Surprising causes of adult acne

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Did you know that one in every five adult women suffers from adult acne? If you had thought you had said goodbye to acne in your teens just to get them back now, you’re not alone. Unlike teenage acne, adult acne occurs in the lower part of your face and can be caused by a variety of reasons.

Here are some causes of adult acne that might surprise you:

Hair products: We are extremely dependant on hair products these days. From shampoo and conditioner to hair growth products to hair styling products, the range of products we use on our hair is seemingly endless. Acne caused by hair products are known as pomade acne. What happens is that residue from your hair products seep into your skin, clogging your pores and in return causing acne. Particularly if you have cut bangs in your hair, this could get worse.

Skincare products: Alright, this one definitely caught you by surprise didn’t it? Aren’t skin care products supposed to protect your skin? They sure are. But they can cause adult acne for two main reasons. First, if you didn’t test out the product before you started using it, it could possibly irritate your skin giving way to break outs. Secondly, if you are a habitual skin cream swapper, changing your creams, lotions and serums before they get a chance to work on your skin, the overlap between two products can irritate your skin and cause acne. To avoid this, use only one or two products at once and give them time to work.

Facial hair removal products: Whichever method you use to remove facial hair, it could potentially cause acne. Hair removal irritates skin, causing acne. To make matters worse, topical products applied on skin before and after hair removal can clog pores again leading to acne. To ease acne, apply a 1% hydrocortisone cream before and after hair removal.

Make up and make up removal products: Makeup can mix with the natural oils of your skin and clog pores. If you do not cleanse your face and remove makeup properly bacteria built up in your pores can make matters worse. If you also make only half hearted attempts at makeup removal, this will only add to the problem. To get rid of acne cosmetica, as this is known, cleanse your face thoroughly at the end of the day.

Sunscreen products: When you travel or work in the sun, you inevitably need the protection of a good sunscreen. However when in the sun, sunscreen can cause sweating under its layers which will clog your pores and cause acne.

Travelling: Change in location could be bad for your skin. If you ever wondered why that trip to the tropics caused your skin to break out, that is because humidity and temperature changes, change of water could all contribute to acne. Applying any product on your skin will only make thing worse. Let your skin adapt itself to the new environment.

Cell phones: No! You’re saying to yourself now, but you use it all the time. Exactly. Without you noticing, there are millions of little bacteria living on the surface of your phone. Every time you use, hop step and a jump, they are on your skin, sometimes causing acne. Friction of the phone against your skin can also cause acne.

Diet: This may not be so surprising, but your diet plays a huge role towards the health and wellbeing of your skin. Both salt and food with a high glycemic index can cause break outs. If you are suffering from adult acne, maybe it is time to consider a change of diet.

If you are suffering from adult acne, then check out, the culprit may lie in any of the causes mentioned above.