Adult Acne Help: What Is Adult Acne

Your answer to "what is adult acne?" is relatively straightforward. If you are an Acne Adult then you are usually no stranger to acne prone skin.

Like acne at any age, an Acne Adult has a condition of the sebaceous glands. These kinds of glands are attached to the hair follicles of an Acne Adult and are responsible for producing an oily substance called sebum.

An adult acne lesion results when a hair follicle becomes plugged with sebum and dead cells.

You see, the disease causing (or pathogenic) parts of an adult's sebaceous glands are believed to stem from changes in levels of male (also referred to as androgenic) hormones which are found in the bodies of both males and females.

Acne and androgenic hormones are most commonly associated with the kind of growth and development that takes place between the ages of 12 and 21 however adolescent acne can become adult acne. That said if you weren't prone to acne as a teen but do experience Acne Adult symptoms then your doctor or dermatologist will likely search for another underlying cause of your adult acne.

Acne Adult symptoms that appear after 25 to 30 years of age may be attributed to a simple recurrence of the kind of acne you experienced as an adolescent.

In women a flare-up of acne is common after giving birth. While some women experience adult acne during pregnancy some find that they are virtually acne free for nine months.

Any Acne Adult symptoms should always be examined by a dermatologist.

Additionally, your personal answer to “what is adult acne?” may be best found by looking at some of the following underlying causes of adult acne

Medication Can Cause Adult Acne

Some medications can induce Acne Adult symptoms. Such medications include anabolic steroids which are sometimes used illegally by athletes to bulk themselves up. Anti-epileptic medications and anti-tuberculosis drugs like isoniazid and rifampin may also be the root cause of adult acne. Finally, lithium and iodine-containing medications can make an adult more prone to acne.

Chronic Physical Pressure On The Skin Can Cause Adult Acne

Believe it or not, even chafing from the straps of a backpack or tucking a violin between your jaw and chin can cause enough chronic physical pressure on your skin to induce a form of adult acne known as acne mechanica.

is most commonly known as the result of constant pressure and/or repetitive friction against the skin, it can also develop in response to heat and covered skin that isn’t able to breathe properly.

Chlorinated Industrial Chemicals Can Cause Adult Acne

Acne Adult symptoms may also be the result of an occupational skin disorder known as chloracne which is brought on by close contact with chlorinated industrial chemicals.

Metabolic Conditions Can Cause Adult Acne

Changes in the hormonal balance can also result in Acne Adult symptoms. The most common metabolic conditions which affect adult acne include pregnancy, menstruation or hormonal abnormalities.

It is also important to note that some acne-like lesions are in fact not acne at all. One such skin condition is folliculitis. This is when hair follicles become infected and inflamed and resemble typical adult acne. A person with folliculitis would be treated in a totally different way than an Acne Adult would be.

Adult acne is often difficult to treat if there are multiple recurrences. Some Acne Adult patients with severe recurrent acne undergo repeated courses of acne treatment with the potent systemic drug isotretinoin.

In closing, I hope I have answered your question as to “what is adult acne?” Please note also that since adult acne is often a challenge to treat, any Acne Adult symptoms should be examined early on by a dermatologist and not left on their own to get worse over time.