Acne is automatically linked with being a teenager in the minds of many. There are many people whose memories of acne are from their teenage years. But there are many adults who are still battling with acne. Although a large percentage of the acne-suffering population are teenagers, it is more prevalent in adults than one might think.
The physical, psychological, and social effects of acne can cause many problems, regardless of your age. Recent studies show that acne is becoming an increasing problem among adults. As a matter of fact, 25% of men and 50% of women suffer from acne during adulthood. On the flip side, men are more likely than women to suffer from the physical effects of acne scars.
Acne scars tend to be more permanent with adults because the skin ages and loses collagen. This makes it harder for the skin to bounce back, therefore, acne scars don’t heal at the same rate in adults as they would in younger skin. Physical scars aren’t the only ones left by adult acne.
Psychological scarring can be trickier to pinpoint with adults. This can make it more difficult to deal with the mental struggles because of the misconceptions that our society has about acne. For example, it has been believed that the psychological effects of adult acne are easier to deal with because adults are able to accept the condition better than teens.
This is not true. The reality is that if you are 25+ years old and you have acne, people look at you as if your acne should have been left behind with your teen years. Though we know this isn’t neccesarily the case, many people are often afraid to admit they have adult acne and seek treatment.
There are three main causes of adult acne:
1) a recurrence of acne that cleared up during adolescence
2) a flare up after an extended point of time – such as during pregnancy
3) occurs for the first time to a person who never had acne before
As perceptions about age and acne are shifting, and more people are recognizing acne as a problem not only among teens, but also among adults, more people are going to dermatologists for treatment.
There is plenty of information available about the treatment of adult acne. You can go online and research ways to better understand adult acne and deal with the different aspects of coping with this condition. More care is also being given to the psychological effects of adult acne. Just because a person has reached a certain age does not mean that they are not affected by what others think of them.
Understanding what is causing the adult acne is key to its treatment. If the physical problems are treated, the social and psychological ones can be as well.
(c) 2007 Joey Pinkney and JoeyPinkney.com
P.S. Please take the time to take a short survey of this article so I can know how to better serve your needs by clicking the following link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=731413415329