What Really Causes Adult Acne?

Adult acne can be embarrassing and annoying, to say the least. When we’re teenagers, we hear the advice “you’ll grow out of it” - but unfortunately that doesn’t always apply. Maybe you didn’t have acne as a teenager but developed it in later years. Luckily, adult acne is usually treatable with some simple lifestyle changes. But first: what causes adult acne?

Hairstyling Products Can Clog Pores

Don’t get us wrong, we love a bit of hairspray but styling products seep oil onto the forehead trapping acne-causing bacteria in your pores. Even your hairstyle can contribute - fringes can make acne worse as they spread the products onto the top half of the face, causing breakouts. If you feel like you haven’t quite figured out what has caused your acne flare-up, maybe ease back on the daily use of hair styling products & see if that improves it.

Sitting at your desk all day, supporting our heads with our hands is something most of us do without thinking about it. However your hands can carry bacteria from touching multiple surfaces, you are then putting them onto your face. Running your hands through your hair constantly and then touching your face can also cause acne to flare up. Wash your hands throughout the day and try not to touch your face regularly. Sounds simple but it can really help!

Using Too Many Skincare Products Can Aggravate Skin

We get it, if you are skincare geeks like us, a perfect day out is shopping for new products to add to the collection, which usually ends up sitting in a cabinet, forgotten about. Well, whilst it’s exciting to experiment with different products, they can end up irritating your skin and causing breakouts. Strip your routine back, not every bottle has to be an acne-fighting warrior. Choose your products and stick to them for a good 4-6 weeks, this allows the product time to work with your natural skin cell turnover. If it doesn’t work, you don’t need to keep it.

You Guessed It, Not Removing Make-Up

It’s easy to feel like your peers with great skin have been let in on a secret that you don’t know about. However, just because they can get away with using just one make-up wipe doesn’t mean you can, or should. Taking off your make-up is one thing, but cleansing your face every day is a must. We’ve heard it all in the salon, some women wear only tinted moisturiser or mineral make-up and feel they don’t need to take it off. After a long day, you have a build-up of products, oil and dirt sitting on your face, giving acne-causing bacteria a chance to get into your pores.

Use a daily gentle cleanser as a minimum, and treat your acne with a second cleanse. Cleansers that contain Salicylic Acid are great at combating acne.

If you feel helpless when it comes to your Adult Acne, don’t keep it to yourself. Speak with a professional skin therapist who can give you bespoke advice just for your skin! What works for one person, doesn’t always work for another.

Book a FREE Skin Consultation with us NOW