Why does an adult woman get acne?

We often think that a high school diploma is the key to getting rid of our acne. Unfortunately, this isn’t true at all. Most adult women are surprised to learn that over 30% of adult women continue to have acne at 45. It’s bad enough that adulthood brings with it regular botox treatments for wrinkles and the need for constant sunscreen to prevent sun spots.

Female adult acne is multi-factorial. First are mechanical issues (blocked pores), which our practice believes is best dealt with by “brain” or “biology” rather than “brawn” or scrubs, washcloths. Even L’Oréal decided to discontinue the Clarisonic. You may have heard of over the counter cosmetics and other products containing retinol—while these may be helpful (mildly), they need to be absorbed by the skin and then converted to a more active ingredient. These active ingredients are often available less expensively as a topical medicine, and our dermatologists can prescribe these for you directly in Bellevue or via a telehealth appointment.

The second main category of acne causes in adult women includes hormonal variation. Each monthly menstrual cycle brings variation to your systems hormones. There are several safe prescription options for treating hormonally-induced adult acne, including oral contraceptive pills (used for hormonal regulation, not birth control), a generally safe (in otherwise health adult women) diuretic pill called spironolactone, and injections of mild steroids into painful jawline cysts which are a hallmark of adult female hormonal acne. Hormonal acne is best addressed in person for the first visit, and occasionally, we’ll order some lab work to make sure everything is in order.

Come visit one of the dermatologists at Dermatology Arts.