Adult Acne In Men And Women
As a grownup, if you've suddenly noticed the return of "blemishes," pimples or other skin eruptions, realize that it's not a rare thing. Adult acne in men and women is a common occurrence, for the most part. Unfortunately, there's a mistaken belief that acne is a problem reserved almost exclusively to the teenage or young adult populations, but that's just not the case. So, what is acne and what can we do to go about treating it or reducing its severity?
Acne as a medical condition revolves around the human body's sebaceous glands. These are the little tools needed to provide vital moisturizing oils - in normally regulated amounts - to a person's skin. With the oil these glands provide, our skin (which is the largest organ in our bodies) would soon enough begin drying out and flaking away. So, these glands serve a vital purpose.
The problem, though, is when they become inflamed, infected or otherwise irritated. It's when one or all of those things occur that we begin to notice the characteristic fleshy red bumps that soon enough become full-blown pimples and "whiteheads." How charming and attractive, right? Well, take heart: Something like 20 percent of all adults experience the adult form of acne at one time or another in their lives, so you'll be in good company if you do suffer from it.
How can we tell if we're about to undergo a bout of adult acne? Well, normally, you'll start to notice the presence of what dermatologists and lay people refer to as "blackheads." These result when the pores of the skin become repositories for sebaceous oils and dead skin cells. When the pore becomes clogged with this grimy mix, it can block the oil duct and mix with surface skin bacteria and then turn black when exposed to the atmosphere.
If the blackhead becomes inflamed, you'll start to notice the appearance of red pimples. If that pimple gets infected, it's whitehead central, unfortunately! And what's really unfortunate is that there are as many old wives tales that revolve around how we contract adult acne as there are ways to treat the issue once we do begin suffering from it.
The first step in taming the acne beast is to prevent the appearance of blackheads - the initial malady in the acne chain - by regularly and gently cleaning the skin with a mild exfoliant rather than with some sort of abrasive cleanser. There are several quality skin cleaning products on the market that can help with this issue.
Medically, there are a number of different causes of adult acne. Too much stress can aggravate sensitive sebaceous glands, for one thing. Also, poor diet or lack of good skin hygiene. What's certain is that the myth of chocolate as an acne causing substance is just that; a myth. In severe cases of acne, a dermatologist can prescribe a good antibiotic, which will help to stop the skin pore and glandular duct infections which are often the source of the outbreak.
Adult acne doesn't have to be anything more than a minor irritant as long as it's addressed in a logical and thoughtful manner. Make the use of gentle skin cleansers a part of your daily skin care routine and try to cut down on the amount of stress in your life. In this way, you just may be able to avoid an outbreak altogether!