Tips To Clear Up Your Complexion
Options To Treat Acne In Adult Patients

By Roberta F. Palestine, MD
Dermatology & Clinical Skin Care Center
The Medical News (Northern Virginia editio) – November 2000
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Acne is usually thought of as a teenage problem, right? Wrong! Acne frequently starts well before the teen years, and lingers well into adulthood, even plaguing mature grandparents. It can even bypass the youthful years altogether and start for the first time in adults.

Fortunately, there is a wide array of current options to treat acne. There are treatments for mild occasional pimples, and other treatments for more significant and severe acne. Therapy can be customized to fit the level of severity and the person’s lifestyle.

What causes acne?

It starts with the oil glands, which is why the usual areas that are involved are the face, neck, upper chest, and back, because there are many oil glands in these areas. The opening of the oil glands, the pore, becomes blocked, and bacteria then feed on the oil and cause the gland to become inflamed. Stress and hormones can act on the oil glands and aggravate the condition.

Treatment is aimed at fighting the above factors, namely, the clogged pores, the bacteria, and the excess oil. It should be noted that the skin can appear dry and still have acne, and this combination needs extra gentle therapy.

Home Treatments for Acne

The first line of treatment is topical creams, gels, lotions, and solutions. Most of the over-the-counter acne products are very drying, and frequently irritate even teenage skin. Adult skin is usually less oily, and requires a more thoughtful, individualized approach to design a treatment regimen appropriate for each person. A dermatologist can prescribe the right mixture of cleansers and topical products.

For deeper or inflamed acne lesions, an internal antibiotic is added to the regimen. Accutane is reserved for very stubborn, resistant acne, since it is a powerful medicine and needs to be monitored closely.

Office Treatments for Acne

Sometimes painful, tender cysts occur on the face, which in addition to being uncomfortable, can look unsightly and interfere with social activities. These are injected with cortisone, which helps them heal very quickly. Usually, the office will accommodate this dermatologic “emergency” and work the person into the schedule the same day.

In addition to home treatment, acne patients frequently benefit from some mild office procedures. These include Derma Peels (microdermabrasion), which helps to unclog the pores and smooth the skin, mild chemical peels, and acne facials. Sometimes a combination of these procedures is helpful.

These are all fast, painless, and require no recovery or downtime; they are truly “lunchtime” procedures. And for the mature adult with both acne and wrinkles (Is life fair?), we can kill two birds with one stone, since these procedures are anti-aging as well as anti-acne.

Treating Acne Scars

Finally, if the acne has resulted in scars, these can be treated also. Mild scars can be treated with microdermabrasion, moderate scars with the CoolTouch laser or filler substances such as collagen injections, and more significant scars are treated by laser resurfacing.

Adult acne can be treated and controlled. Dermatologists are skin specialists who are familiar with the latest options for both home and office treatments.