Adult Acne: What Causes It (And How To Get Rid Of It)

You spend your teenage years looking forward to adult life: more money, more freedom, and, of course, clear, acne-free skin. But then you hit your 20’s and you still have those same pesky breakouts you had in your teens. Or maybe you’ve been hit with a sudden, seemingly inexplicable bout of adult acne right in the middle of your 30’s.

WHAT CAUSES ADULT ACNE?

At its core, acne is caused by a mix of:

Overproduction of sebum, an oily substance produced by the skin

C. acnes, a type of bacteria that lives on the skin that eats sebum, leaving skin red and inflamed

Clogging of pores by sticky skin cells, makeup, and dirt

Inflammation

The triggers of these acne causes aren’t well understood, especially in adults, but the below are thought to be contributing factors:

1. FLUCTUATING HORMONES

One of the biggest causes of breakouts is hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle. Right before your period, your estrogen levels drop, leaving androgen unchecked and running wild. Cue the pre-period breakout. But women can also experience this type of hormonal adult acne during pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause.

Birth control pills also alter your hormone levels, which can leave you with zits while your body adjusts to its new normal.

2. HIGH-STRESS LEVELS

Stress makes the adrenal gland release a hormone called cortisol, which helps the body deal with the stress. Unfortunately, this fluctuation of hormones also increases oil production and inflammation, leading to acne breakouts.

3. DIET CHOICES

Some studies report that eating food with a high glycemic index may encourage acne. Too much sugar creates excess insulin, which can promote breakouts. It’s also thought that foods with a high number of hormones, like dairy products, may also lead to more breakouts.

4. OVERCLEANSING

Washing your face more than twice per day can dry out your skin and cause it to produce even more oil to compensate for the dryness. For best results, use a gentle cleanser like Radiant Cleanser Nectar in the AM and PM only.

HOW TO GET RID OF ADULT ACNE

Now the part you’ve been waiting for: how to actually treat adult acne.

1. Don’t Use Acne Treatments Designed for Teens

Teenage skin is more resilient than adult skin and can stand up to harsher ingredients.

For adult acne sufferers, the skin is often sensitive and those teenage ingredients will leave it red, itchy, and flaky. It’s better to use natural ingredients that nourish your skin rather than punish it.

2. Pay Attention to Your Diet

Some studies have shown that eating a low-glycemic diet can help to clear up acne breakouts.

Swap out refined carbs for their whole-grain counterparts and limit your intake of candy, soda, alcohol, and other insulin-boosting foods.

You can also try lowering your dairy intake or eliminating it from your diet altogether.

3. Try Stress-Reducing Techniques

Anything you can do to relieve stress can also help reduce your breakouts. Some stress-busting activities to try include yoga, meditation, vigorous exercise, walking in nature, journaling, coloring, and knitting. Try a few and see what works best for you!

4. Don't Pick!

Pimple poppers beware: you won’t be able to easily pop these blemishes on your own, and trying to do so can lead to infection and scarring. The only way to get rid of a cyst quickly is to visit your dermatologist for a shot of cortisone.

5. Use Products Designed to Work Together

Combining multiple products from different skincare lines can actually inactivate their hero ingredients, so the products don’t work anymore. Oftentimes, mixing product lines can make acne even worse.

That’s why it’s incredibly helpful to stick to one product line at a time. Our Clear Skin Kit provides a total clear skin solution with products that are formulated to work together to:

Heal breakouts

Clear clogged pores

Restore dull and lackluster skin

Even out skin tone

All of our products are designed for sensitive skin, with nutrient-rich, non-irritating ingredients. Best of all? This system is just four steps, so it’s easy to fit into your busy routine.

6. Stick With It

Remember: no skincare routine works instantly. And altering your skin routine too frequently can actually irritate your skin even more. That’s why it’s important to give your new skincare routine at least two to three months to experience results.

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Feel Like There Is No Way To Get Rid Of Acne Or
Breakouts?

No Creams, Diets, Or Pharmaceutical Drugs Can Help?

CONTINUE READING:

I'm Going To Share My Personal Story Of 16 Years Battling Acne

And How This Unique Formula Helped Me And 42,641 + Women Do The Same

I looked over at my mom with a tear running down my cheek. This is ridiculous, I told her, throwing my hands in the air, “I’m almost 30 years old and look like I have the face of a sweaty, teenage boy who hasn’t showered in a week.”

Not Too Much Had Changed

I walked over to the mirror and studied the very red and very irritated bumps on my face one more time. I squinted and thought to myself, I think I see a difference.

I was excited; I had just started a new cream that others swore by and praised up and down on the forums. Perhaps this is finally it, the holy grail of creams, the one I have been waiting for.

Weeks went by, and optimism gradually faded to fear then disgust, and finally, anger as my new found cream was added to the pile of half-used tubes hiding in the back of my drawer. Why can’t I figure this out? So many questions came to my mind, each more puzzling than the next.

I had heard every name in the book from pizza face to Rudolph.

I had been battling acne on and off (mostly on) for 16 years. I had been to the moon and back and was desperate for something, anything to work.

At 13, I rode my bike to the local drugstore to buy makeup and zit cream.

I would lather my face with Clean and Clear products hoping by some miracle; they would whisk my puffy whiteheads away to be quickly forgotten about.

They did make me forget about my zits because I had a new problem.

The flakes and dusty layers of skin I acquired looked like I could be a prime candidate for a head and shoulders commercial.

Back down to the drugstore, I went, and variations of creams, gels, pads, strips, and wipes were purchased, each creating more trouble than the last.

Every time I shopped, I was ever more drawn to the makeup section with its gleaming bottles and colorful promises.

The model’s picture smiled out to me that I too could have beautiful, radiant skin, no strings attached with the introduction of foundation and concealer.

I happily took my basket to the counter and smiled as I delightfully handed over my hard earned babysitting money. I slathered and covered and forgot about the ugliness I felt underneath with my cover girl cocktail.

Ultimately, I am not sure what was worse, the patches of red from my nose to my chin, or the orange line left on the side of my jaw and hairline from my caked on Wet and Wild concealer.

I was a modern-day Oompa Loompa. 🤦‍♀️

Getting my mother to take me to the dermatologist was like pulling teeth, but after much whining, she conceded.

My new skin routine consisted of a nurse brushing on a tingly, itchy glycolic peel and a prescription for a cream I had heard good things about.

Promise filled the air, as I happily handed my newly scribbled doctor’s note to the pharmacist at Walgreens.

Minutes later, he gave me my package while muttering the words, “If this doesn’t work for you, there are literally hundreds of more creams you can try. Talk to your dermatologist, and have him write you a new prescription if this one doesn’t do anything in the next few months.”

By the time I had turned 21, my skin was no better than I had started at 13. The only thing that became smaller was my tolerance and my wallet.

As my budget increased on products and possible treatments to try, so did my acne.

These painful, horrible red splotches stayed for weeks on end and were worse than any white or blackhead. Just when I thought I was healing, 3 more popped up in its place.

My hands got antsy, and I started picking, only leaving me with brownish scars, redder cheeks, and no more answers than I had when I started this battle.

In addition to my rosy complexion, I had small, white bumps on every inch of my skin making it feel like rough sandpaper.

Dreams of clear skin became distant and unlikely.

Back down to the doctor, I went, and this time with hopes of a new cure: birth control. Many peppered their fantastic results all over the internet, and at this point, what did I have to lose?

The nurse practitioner was happy to give me my prescription along with a sample of the newest wonder birth control, guaranteed to clear up any acne issues.

Not too long after I began taking it, my skin cleared up.

I was dumbfounded.

Who knew all this time that this was the answer?

I happily told others of my new found fix, until new problems started surfacing. Not only did I gain about 10 pounds, but for the first time in my life, I had a yeast infection, which was incredibly gross, irritating, and painful.

I found myself once again back down at the drugstore for my new problem.

One hurdle down, now I had to handle my newly developed pounds.

I only thought this was my problem, when not, but a month later and again, for the first time in my life, I developed a bladder infection.

After the purchase of about a case of 100% Pure Cranberry Juice (not your Ocean Spray cocktail, this stuff will make you say pucker up buttercup), prescription antibiotics, and bladder pain relief pills that turned my pee orange, I worked through the trauma of my new found issue.

About two months later, I acquired another bladder infection. This became a new staple problem I had to deal with every other month. I started to order cranberry pills by the dozens on Amazon.

About 9 bladder infections later and upon digging, I found that my current birth control had side effects a mile long, including the possibility of bladder and yeast infections. This was just one of the many byproduct possibilities of what it was doing to my insides.

But, Boy Did I Have Clear Skin.

Was this a price I was willing to pay?

I made an appointment with my doctor and told her about my new issues and my thoughts of it being associated with my birth control.

She refused that the birth control was the cause, and her solution was to write me a new prescription for an antibiotic that kills bacteria (both good and bad) in the body.

I was to take this indefinitely, along with my birth control.

She wouldn’t even write me a different kind of birth control prescription, claiming if there were no other side effects that I was dealing with, I should stick to the one I was on.

I walked out of the building bitter, as shiny posters of the brand of birth control I was taking gleamed at me.

I started talking to my friends about any of the birth controls they were on. One was on another kind that made her gain 50 pounds, another was on one that made her feel crazy and empty inside, another almost caused her marriage to end because of the anger problems she was now experiencing, and another acquired acne when she went on her birth control.

Looks like we had all traded one problem for another.

It seemed there was no good answer to my birth control dilemma and after my 12th bladder infection, I discontinued using it, and no, I never had another bladder infection again.

With the discontinuing of the birth control, I said goodbye to clear skin, hello breakouts. Not only that, but I gained more weight again and lost even more confidence.

Years past by and by my late 20's my acne had once again migrated to a new location on my face, my lower cheeks, jawline, and forehead, and shoulders.

Defeated thoughts clouded my brain that I was never going to figure this out.

The lines I heard by so many dermatologists and doctors like “I would grow out of it” or “It really isn’t that bad” and “I’ve seen worse,” infuriated me and discouraged me.

They had no answers, and I had no patience because this was getting far too old, and I was far too tired of hearing myself complain.

I wanted to retreat like a wounded soldier in what I felt was a rigged game.

I mean, I could live in my pajamas, right?

I would be meals on wheels biggest customer. It seemed to work out in my head until I remembered I had to go to work and had a life to live.

If countless doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and traditional products didn’t give me answers, then I knew it meant one thing, it was going to have to come down to me and my approach.

Because NO ONE cared in the last 16 years that I hadn't fixed my issue...

And honestly...

I was sick spending money on products that didn’t work... I mean, I spent 16 years trying to find the solution but nothing, NOTHING has worked until this point without having any side effects...

I felt hopeless…

However, I started researching acne and its causes...

And surprisingly it has nothing to do with changing your pillowcase or any other BS you've found online by now...

Most solutions that exist in the market are made for

one thing and one thing only...

Fight the bad bacteria...

But while they're actively trying to get rid of the bad bacteria, they get rid of the good bacteria too!

Let me ask you a question...

Have you felt this squeaky feeling after using skincare products?

This actually causes an imbalance on your skin, which then causes more breakouts.

This is DAMAGING to your skin!

This realization only pushed me to do more research and it was all starting to come together…

Scientific research, books, and consultations with the doctors were all leading me in the same direction...

Soon enough, I started experimenting on my own skin with the products I created…

Within a few months, my husband started seeing small improvements on my skin and would encourage me to continue doing what I’d been doing.

This encouraged me to study it even further until I had it down to science…

I’ve discovered natural ingredients that we don’t have here in the US, flew to countries like Norway, France, Italy with one goal and one goal only…

To make an all-natural formula that would help women around the world heal this terrible condition…

The formula that would fight off bad bacteria
promote the good bacteria and balance oil production on the skin.

After seeing my results, my friends started to ask me if I could make some more products for them…

I’d got to a point where I would get hundreds of orders every month from my friends only…

Fast forward to today: we have over 42,641+ loyal customers that are enjoying their healthy, glowing skin.

But what’s more important…

They have the confidence now to leave their house, go to work & enjoy social events with their friends…

It actually works!

But don't take my word for it...

HERE IS WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING:

Our Mission:

To Help Thousands of Women Feel Confident In Their Own Skin

Over 40 all-natural ingredients, that help to balance the oil
production on the skin, eliminate the bad bacteria, help remove
dead skin & provide the skin with nutrients it needs to be
healthy, glowing, and clear.

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MADE FOR OILY, DRY, AND COMBO SKIN TYPES

Beauty

Reveal the true you and achieve stunning results of nourished skin for healthy complexion.

Confidence

Forget hiding behind layers of makeup, achieve the clear, smooth skin you never thought possible!

Glow

Achieve radiant skin with nourishing ingredients to help bring skin health to an optimal level

Our Fans Are Raving About Averr Aglow

Mindy J. verified buyer

"I've been using the Clear Skin Kit for about six months.

I have had acne since my teens, everything I had tried never really worked. Over the last few years, I have had cystic and hormonal acne and had a hard time getting it under control. So, I decided to start using Rodan and Fields. I did 2 rounds of their unblemished regimen and it didn’t help at all. Then, I came across Averr Aglow and decided to give it a try. I’m so glad I did. It has cleared up all my acne and I haven’t had any major breakouts like I had been having, and has helped all my scars lessen.

My before pictures are AFTER the 2 rounds of R&F in January and my after pictures were taken in June after using the Clear Skin Kit."

Holli S. verified buyer

"I've been using Averr Aglow for a couple of months now, and I have been floored by the results. I've searched for something - anything that works for my skin. All I've wanted is to go without makeup and feel comfortable in my skin. I've tried everything and it's failed. All-natural products are also of utmost importance and all the natural products I've tried have failed as well.

I've shown everyone I know these pictures and told them all about Averr Aglow. People ask me all the time what I'm using and I gladly tell them. My best friend also hopped on board and is loving her results so far."

CRYSTAL M. verified buyer

I've had been struggling with cystic acne, oily skin, and enlarged pores for about 15 years. I've been to the dermatologist and have been prescribed clindamycin for a couple of years. I've tried Proactiv, Murad, retinol, benzoyl peroxide, and so many products with salicylic acid. Everything I have used has had many artificial processed ingredients.

When I looked into Averr Aglow it was so refreshing to see a company actually using all-natural ingredients, I had to try it out. I ended up getting the Clear Skin Kit & within the first week, my skin felt renewed. My pores were smaller, I didn't need to exfoliate as often and my acne had pretty much disappeared. I have been using the kit for 6 months & will continue to use it for the rest of my life, I love that it's good for anti-aging as well. Nothing harsh or artificial, so I feel like it gives me the skin I was supposed to have.

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All of our products are made for health and
environmentally conscious women.

We care about making our products safe and healthy for you - and our planet.

That’s why we use only all-natural products and don’t test any of our products on animals.

SEE WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING!

I have very oily skin that easily clogs. It has been a long road finding something that doesn't dry me out or scar my skin. I've tried every product under the sun and avoided taking pictures.

I started to use the Clear Skin Kit, and now I no longer breakout and get the painful, deep red cysts I used to get. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am a loyal customer!

- Lyndsay

I have been using the products for a little over a month. I can't believe I am seeing flatter, clearer skin! Thank-you so much for giving me my confidence back!

- Juli C.

I have been using the kit since early July and I am loving the results! Out of nowhere in January of this year, I started having the worst acne ever. I saw an ad on Instagram just one month before my wedding and decided to go for it. While I wasn't 100% clear for the big day, I was in no more pain and the redness was now something I could correct.

It wasn't until just the last few weeks I looked in the mirror realizing that my troubles seem to be fading away! I will still have one or two baby zits now and then but wow! So 3.5 ish months in i am so happy I saw that ad! Thank you for an amazing product!

- Melissa D.

This product is simply amazing! I have combination skin with an acne-prone chin and, while I'm still in the early stages of "detox", I am loving how it works. It's easy to use and as old blemishes get brought to the skin, they are gone as quick as they came! The overnight mask is GOLD!

- Elissa D.

Here Are Just 3 Out Of Over 40 Natural Ingredients We

Use

French Pink Clay

Rich In Minerals

This clay is sourced from the volcanoes in France. It helps to pull out impurities from within the skin, refine pores, and firms skin.

Raspberry Seed Oil

Rich In Vitamin A & E

Helps soothe the skin with rich Omega 3, 6 and 9. It reduces inflammation, leaving you with a smooth, glowing complexion. It helps in reducing acne breakouts.

Coral

Over 70 Minerals

This above sea fossilized coral, sustainably harvested from beds that used to reside in the ocean. It contains over 73 different minerals that provide rich nutrients to repair damaged skin, healing current breakouts and provide nutrients for the skin to create plump, healthy new skin.