Teenagers don’t always outgrow their acne. In fact, some people have problems with acne throughout their lives. Others can have relatively pimple-free teenage years only to find that they start having breakouts in their adult years. Adult acne is caused by many of the same factors as teen acne, so you can often treat them with the same products. The underlying reasons for adult acne, however, can be different from those experienced by teens.

Why Doe Adult Acne Occur?

Adult acne is most often caused by excess skin oil, called sebum. When your sebaceous glands become overly active, they produce too much oil. This oil clogs pores easily, especially when they mix with dead skin cells. This creates the perfect environment for acne-causing bacteria. To make matters even worse, acne bacteria can live off of sebum. That means your excess skin oil is literally feeding acne.

The real problem with sebum is that you cannot clean it out of your pores with regular soap and water. You need acne treatments that can flush it out of your pores. Most acne treatments contain either benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. Both of these substances have the cleaning power to remove sebum from your pores.

The Underlying Causes of Adult Acne

While the basic biological reason for acne is always the same, there are also underlying causes that can encourage your sebaceous glands to become overly productive. Prolonged stress, for instance, can cause your hormones to alter. This is your body’s attempt to keep up with whatever life events are causing stress. The pimples show up as a side effect.

Pregnancy and menopause are also common events that cause acne. A woman’s hormones change during these periods, which can mean acne outbreaks.

Treating Adult Acne

Regardless of the underlying causes of your acne, you can treat it with benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid products that are sold over the counter. Proactiv, for instance, makes a line of products that can reduce excess oil, keep your pores clean, and kill the bacteria that cause acne.

In addition to over-the-counter acne treatments, you might want to consider some lifestyle changes that can improve your skin’s health. If you are going through a stressful phase in your life, then make sure you exercise regularly. Doing this will reduce your stress level and keep your body healthy. When used in combination with over-the-counter acne treatments, most people find that this approach prevents stress-induced acne.

Women going through menopause might also consider hormone replacements therapy. This treatment helps keep hormones in balance so that women experience fewer symptoms of menopause. It is unlikely that the hormone replacement therapy will completely eliminate adult acne, but it usually works quite well when used in conjunction with benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid products. Talk to your doctor if you think that you might need hormone replacement therapy. He or she will be able to determine if you are a good candidate. In the meantime, using adult acne treatments that are sold over the counter is a good way to prevent serious breakouts.