Hi I am Valerie Stern for Webihealth.com. As a Physician’s assistant I get asked a lot of questions about adult acne, what is it and how to get rid of it. Here are some of the prominently asked questions.

Q: Who gets adult acne???

A: Adult acne is most often seen in women in their mid to late 30’s and is hormonally derived.

Q: What does ADULT ACNE look like ?

This type of acne is usually seen on the lower face – the jaw, chin and upper neck areas.

The Acne lesions usually consist of “bumpy” lesions on the surface of the skin, with a “cystic” component, also known as “underground” lesions that cannot be extracted or squeezed.

There may be pustules on the surface of the skin, such as small pink or red bumps with a central pinpoint area that comes to a head and can be easily expressed with proper technique.

Usually, with adult acne, you do not see the large numbers of black heads that are associated with teenage acne.

Adult acne lesions are usually cyclical and can be related to a woman’s menstrual cycle, hormonal levels, as well as the use of oral, transdermal or vaginal estrogen based contraception, as well as hormone replacement therapy.

Women may see anywhere from one to 20 acne lesions at any one given time. This lesions are usually most pronounced prior to her period and usually calm down a week or so after the period ends.

Lesions can return in the exact same locations, monthly or randomly.

Q: How is adult acne treated ?

A: There are many options in treating adult acne.

The main goal is to clear or control the “acute” acne lesions before they get ”out of hand.” These lesions can leave discoloration or scarring, also known as POST INFLAMMATORY HYPERPIGMENTATION.

Although this PIH can resolve with time, usually over 3-6 months, the goal is to prevent it. Especially in darker skin colors – which tend to hyperpigment more seriously.

Treatment consists of both topical and oral agents.

Topical agents are things like…Retinoids, Retin A, Renova, Differin, Azelex Antibiotics, Clindamycin, Erythromycin, Fading creams, Hydroquinone, Kojic Acid, Anti-inflammatories, Green Tea, hydrocortisone, and salicylic.

These oral agents also can help to treat you adult acne. Such as…Retinoids, Accutane, Antibiotics, Minocycline, Doxycycline, Aldactone, and Vitamin D.

Q: What do you do about the left over scars ??

A: This is what’s called POST INFLAMMATORY HYPERPIGMENTATION

This is a discoloration left behind, once the acne lesion has cleared. It leaves a dark pink to purple brown discoloration on the skin that can be as aggravating as the actual acne lesion.

Our goal is the control the acne so it doesn’t reach this PIH state, but once it has developed, we need to treat it.

Treatment consists of chemical peels that include Beta Hydroxy acids, fading creams, laser treatments, and above all else SUNSCREEN !!!

Laser treatments are also being used to resolve the acne as well as to treat the scars and discoloration.

There are many laser therapies available today to treat different types of scars as well as different skin tones.

Some effective laser treatments available at your dermatology office today include:

Radio Frequency treatments

IPL also known as photofacial

Pixel laser skin resurfacing

CO2 laser resurfacing

All of which have proven success rates in improving the tone and texture your skin.

Keep in mind, multiple treatments are required, and laser treatments can range in price anywhere from $200.00 up to $1000.00 or more.

Also, for the cyst that develops unexpectedly, there is a fast solution available at your dermatologists office-

INTRALESIONAL injection with a very small amount of steriod-

This injection will descrease the swelling and resolve the lesion in a fraction of the time – reducing the likelihood of any scar or discoloration later on.

I am Valerie Stern for WebiHealth.com, your source for health tips, medical answers and your overall guide to wellbeing.

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