You are well into your 30s and you have enough things to worry about in your life – acne shouldn’t be one of them. Yet, here you are, a full grown adult, possibly with teenage children of your own, and you are struggling with skin that is even worse than your teenager’s. What gives?
Adult onset acne is actually quite a common problem. Just like the rest of your body, your skin undergoes changes throughout your life. While you may not have suffered from acne as a teenager, as your skin changes with age, breakouts and blemishes may be a part of your “new” skin. And, believe it or not, things you might be doing, or not doing, could be aggravating your condition.
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Before discussing some of the things that may be causing your skin to break out, let’s have a look at some of those old wives tales that certainly aren’t causing your troubled skin. There seems to be this common misconception that food causes acne. You’ve probably heard that eating chocolate and fried foods can lead to breakouts. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Clogged pores are what causes this condition, not food, so go ahead and keep on eating your potato chips and chocolate bars – they aren’t the problem.
On that note, here are some things that may be causing your blemish breakouts.
Too Much Washing
You may be under the impression that the more you wash your face, the less likely it will be to break out. In actuality, the more you wash your face, the more prone it is to breakouts. Your skin produces oil to stay hydrated. Because excessive washing can strip your skin of that oil, it actually leads to an increased production, resulting in more breakouts.
Instead of washing several times a day, wash once in the morning and once in the evening with a gentle cleanser, formulated for problem skin.
Picking and Popping
Although tempting to try and pick or pop away those pimples, doing so only makes the problem worse. You can introduce bacteria, dirt, and oil into the pimple, causing the blemish to grow larger, swell, and even leaving a scar behind. Fight the urge to pick at your acne. A pimple will only last a little while, but a scar lasts forever.
Too Much Tanning
Getting too much sun can also aggravate your skin problem. Some believe the sun dries out acne, but in reality, it makes it worse. Tanning results in a great deal of sweating, this increases your oil production, in turn causing more breakouts. Tanning won’t do anything for your acne, besides making it tan.
Too Much Makeup
When you have unsightly blemishes, all you want to do is cover them up. How do you cover them up? With makeup. While it slathering on a bunch of foundation and concealers may mask the problem temporarily, when you wash the makeup off, don’t be surprised to find that you have even more pimples than you had before.
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Clogged pores are what causes acne, so clogging them up with makeup will only make the problem worse. Go light on the foundation, or instead consider using a natural, mineral-based makeup, such as a powder. It will still conceal your blemishes, but in a much lighter, more breathable way.
When treating your acne-prone skin, avoid all of these common “remedies” that actually make the issue much worse. Use gentle cleansers and apply topical treatments. If the problem persists or gets worse, see a dermatologist to find out the best treatment options.
