The angry red bump on your otherwise smooth cheek is enough to dampen your spirits! Call these whiteheads, zits, pimples or by the scientific name acne vulgaris, these indeed look vulgar and cause immense emotional stress. Right from the days when hormones overflow in our bodies until our 30s, 40s, and even 50s, these can pop up any time to ruin a perfect day!

Acne and its avatars

The most common form of skin problem, acne occurs when your pores are blocked by excess sebum and skin debris leading to the growth of P. Acnes bacteria and subsequent inflammation. Different types of acne include the comedones or black and whiteheads. Treatment of comedones is relatively easy and can be tackled using simple home remedies and OTC medications. The other forms of acne, viz., papules, pustules, fungal acne, nodules, and cysts, need sustained treatment by expert dermatologists. It is best not to ignore persistent acne breakouts as these can be flagging underlying medical conditions like PCOS and other endocrine disorders.

Also, Read– Acne & Acne Scar Treatment

The causes

Although acne breakout starts primarily at puberty, some people get their first pimple well into adulthood, giving the name adult acne to these bothersome post-25 skin eruptions. The primary causes of adult acne are similar to acne occurring at puberty. However, some additional factors like hormonal imbalance and stress, excessive use of personal care products and makeup, unhealthy diet, and menstrual cycle in women aggravate this skin disorder in grown-ups. Furthermore, certain medications can aggravate acne.

Treating acne naturally

There are plenty of treatment options for both hormonal and adult acne. Simple lifestyle changes like drinking plenty of water, including fresh and seasonal fruits and vegetables in the diet, regular exercise can help you maintain healthy functioning of all organs, thus doing away with the underlying causes that lead to the occasional appearance of acne. Besides, using oil and chemical-free personal care products, applying sunscreen products before stepping out into the sun, being gentle with your skin, etc., can significantly reduce the problem of acne.

Medical intervention for chronic adult acne

Chronic acne warrants medical attention. Besides, the problem of acne scars remains long after the acne is gone. Acne scars of both atrophic or depressed and hypertrophic or raised varieties keep reminding you of the trauma you dealt with. But before self-medicating to get rid of the disturbing bumps on your skin, talk to a practicing dermatologist to get advice suitable for your skin type and the exact kind of eruptions you have. Your dermatologist may prescribe any of the following treatment procedures, depending upon the severity of acne:

• Topical and oral medication: Common topical medications like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, azelaic acid, retinoid, etc., are used to treat acne externally, while your physician may prescribe antibiotics, oral contraceptives, and isotretinoin to take orally as part of the treatment.
• Light-based therapies: Laser treatment for acne scars like photodynamic therapy is a modern way of treating acne. Chemical peels too play an important role in acne treatment besides lightening the pigmentation left by the acne.

At Jo! Skin Revive, our resident dermatologist will be able to advise you with a detailed custom treatment plan after examining the causal factors of your acne and the severity of the condition. Our hormonal acne treatment and adult acne treatment are two-pronged. We start with medications and daily care products prescribed by the dermatologist besides applying treatment procedures like acne peels, extraction of comedones, intralesional therapy, etc., as and when required.

Before another breakout mars your mood, call us to book a consultation with our dermatologist and say goodbye to acne and residual scars.