Just when you thought that the hormonal sports of your teenage years were far behind you, your skin has other ideas and you find you are getting spots or even the dreaded acne. In fact for many of us, acne can continue into our old age and it can seem as though we never have the clean and clear skin we thought would come with adulthood.

While most acne tends to occur on the face and neck, many people also get it on their back – an area that can be tricky to treat yourself.

Why do adults get acne?

In many cases acne is associated with hormones and as we ladies know, our hormone issues don’t disappear once the teenage years are behind us. In these cases, the spots tend to come and go with your menstrual cycle. Your skin can also be affected by the contraceptive pill or when you enter menopause.

For other people their acne is caused by the medications they are taking including some types of steroids and anti-seizure drugs. As we get older we may be more inclined to take drugs for conditions and these can affect your skin health.

Finally, your acne could simply be caused by your beauty regime, a lack of good cleansing or a change in your diet. Even small things like drinking too much alcohol, eating too much sugar or drinking too little water can have a dramatic effect on your tendency to have breakouts.

What can you do?

You cannot do much about your hormones, but you ensure that your skin is in the best possible condition to minimise your acne. This means a simple but effective cleansing routine is essential. Just twice a day with a gentle cleanser is ideal and follow up with a moisturiser that will not clog your skin. A professional dermatologist will be able to give you some pointers on what is best for your skin type.

We use Obagi ClenziDerm – a medicated range that uses benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid to deeply cleanse the skin. This removes dirt and unclogs pores and will treat acne before it has the chance to form. Over time this treatment can have dramatic results.

To read more on our treatments for facial and back acne take a look here: