Just when you thought that the worst part of teenage acne is a thing of the past, your face sprouts whiteheads, blackheads and pimples almost overnight. Now you have acne in adulthood and, like teenage acne, it can be as mild as a few pimples before your menstrual period or as severe as acne conglobata. Well, don’t just fret – you must look for the most effective adult acne treatment before your face looks like a moonscape of scars, pits and pustules.
Self-Help Care
First, you must start with self-help care to lessen the appearance of acne on your skin, be it on your face, neck or body. The following tips for good skin care are applicable even when your acne has cleared up since these are also effective prevention methods.
- Gently clean your face and body using circular motions with a non-drying, non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic cleanser such as Neutrogena. Warm water is best for rinsing the skin after washing it with such cleanser. Wash at least two times a day and after every workout although we do suggest not overdoing it to avoid dry skin.
- Remove makeup before going to sleep. In fact, you should use makeup sparingly and even then use water-based products.
- Avoid squeezing, scratching, picking, and rubbing your acne including whiteheads, blackheads and pustules with your hands and with any other instrument.
Click Here To Discover How To Clear Acne 3 Days
Adult acne treatment also involves using over-the-counter topical applications containing either salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. These medications can clear up mild acne in adults when used on conjunction with good skin care, a healthy diet and low levels of stress.
Prescription Medications
Unfortunately, adult acne can be harder to treat than teenage acne. You must consult with a dermatologist if your mild acne does not respond to the abovementioned treatments. You will be prescribed other treatments such as the following:
- Oral antibiotics kill the acne-causing bacteria and lessen the inflammation. These medications include amoxicillin, minocycline, doxycycline, tetracycline and erythromycin.
- Topical antibiotics also work well. These gels, creams and lotions can come in the form of clindamycin, erythromycinm and dapsone.
- Vitamin A derivatives specifically retinoic acid and isotretinoin are also effective as part of an adult acne treatment regimen.
- Prescription formula for benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid are also available, which are stronger in percentages than their over-the-counter counterparts.
- Birth control pills can also be effective in women but it must be noted that not everybody will benefit from such therapy.
Click Here To Discover How To Permanently End Your Acne Problems
Medical and Surgical Options
And then there are the adult acne treatment options that involve lasers and syringes. These are often reserved for the most severe forms of acne that do not respond to any of the abovementioned approaches.
On one hand, you have laser therapy in both its ablative and non-ablative procedures. Basically, a concentrated beam of light is focused on the acne with the main aim being to kill the bacteria, seal off the sebaceous glands and lessen the inflammation.
On other hand, your acne can be drained of its pus using a variety of lancing techniques. Only a dermatologist must be allowed to perform this procedure as side effects can occur with DIY lancing.
With the variety of adult acne treatment options, you need not despair of never being free from acne. Be patient and your skin will become almost flawless again.