Everyone eagerly waits for that day to come…
The end of puberty, the end of teen years, which will mean goodbye acne, goodbye breakouts, so long and fare thee well.
But, what if that day never came?
What if you continued to have the same problem, over and over again, even after your teen years? The pit of despair many have fallen into after realizing that puberty has gone by, but the terrible pimples haven’t.
Acne is a condition that men can suffer with throughout adulthood. Sometimes, breakouts even tend to get more severe throughout the years. Yes, for many, the suffering never stops.
But it doesn’t have to be like that. With the development of new technologies and medicine, there are now several men’s acne treatments that can help get rid of your problem forever.
What is Adult Acne?
Adult acne is a skin condition that often influences people older than 25. Don’t worry, you are not alone. According to surveys, acne is among the most common skin diseases in the world. And the number has only gone up, due to many factors.
It is an inflammatory skin condition that has ranges of severity:
- Mild adult acne includes the existence of blackheads, whiteheads, and small pustules
- The moderate form includes papules that cover from 25% to 75% of the face and body
- Severe adult acne includes extreme redness, irritation, and cysts that cover big chunks of the face and body
- Rosacea is another form of adult acne, slightly different from the classic form, since this acne is usually smaller in size and appears in cycles.
What Are the Causes of Male Adult Acne?
There are many factors that contribute to the development of acne, the most common ones being excess oil production, clogged pores, bacteria, and inflammation.
There are also some indirect factors that can be in correlation with acne breakouts, that is, they influence the direct factors. Understanding the cause of your acne will help you to find the best men’s acne treatment.
Hormones
Throughout the years, our hormonal status changes. This is influenced by a number of factors.
The hormonal status and the changes in the level of hormones are usually the consequence of aging. However, it sometimes has to do with stress, poor dietary habits, and the way of living.
Take testosterone, for example. It is a vital hormone for both men and women. It helps regulate sex drive, bone density, and fertility. Although it is one of the most important hormones in our body, its fluctuations can seriously affect the skin, making acne breakouts constant trouble.
Some research has shown that people with acne produce more testosterone than people that don’t have them at all.
You may wonder how?
Well, the glands beneath your skin are responsible for creating sebum, whose main purpose is to nourish the skin. Most of these glands are located around hair follicles. Sometimes, as it happens, these follicles get blocked with excess sebum, dead skin cells, dirt and many other things, making it a fertile ground for the creation of acne.
Our skin’s natural response to foreign objects in it is to create an inflammatory process that will eject the unknown object from its surface. That is how acne appears.
Testosterone is responsible for the level of sebum you are going to produce. If you have problems with your testosterone levels, you are likely to have problems with acne, as well.
Emotional Stress
Every type of emotional stress can influence your health in many ways. One of the problems it can cause has to do with acne. It is not yet clear how it directly influences the appearance of acne, but one thing is sure: it creates biological changes in the body that, in the end, lead to adult acne being triggered.
When you feel overwhelmed with any type of emotion, be that fear, anxiety or pressure, your glands start creating the hormone called cortisol, which is the main cause of the skin imbalance. That way, many processes in the skin are disturbed. For example, your glands start creating excess sebum, which, ultimately, clogs your pores and creates acne.
It is easy to say stop worrying so much, or try not to get stressed that much. In reality, if your acne is connected to emotional problems, the path toward a solution is a long and difficult one.
Physical Stress
Exerting yourself physically can, in many ways, worsen the health conditions you already have, or it can cause completely new ones. But what do we mean by physical exertion? That is, simply put, not responding to your body’s natural demands, such as sleep, hydration, and many others.
Not having enough sleep or water can stimulate hormones to work excessively and cause the aforementioned sebum production. In addition, it can weaken the immunity and cause your skin to be prone to more inflammatory processes.
Research shows that people with allergies and migraines, as well as smokers, are more likely to have adult acne.
Weather
Exposing your skin to extreme weather conditions and other environmental irritants can also cause many changes in your skin, and stop the natural oil regulation.
In winter, the dry and cold wind can seriously influence the status of your skin, making it drier and more irritated. The brain receives the signal for more oil production, making it impossible for the skin to regulate the process properly.
Research also shows that more and more people are having acne problems because of air pollution. The particles that are the products of pollution easily access the skin’s surface, clogging the pores, making it impossible for the skin to breathe. In that way, air pollution creates a fertile ground for acne development.
Bacteria
Many bacteria find their way through the skin’s surface and into the deeper layers. Once there, they create the inflammatory process which causes your skin to become inflamed.
The most common bacteria inhabiting your pores and the deep layers of your skin is called Propionibacterium acnes. If allowed to build up, it can cause serious acne problems, which may be difficult to solve.
This bacteria can persist even if you have a good cleansing routine, because it penetrates the deeper layers fast and it cannot be removed with surface cleansing, however good it may be.
Foods and Medication
It is a well-known fact that if you are not careful about what you eat, and you have sensitive skin, you are more likely to have problems with acne.
Excessive intake of white flour, sweets, dairy, and fast food, seriously affects your general health, not just your skin. In the long run, it is better to cut down on fast food and, thus, solve many potential problems, one being acne.
On the other hand, different medications such as corticosteroids and antidepressants are known to be able to trigger adult acne, so you have to be careful when consuming them too.
How to Treat Men’s Acne
This question has been the subject of research of many pharmaceutical companies. It is understandable then, why there are so many different men’s acne treatment options on the market. The main question is, which one to choose?
The basic treatment includes keeping follicles open. You can achieve this by using a variety of products, cleansers and exfoliants which remove dead skin cells.
The most common ingredients that have been proven to help with acne are peroxide and glycolic acids, which prevent the formation of acne.
- Benzoyl peroxide removes the bacteria from both the surface and the deep layers of the skin. In order for it to be successful, you need to use it continuously for four weeks or more, in order to completely get rid of the bacteria causing the problem. However, like any generic product made for wider use, it doesn’t control sebum production or the way follicle cells fill the pores. That is why, if you opt for these types of products, be careful and aware of the fact that your acne may return. It can also cause dry skin and temper with your complexion, so be careful when applying it.
- Salicylic acid unclogs the pores, by controlling the abnormal shedding of cells. Unlike benzoyl peroxide, it doesn’t affect sebum production, nor does it kill the bacteria. It needs to be used every day in order to keep the acne under control. If you stop using it, the pores clog again and the acne returns. Both benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid are available in many forms: creams, lotions, washes, foams, cleansing pads, and gels.
- Herbal, organic medication – there are many organic products on the market, the only trick is to find the one that suits your skin. This approach includes a lot of experimenting, but can be quite beneficial if you succeed in finding the right one.
If these basic products don’t help, then you will need to take advice from a dermatologist. They will examine your skin and give you a proper treatment, based on the state your skin is in, and based on the type of acne you have. The treatment usually includes the following:
- Antibiotics – there are two ways in which you can take these, either orally, or you can rub them into the skin to keep the bacteria under control, and, in time, successfully get rid of them.
- Retinoids – they are derived from Vitamin A. Their main task is to clean your pores and keep them unclogged, so no more dirt falls in and creates inflammatory processes. They stop the growth of pimples and improve the cell turnover which, in turn, unclogs the pores. It usually gets worse before it gets better, because there are pimples that have already started forming beneath your skin. You need time in order to see the results – usually between 8 to 12 weeks.
- Corticosteroids – this includes medication that is injected into the inflamed spot by a doctor to control more serious acne to appear.
Acne Scars – Is There a Solution?
Just when you’ve thought you have found the solution to your acne and that your skin can finally breathe, devoid of pain, you realize that one other problem has lurked from the background – acne scars.
So, you’ve most likely gone through various men’s acne treatments, found the one for you, but then you are faced with the remnants of the problem. And this new problem can be even trickier than acne itself, because acne usually comes and goes, but scars are there to stay.
But, does it really need to be like that?
Luckily, with the development of many medical procedures, you can now treat the scars with success and return your skin to the state it was in before the acne, before the pain, and before the changes.
eMatrix
This procedure is one of the best there is on the market. It solves a variety of problems you can have with the skin, not just acne scarring but also other scars, uneven skin tone, sun damage, wrinkles, poor skin texture, and superficial skin lesions.
It uses radiofrequency energy that is transported to the dermis, where it heals the deep tissue lesions while affecting the epidermis minimally. By delivering the energy directly to the deeper levels of the skin, the problems with pigmentation are almost non-existent.
It stimulates the production of collagen, which is responsible for your skin looking fresh and young, without those unpleasant acne scars you are tortured with even in your adult years.
Say farewell to acne scars, dark spots, and even marks, and say hello to healthy-looking skin that will finally make all your dreams come true!
You will see the difference in just 5 days after your treatment. If you ask us, this is something you need to try, and you need to try it now!
Microneedling
As the name itself says, microneedling uses needles to poke your skin. During the process, more collagen is created in order to heal the wounds. After a period of time, the collagen that is produced helps your skin become smoother, it fills in the fine lines, wrinkles and scars.
It can also be used for:
- Eliminating acne scars, burn scars, and surgical scars
- Fading stretch marks
- Minimizing the appearance of large pores
- Treating hair loss.
It is an amazing procedure that helps you look younger by tightening loose skin. So, not only will you solve the problem with acne scars, but your skin will also appear fresher and more radiant than ever!
Microneedling with PRP
As opposed to basic microneedling, microneedling with PRP includes Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), as an injection that is added during the treatment process. It enhances the healing process and decreases redness.
Research has shown that microneedling with PRP stimulates the healing of different scars even more.
It helps you achieve the desired results faster and with more success. It is predominately used for face treatments, and solving acne scar problems that exist there.
Can you imagine? After only a couple of simple treatments, you can get rid of the scars on your face for good! This is definitely something worth trying!
Each treatment takes just 60 minutes. Since this is a non-invasive procedure, downtime is minimal and there are no side effects.