Adult Acne VS Teen Acne

Acne is no fun – at any age. But knowing how it arises in your teen vs. adult years can help you stay in the clear.⁠ We have put together a guide to navigating acne at any age, along with holistic advice from our experts to help heal your acne from the inside out, because we know that if its showing on the skin, it's coming from within. 

Adult Acne

Thought you could outgrow acne? If only. Chronic stress and the varied hormonal changes of adulthood can throw adrenal glands into overdrive, which in turn can boost sebum production, setting the stage for acne development. This means you don't need to have an "oily" skin, to have breakouts. In fact, the majority of adults experiencing hormonal breakouts will have a dryer or dehydrated skin, making the breakouts even more confusing and harder to navigate. 
Adults also tend to have more inflammatory acne, with lesions predominantly located around the mouth, chin and jaw line. Treating adult acne can be challenging because adults also tend to face skin dryness, sensitivity and signs of ageing.

 

How to treat adult acne

  • Focus on spot treatments and reducing inflammation in the skin, as well as making sure your other skin care needs are met (ie, don't shy away from moisturisers and oils because of breakouts)
  • Avoid “picking” or “squeezing” breakouts at home, which can result in more breakouts, scarring or redness. Instead, see a professional skin therapist for their guidance.
  • Skin can lose its ability to retain moisture with age. Avoid over-drying skin by choosing products that contain non-drying ingredients such as Salicylic Acid or Lactic Acid to help remove dead skin cells, excess oil and to control bacteria.
  • If you’re combatting signs of skin ageing, Retinol – a texture-smoothing ingredient – can also work well to help prevent acne breakouts, as well as reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and uneven skin tone. Our Retinol Clearing Oil has been created with this in mind, combined with Salicylic acid to heal and prevent breakouts whilst targeting the signs of ageing.
  • See a professional Skin therapist, at Skintopia, our therapists can give their expert advice along with treatment and product recommendations for managing and reducing adult acne. Treatments we offer that can target adult acne include LED, Hydrodermabrasion, Collagen Induction Therapy and Pro Power Peels, to name a few. Your Skin Therapist can prescribe the best course of treatments for your skin. 

Our Active clearing range has been specifically designed to treat adult acne, to promote cell turnover, faster healing, and preventing further breakouts, as well as combating the signs of skin ageing and reducing post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (acne scarring). This will be an important addition to treating your skin, as ongoing home care is equally important as in clinic treatments. 

Along with skincare and advanced skin treatments, we also need to acknowledge our inner health as well. Adult acne is almost always driven by hormonal imbalances, which we can help to balance with daily supplements. 

At Skintopia we believe in a holistic approach to skin health, and therefore have curated a conscious collection of products to help balance from the inside out. 

Be Pure ➸⁠

Our skin is our largest organ and often reflects the state of the organs within our body. Inner health radiates to outward appearance. To enjoy luminous, healthy and glowing skin, we first need to look below the surface and take care of what's on the inside. This includes ensuring we have great gut health and the nutrients needed to provide our cells with the nutrients they need for healthy skin.

Be Pure combines the power of scientific research with a deep knowledge of holistic health to provide a robust, trusted and effective solution to overall health and wellbeing. 

The Beauty Chef ➸⁠⁠

Lacto-fermented superfood supplements designed to support and heal the gut, in turn balancing our skin. "If you are not eating well, or more importantly, not digesting your food well, then your skin will not be receiving the nutrition it needs to keep it healthy and glowing. More and more research is linking skin issues to the disruption of normal gut flora. Where there is gut inflammation, there will be skin inflammation, which is one of the leading causes of premature ageing and can contribute to the degradation of collagen and elastin,”

Teen Acne

Teens typically break out on the face, chest and back. Such breakouts often arise because androgens, the “male” hormones that both guys and girls have, surge during adolescence, causing excess production of sebum (oil). 
Although teen acne is also often fuelled by hormones, the good news is that teens have faster cell turnover and more resilient skin than adults, which means they recover faster from breakouts. After the teenage years, acne tends to improve because teen hormonal changes have leveled off and no longer cause breakouts.

 

How to treat teen acne

  • Focus on learning and maintaining good skin care habits because you could be more prone to acne in the future. 
  • Avoid products that contain harsh, inexpensive and comedogenic (pore-clogging) ingredients. Stripping ingredients such as Alcohol – commonly found in astringent toners – can cause skin to produce more oil, fueling even more breakouts. Artificial fragrances and colours can also further irritate breakout-prone skin.
  • Look for ingredients like Salicylic Acid to keep dead skin cells and bacteria from accumulating.
  • Moisturise daily – even if your skin seems oily (use an oil-free moisturiser) – to help balance sebum production.
  • Avoid “picking” or “squeezing” breakouts at home, which can result in more breakouts, scarring or redness. Instead, see a professional skin therapist for their guidance.

Our Clear Start range has been specially formulated to treat teenage acne prone skins, combining active ingredients like Salicylic Acid and niacinamide, which are tough on breakouts, but gentle on skin.