What Are the Causes of Female Adult Acne?

It is usually teenagers who suffer from acne, but this chronic skin disease can affect people of any age. Women can get acne, and sometimes the first blemish doesn't appear until the late 30s. Oily skin, dirt and bacteria can all cause acne lesions like pimples, whiteheads and blackheads. In more severe forms of acne, there are cysts and nodules. While there is not cure for acne that works for everyone, there are several treatments available that can manage, prevent or reduce the number of breakouts. But the first step is recognizing the many possible causes of acne in adult females.

Oily Skin

Skin that is oily is more prone to acne breakouts. Many adult females with oily skin have acne, but those with dry or normal skin can have acne as well. The sebaceous glands in the body produce sebum to lubricate the skin. But hormones may overstimulate the oil glands, which causes then to produce too much sebum. This thick oil then clogs the pores, causing pimples.

Dead Skin Cells

The skin is always renewing and repairing itself. During this process, dead skin cells slough off. But if a person does not exfoliate the skin regularly to remove the dead skin, the debris can build up and clog the pores.

Dirt and Grime

Every day the skin is subjected to pollutants in the air. This dirt and grime accumulates on the skin and contributes to blemishes. If an adult female uses makeup, she is also adding chemicals to her skin that may irritate the skin and attract more dirt. It is important to thoroughly wash the skin and remove all traces of makeup.

Clogged Pores

The main cause of acne is clogged pores due to dirt, grime, oil and dead skin cells. With all of this debris in the pores, the pores swell up, and, depending on the amount and type of debris, the skin breaks out in acne pimples.

Bacteria

There are always bacteria on the skin. Some of it is good bacteria, which help to keep the skin and body healthy, while other types of bacteria cause disease. Experts feel that some forms of bacteria lead to more severe acne like cystic acne and nodular acne, both of which are difficult to treat.

Hormones

The female hormones estrogen and progesterone bring about menstruation, pregnancy and menopause. As the levels of these hormones fluctuate and change in the body, they can also contributing factors to female adult acne. Hormones affect every woman differently, which explains why some adult females get acne and others don't.