that you can figure out when you’re most hormonal through the month. Hormones really have a lot to answer for when it comes to adult acne, but if you can speak to a dermatologist that you can find a way out.
- Retin-A. This is actually the only drug for which there has ever been a crystal clear demonstration that it works and that it works on a molecular level. If you ever see the dermatologist for acne so far, the chances are you’ve been put on this medication at some point. The problem with this one is that there are quite a few horrible side-effects such as sensitivity to the sun, certain beauty products, and redness that nobody really wants when they’re trying to get rid of a skin problem. It’s one that you should try if you want your skin to go back to looking normal and clear again, but it’s definitely one you should be aware of having some pretty damaging side-effects.
- Antibiotics. There is plenty of evidence to show that antibiotics are really overused, but physicians do you like to prescribe them for acne. The reason they do this is because they work. Actually that comes from the inside as a post to actually caused by topical irritants, which can be treated with antibiotics. Some people choose not to because of the side-effects antibiotics can have, but if you can find an antibiotic cream with your doctor’s agreement that it might be a better option for your skin. Don’t be afraid to try things if you are willing to get your skin looking great again.
- Accutane. This is a very popular medication that is used for acne especially for acne and adults. People with deep and cystic acne deal with the effects of Accutane that are actually permanent. They never have a blemish or a pimple again. It’s known as the nuclear weapon of acne treatments, but it’s so powerful that the FDA requires patients undergo regular blood tests to monitor the liver while they are taking it. The side-effects of Accutane can be quite bad, but it’s definitely worth the results if you are looking to permanently get rid of cystic acne as a grown-up.
- Hormonal treatment. The chances are that if you are dealing with cystic acne at a high-level as an adult, you need to speak to your doctor about getting your hormones tested. You shouldn’t really be breaking out as much as you did when you were a teenager, so if there is something going on with your hormones you’ll be able to identify this through blood tests. Ask your doctor to give you a blood test to make sure that your hormone levels are where they should be and not throwing you out of whack.
- Birth control. Obviously, this one is one for the ladies, but some birth control pills can be prescribed to women as an off label treatment for acne seeing as there are so many of us experiencing hormone-induced breakouts. The only thing you need to be concerned with is that the suppression of hormones can be hard if you’re trying for a baby, and you know your body. So if your body doesn’t agree with the pill it’s probably not going to be a great idea for you. Speak to your doctor – we like to talk to a doctor – and make sure that you’re asking the right questions.
- Book in for a chemical peel. There are many options for facials and chemical peels on the market, but if you’re choosing one that has the right ingredients, you’ll be able to make sure that your skin is healthier as a result. Mild chemical peels are there to treat acne, and the benefits can be quite dramatic! It’s always worth enduring a few uncomfortable days to be able to see those results and pills are great for improving the texture of the skin and reducing fine lines and wrinkles. If there are administered by a dermatologist this is an added bonus because they are covered by your insurance.
- Red light therapy. This is actually known as reverse tanning, and it helps to increase the blood flow and stimulates tissue recovery by admitting a low light, red wavelength through the skin. It’s a laser therapy to some people but it’s totally painless unlike most laser treatments and the benefits of light therapy for tissue repair are well documented. Of course many people use it for its anti-aging properties, but it can also very much help acne prone skin. It’s not really going to eliminate the acne full time but it’s gonna give it a hand.
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