Here’s How You Deal With Adult Acne

We often associate acne with teenagers and puberty, but the fact is many women, and some men suffer from acne well into their 20s and 30s as well. We’re not just talking about the odd pimple you get during that time of the month or breakouts caused by using a skincare or makeup product that’s not suitable for your skin. We’re talking about persistent acne that can potentially impact your confidence and self-esteem, because acne doesn’t just affect your skin.

Causes of adult acne

According to Dr. Jason Lau, resident doctor at illumia Medical i12 Katong, adult acne can be caused by a variety of factors. “Acne is caused by excess oil production in sebaceous glands, blockage of the pores of sebaceous glands with dead skin cells and an accumulation of P.Acne bacteria in the sebaceous glands.”

Factors like fluctuating hormones (yes, even later in life), which lead to hypersecretion of oil from sebaceous glands, genetics and medications like steroids can exacerbate acne breakouts. “Stress and lifestyle factors like lack of sleep and a diet full of processed food, soft drinks and fried food can also increase your chances of breaking out. Mask wearing has also been a big contributing factor to adult acne,” explains Dr. Lau.

Treating adult acne

No matter what the reason, the type of acne a person can have ranges from mild closed comedones more commonly known as blackheads and whiteheads to more severe papules, pustules, cysts and nodules. These can appear on the face, neck, back or chest.

Incorporating ingredients like salicylic acid, which is a beta hydroxy acid, alpha hydroxy acids, benzoyl peroxide, retinol, tea tree oil and sulfur products into your skincare routine can help reduce the chances of breakouts. Salicylic acid is especially effective when it comes to treating acne because as Dr Lau explains, “salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid that has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. It is very useful in breaking down the excess sebum and dead skin cells that are clogging the sebaceous glands. It can also decrease the skin’s oil production, leading to fewer acne.” For more severe and recurring acne, your dermatologist may even prescribe oral medication.

However, not all skin types and conditions respond well to topical and oral acne medication. Some creams and lotions may result in recurring active acne and constant breakouts. This can have an adverse effect on both skin health and self-esteem. In order to tackle acne once and for all, and deliver glowing, healthy skin, illumia Medical offers the comprehensive Forever Clear Acne Program. It is an end-to-end solution that helps tackle existing acne, manage marks and scars from previous breakouts and prevent the recurrence of acne by strengthening skin.

The Forever Clear Acne Program

At illumia Medical we understand that treating acne requires a nuanced approach, as it is never just one issue you’re dealing with. The problem is a combination of skin type (excessively oily or dry), overproduction of acne causing bacteria on the skin, dead skin clogging pores, inflammation, the resulting inflamed pores, redness and hyperpigmentation.

Your journey to healthier skin with the Forever Clear Acne Program starts with an in-depth consultation with one of the board-certified doctors who will thoroughly assess your skin and spend time getting to know your comprehensive medical history, past treatment plans and current skincare regime. Not only does this help them get to the root cause of the acne, it also helps them map out a treatment plan that is best suited to your skin type, condition and goals at a pace and intensity that is suitable to you.

The highly personalised multi-pronged approach comprises a combination of treatments that can include AGNES to get to the root cause of acne, lasers to tackle marks and scars, chemical peels to tackle dead skin and medi-facials to help strengthen the skin barrier to prevent future breakouts.

To tackle overactive sebaceous glands, AGNES, a non-surgical treatment, uses insulated micro-needles to deliver radio frequency energy precisely to the oil glands to destroy them. In the absence of excessive sebum, chances of blocked pores and inflammation are reduced, just keeping active acne at bay.

Any remaining acne scars, pigmentation, dark spots and blemishes resulting from acne are taken care of with laser treatments. Depending on your needs, a treatment course of one or a combination of lasers that include SmartXide Fractional CO2 Laser, Discovery PICO Laser and Pro Yellow Gold Laser may be suggested.

Regular peels ensure that chances of dead skin blocking pores is minimal and medi-facials help boost skin health to prevent further breakouts.

The whole treatment is non-surgical, non- or minimally-invasive and your progress from Day 1 is systematically tracked with before and after photos so you can track your glow up.

Schedule a consultation with our aesthetic doctor today to learn more today.