Why Do Adults Suffer From Acne?

Banish acne naturally

Medically known as acne vulgaris, pimples are not reserved for adolescents. According to physician Terry J. Dubrow, director of the Acne Clinic in Newport Beach, California, and author of The Acne Cure, more than half the population over the age of 21 is afflicted with the adult-onset version. Adult Acne can affect people from ages twenty-one through forty and up. Acne can show up as any of the following: congested pores, whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, and papules. Women seem to suffer from acne more than anyone else. About 54 percent of adult females are afflicted with acne, compared to 40 percent of adult males.

What causes it?

“Acne is due to a blockage in the hair follicle from excessive secretion of oil,” says Dubrow. “When bacteria gets inside, it causes an eruption and you get pimples.” Adult acne can also result from hormonal changes (exacerbated by stress), which is why it’s common among women who are pregnant, starting or stopping birth control pills, or in perimenopause. “We never outgrow acne,” says Welsh.

How to prevent it?

Natural Gentle Remedies

• Clean your face from make-up every night using a gentle (non-toxic) cleanser. The conventional remedy is to clean your face with a salicylic acid solution to prevent pores from clogging. However, this can cause stinging, burning, and skin irritation. You may also experience dryness, peeling, and flaking of the skin.

• Make sure to clean cosmetic brushes on a regular basis in soapy water and throw out old, outdated makeup. Don’t pick, pop or press any blemishes on your skin. Squeezing blemishes or whiteheads can lead to infection and scarring. It almost always makes the condition worse.

• Use topical treatments, such as Botani’s Rescue Acne Cream, wherever you tend to get breakouts – don’t just spot-treat existing pimples. The pore-clogging process happens two to three weeks before any marks become visible on the skin.

• Natural clay masks loosen blocked pores and draw out toxins. Form a paste by combining a tablespoon of kaolin clay with rosewater; spread it over your face, leave on for 10 minutes and rinse with tepid water.

• Rub on a moisturiser made for oily skin. Also, any moisturiser with tea tree oil, witch hazel, green tea extract, St John’s Wart makes an excellent topical acne fighter.

• Always wash your pillowcase, and always use clean face towels. Dirty towels and pillowcases can harbor germs which can make acne worse. Try to shower as soon as possible after you exercise as sweat mixed with skin oils can trap dirt and bacteria in your pores.
• Steam opens up pores and expels toxins. Add five drops each of eucalyptus, thyme and wintergreen essential oils to a basin of boiled water. Place a towel over your head and lean over the steam for 10 minutes.

Lighten the load to lose acne – the food factor

The eyes may be the windows to the soul, but the skin just might be a mirror of dietary health. A new study finds that reducing your food’s glycemic load (GL) may help fight adult acne. Low-glycemic foods, such as high-fiber grains and vegetables, cause a gentler rise in blood glucose. In the study, teen and adult acne sufferers who ate a low-GL diet for three months saw their skin clear up significantly compared with those not on the diet. As a bonus, researchers found that low-GL foods also help with weight loss and body mass index. Low-GL foods have been shown to reduce hunger and increase satiety. So it seems that the journey to clear skin and that ideal figure might start with simply switching from white rice to brown.

To keep acne away

• Take 50 to 60 milligrams of zinc twice a day, with a meal, for up to a month. Once your skin is clear, reduce the dosage to 30 to 60 mg a day.

• Take the pineapple-derived enzyme bromelain, on an empty stomach to combat inflammation and ward off bacteria.

• A good quality liver tonic containing the herbs milk thistle and saw palmetto both detoxify the liver, stimulate bile flow and regulate androgen hormones, which all help control acne. Take according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• Add flaxseeds to your diet. These contain lignans, phytoestrogens that are believed to stabilise a woman’s ratio of oestrogen and progesterone. They also contain essential fatty acids, which have an anti-inflammatory effect.