Your Questions About Adult Acne, Answered

When you’re a teenager, acne is awful because, well, other teens can be mean so acne often comes with teasing and embarrassment. When you have acne as an adult, chances are that people won’t be outright insulting you anymore, but you still feel embarrassed because adult acne is so rare compared to teenage acne.

If you have questions about adult acne, this is the place to go…or at least, this is the place to go without needing to make an appointment, sit in a waiting room, and pay a co-pay. We’re tackling all your top adult acne questions.

Why Do Some People Get Adult Acne?

I suppose “bad luck” isn’t a sufficient answer here, but that’s essentially what it boils down to. Almost everyone has some degree of acne in their teenage years, largely because the hormones of puberty lead to excess oil production. Adult acne is much more varied and several factors can impact your risk of adult acne.

There appears to be a genetic link because adult acne often runs in families. It’s also more common in women than in men, and it’s particularly common in women who smoke. Truth be told, though, there’s not one universal reason why some people get adult acne and some don’t.

Does Makeup Make Acne Worse?

Unfortunately, makeup and acne can form a vicious cycle. You have blemishes so you cover them with makeup. That makeup then clogs your pores and sparks more blemishes, which you cover with even more makeup, and so on.

The worst culprit is usually cream foundation, so there are a few changes you can make to help. First of all, try swapping your cream foundation for either powder foundation or oil-free silicone matte foundation. Second, when you shop for foundation and any other type of makeup, look for oil-free and/or non-comedogenic products. Finally, be diligent about removing all your makeup every night with an oil-free makeup remover like micellar water .

Is My Diet Affecting My Acne?

There’s a long-standing old wives’ tale that chocolate causes acne or that greasy or sugary foods cause acne. If you’re someone who loves a good chocolate doughnut, you can breathe a sigh of relief because studies have not found a significant link between any of these foods and acne.

Will My Adult Acne Ever Go Away?

When you were frustrated by your acne as a teenager, you were probably told you’d grow out of it, but that doesn’t happen for everyone. What about adult acne – will you outgrow that?

Generally, yes, it will eventually go away. Some studies have found that acne is far less common after age 44, so there’s a good chance you’ll be acne-free by then. At the same time, it varies from person to person. Some studies show a significant drop in acne after menopause but there are also women who never have acne until menopause.

The epically unsatisfying answer is that everyone’s adult acne is different and while there’s a good chance your acne will go away on its own, there’s no way to know. Your best bet is to start using an acne management skin care system to reduce and control your acne as well as possible.

Could My Moisturizer Be Causing My Acne?

Particularly when you start to see signs of aging, you probably hear advice about moisturizing all the time. And yes, dry skin is very common so moisturizing routinely is one of the best things you can do for your skin. But your moisturizer could also be contributing to your acne.

Some moisturizers, especially oil-based moisturizers, can clog your pores. That doesn’t mean you’re stuck choosing between acne or dryness, though. Just look for a moisturizer that uses at least one of these terms: oil-free, non-comedogenic, or non-acnegenic.

Getting a Handle on Your Adult Acne

There’s no way around it – adult acne is a frustrating and often very stubborn problem that can make anyone feel self-conscious. It happens to the best of us and it doesn’t mean your skin is unhygienic or that you’re eating wrong – it just means the genetic lottery wasn’t in your favor in this case.

But the first step toward getting your acne under control is getting educated about it and the second step is putting your knowledge into action. Now that you have a better understanding of adult acne, start assembling your dream team of skin care products by shopping our acne products today and seeing what works best for your skin.