“Honestly, there’s nothing more disappointing than waiting until your 20s to finally have clear skin and then learning the hard way that bad breakouts don’t necessarily end when your teenage years do. Coming to terms with adult acne is difficult,” Dr Jushya Sarin, a dermatologist, recently captioned one of her Instagram posts.

She added: “Coming to terms with adult acne is difficult. But it also helps to get to the root of the problem. In other words, to really treat your adult acne, you may need to understand what causes it in the first place.”

To help you understand better, she shares the seven most common causes of adult acne and also helps find the right solutions.

Hormonal fluctuations

According to the dermatologist, an increase in progesterone can lead to an increase in the skin’s oil production. Similarly, male hormones or androgens can also increase sebum production and hence, adult acne.

Stress

Stress can make things worse and affect the body in various negative ways. Dr Sarin said, “we know that chronic stress can play a huge role in skin issues like acne, and it is strongly suspected that the hormone cortisol maybe is responsible for the link.”

Pollution

“Having excess dirt and grime on your face can increase the chances of getting clogged pores,” explained Dr Sarin. So make sure to cleanse your face or practice double-cleansing every time you come back home from outside.

Using the wrong products

If you have oily or combination skin type then always use products that have tags or mentions like oil-free, non-comedogenic, or water-based.

Certain foods

Often rich, oily, fast foods or dairy and excess flour consumption can lead to skin breakouts. The key, then, is to observe and reduce foods that lead to skin breakouts after consumption. If you can, cut them out.

Cleansing too frequently

“Most of us should be cleansing twice a day with a gentle cleanser,” mentioned Dr Sarin. However, if you happen to cleanse your face more than that then your skin will produce more oil to compensate for the dryness caused by cleansing. This can lead to your skin flaring up, in turn, causing acne.

Medical conditions 

Dr Sarin explained that medical conditions such as PCOS can fluctuate your hormones. Not only that, “Vitamin B12 supplements, steroids, lithium etc. too can exaggerate acne,” she added.

For more lifestyle news, follow us: Twitter: lifestyle_ie | Facebook: IE Lifestyle | Instagram: ie_lifestyle