What Causes Adult Acne?

There are several reasons you may develop adult acne. While the reasons differ between individuals, adult acne is the result of overactive sebaceous glands.

These kinds of glands normally produce small amounts of sebum. Sebum is a thick mixture of oil and skin cells. You see, when you have adult acne these glands go into overproduction and the extra sebum blocks your follicles and allows bacteria move in. This is particularly common in propionibacterium acnes.

Did you know that hormones can cause an outbreak of pimples?

Hormones can also increase the number of pimples you get. The hormones that are active during puberty are known to trigger sebaceous glands thereby producing more sebum. The hormones with the greatest effect on the oil glands are the androgens. Androgens are the male hormones. While both men and women have androgens men generally have more.

In women, these hormones can be the underlying cause of acne during their menstrual cycle. This is also the reason why women often find that acne follows them into adulthood. It is important to note also that the kinds of hormones found in many popular types of birth control pills may also cause adult acne flare-ups.

The good news is that eating junk food and chocolate usually has nothing to do with adult acne. In some cases however particular foods have been known to cause pimples, but this is rare.

Furthermore, greasy hair and oily skin does not cause adult acne. It is important realize thought that if you suffer from greasy hair and oily skin your sebaceous glands may be working overtime.

Stress also plays a negative role in adult acne. Research has shown that the more stress an adult has the worse their acne usually is.

Adult acne also has a tendency to be heredity.

When you suffer from adult acne you may also find that certain things will irritate your skin. In some cases the following things that irritate adults with acne may also cause acne breakouts in adults with sensitive skin.

• Friction from your clothes and the action of your clothes rubbing against the surface of your skin may be an irritant.

• Be watchful of a lick from your dog. Contact with a dog's tongue causes many adults who have sensitive skin to really flare-up.

• Select your cosmetics carefully. Cosmetics are not created equal and while one brand works great another one can have detrimental affects on your skin and make your adult acne worse.

• Exposing your skin to extreme temperatures can have a damaging affect on both those prone to adult acne and those who have sensitive skin.

• Using corticosteroid medications to treat your adult acne can also backfire. In some adults the medication actually causes an acne-like condition.

Finally, adult acne is more common in Caucasians than in Asians or people of African descent.