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"What&amp;#39;s the Deal With Adult Acne, Anyway?\\nMany of us spent our teenage years fantasizing about being a grown-up: You&amp;#39;d have your own house, make your own money, and wake up with flawless skin, because that&amp;#39;s what adults do, right? The reality&amp;#8212;you know, the part where you&amp;#39;ve got a mortgage and adult acne&amp;#8212;is a lot less exciting. We can&amp;#39;t do much about the house and the money, but we can help you out with that last problem. Here, the ultimate guide to dealing with adult breakouts.\\nWe tend to think of [acne](http://www.allure.com/skin-care/2015/ultimate-acne-guide) as a problem for the young, and there's a good reason for that: Most of us start developing acne and often have our most severe acne during our teen years. Sadly, that doesn't mean zits magically disappear the day you turn 20\\\\. \\\"Acne occurs frequently after the teenage years and at significantly higher rates in women compared with men,\\\" says Doris Day, a clinical associate professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center and the author of *100 Questions &amp; Answers About Acne* (Jones &amp; Bartlett Learning). In fact, Day points out, \\\"as many as 50 percent of women will suffer from acne at some point in their adult lives,\\\" with more than half of women in their 20s and 35 percent of women in their 30s experiencing some form of acne. Great!\\n\\\"We don't totally understand why adult women develop acne,\\\" says Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Disappointing as that is, Zeichner notes that many of the same factors that cause acne in teens play a role: pores getting clogged by oil, skin cells, and [bacteria.](http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/blogs/daily-beauty-reporter/2013/03/skin-bacteria-clears-up-acne.html) Another factor that may explain the prevalence of adult acne in women? Hormones\u2014in particular, the kind of hormonal fluctuation that accompanies the menstrual cycle. As your period approaches, estrogen levels in the body dip, leaving your testosterone levels unchecked. Since testosterone, an androgen, can crank up your skin's oil production, that also means a higher chance of clogged pores and big, angry pimples. Because there wasn't enough to love about your period already.\\nLocation, location, location. \\\"The pattern of acne is usually different in adults than it is in teens. In teens, it's usually on the forehead and cheeks,\\\" explains Day, \\\"while in adults it tends to be mostly on the lower face, along the jawline and neck.\\\" Zeichner agrees, though he points out that recent research suggests that many adult women experience acne all over their face, just like their underage counterparts.\\n\\nThe good news is that whatever parts of your face are having a little high-school reunion, your body is probably in the clear. Oil glands on the chest and back typically become less active with age, so if you're still suffering from a bumpy chest or bacne, a change of wardrobe may be in order. \\\"The times I see increased body acne in adults are more commonly in women who work out and who wear spandex or tighter-fitting clothing,\\\" Day says.\\nWhile hormonal fluctuation may make women more prone to breakouts than men, it also gives them a few extra options for treatment. \\\"Oral-contraceptive pills and a medicine called spironolactone are particularly useful in adult women and are unique to this population as they cannot be used in males,\\\" says Zeichner. As you might have guessed, birth-control pills help prevent acne by regulating pimple-prompting hormones. Spironolactone, on the other hand, is commonly used as a hypertension drug, and while it's not FDA-approved for the treatment of acne, \\\"it helps block the hormone receptors [linked] to oil glands and is one of the most reliable medications I use,\\\" says Day. Mark it off the list if you're considering adding to your family, though: Spironolactone is known to cause birth defects, and many doctors will prescribe it to women of child-bearing age only if they are also on birth control. In-office skin treatments can also help prevent adult acne: Microdermabrasion exfoliates dead skin, and Isolaz gets rid of pore-clogging gunk with suction and kills off bacteria with pulses of light.\\nMedication isn't the only thing you put in your mouth that could be affecting your acne. [Studies have found](http://www.andjrnl.org/article/S2212-2672(12)01923-5/abstract) that excess insulin from foods with a high glycemic index, like packaged foods as well as pasta, bread, and rice, may play a role in the effects of androgens (like oil-encouraging testosterone) on acne. Meanwhile, foods that are heavy in hormones, like dairy products, are often at the top of the list of things dermatologists recommend cutting out for clearer skin. \\\"Milk naturally contains a great number of hormones\u2014there is no such thing as hormone-free milk,\\\" says William Danby, an assistant professor of dermatology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, who has published many studies about diet and skin. Danby advises acne patients to cut down on dairy and eliminate straight-up milk altogether.\\n\\\"Stress leads to increased cortisol levels,\\\" says dermatologist Ava Shamban. Like testosterone, cortisol is a hormone that can increase skin oiliness as well as inflammation. Not a good combo when you want to avoid being red in the face. Once upon a time our bodies produced cortisol only when we were in danger, but nowadays, it's much more likely to flood your system in response to a looming deadline than in response to a predator in the underbrush. So when your acne starts acting up, take a minute to figure out whether there's anything you're freaking out over, then unload all of that skin-wrecking [stress.](http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/how-to/2012/16-ways-to-destress)\\nJust because you had an acne regimen that worked in high school doesn't mean you should stick with it to treat your adult acne. \\\"Most acne solutions that are currently available were designed to treat teenage acne, and not many of them are designed to meet the special skin-care needs of adult women,\\\" Day says. Since your skin becomes less resilient with age, harsh acne treatments can exacerbate the problem with unwanted side effects, like itching, redness, flaking, and sensitivity. Day also warns that women of color are particularly prone to developing dark spots from acne treatments thanks to postinflammatory hyperpigmentation, or PIH.\\nFortunately, a lot of treatments that are already designed for adult skin also make ideal acne fighters. \\\"Topical retinoids are particularly useful in adult women as they prevent acne and stimulate collagen, addressing cosmetic concerns like fine lines and wrinkles,\\\" says Zeichner. [Retinoids](http://www.allure.com/beauty-products/2015/best-retinoids-under-30) are particularly well suited to adult acne because they can be used in combination with other treatments and moisturizers to customize your results (we like [RoC Retinol Correxion Sensitive Night Cream](http://www.amazon.com/RoC-Retinol-Correxion-Sensitive-Night/dp/B004D267JO)\u2014or you can combine [Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Night Moisturizer](http://www.amazon.com/Neutrogena-Rapid-Wrinkle-Repair-Night/dp/B004D2C4Q4) with [Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion](http://www.cetaphil.com/moisturizing-lotion)). For a more targeted acne treatment, Zeichner suggests topical dapsone, found in [Aczone,](http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/blogs/daily-beauty-reporter/2015/01/maximize-your-skin-products.html) a treatment for both hormonal and nonhormonal acne that's gentle enough for those with irritation-prone skin."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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