You’ve finally gotten over splotchy and red face headshots of yourself taken during puberty years. But, here comes adult acne, looking to scar you both physically and mentally for another decade or so.
What is truly causing acne, this time around? Plus, what more can you do to minimise breakouts and maintain smooth skin? Have you heard of microneedling and skin laser treatments? Read on to find out if the reasons and procedures work in your favour!
Six Causes of Acne
Genetics
Genes play a big role in acne problems. If one or both of your parents have or had skin problems, chances of you having them are high. Since there’s nothing you can do to change that, use face products that are gentle to your skin or dermatologist-approved.
Sleep and Stress
Although not always a trigger factor, lack of sleep and being stressed is known to cause breakouts among many adults. If you’re unsure these might be the reasons you have acne, pay attention to your breakouts and keep a journal detailing when and why you think you suddenly have pimples on your face. While sleep hours vary, it is recommended that adults need between 7 and 9 hours to function at their best.
Hormones
Puberty is over but period, pregnancy and those affected by polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are still on the hormone-cards. Some people may also experience permanent hormonal imbalance. One of the telltale signs of a hormonal breakout is its location on the face. If you’re noticing inflamed cysts around your lower face—especially your chin and jawline area—you can bet your bottom ringgit that it’s probably hormonal.
Diet
Food rich in refined carbohydrates, fat and calories are leading causes for acne. Food may also cause acne inflammation when your immune system mistakenly identifies food as a threat and launches an immune attack against it. This food hypersensitivity results in high levels of pro-inflammatory molecules circulating throughout the body, which may aggravate acne. One way of dealing with this is via an elimination diet under the supervision of a dietitian or nutritionist.
Cosmetics
Makeup can definitely aggravate acne or make acne worse. Sometimes this is the result of makeup wearers not realising that they are sensitive or allergic to certain ingredients. Other times, it may be that they’re forgetting to take their makeup off after a day of wear, therefore clogging up or blocking pores. Cleanse and moisturise your face every day before going to bed!
Bacteria
The bacteria that cause pimples are called Propionibacterium acnes, or P. acnes for short. These bacteria live on your skin all the time. They become a problem only when a pore becomes blocked. This happens when excess oil or sebum mixes with dead skin cells to form a ‘plug’. The bacteria build up in the oil inside the blocked pore. The body responds by sending cells to kill the bacteria, causing the pore and surrounding skin to swell and creating the little red bumps with white centres known as pimples.
Poke Me, Prick Me!
Microneedling is a minimally invasive treatment in which a dermatologist or aesthetician creates tiny punctures in the skin using micro-fine needles (from 0.5 to 2 millimetres in diameter). This triggers the body’s wound healing process, stimulating collagen and elastin production. Additionally, once punctures are made, products applied topically (such as hyaluronic acid and vitamin C) are able to penetrate deeper into the skin in order to work more effectively.
1 .Experts say that microneedling is relatively risk-free and can have real skin benefits when done properly.
2. The entire process takes about 15 minutes. A numbing cream is applied first, then the needles are moved across the skin using a small handheld device.
3. With the latest technology, the needles are energised with radiofrequency to help stimulate collagen in the skin. Collagen production naturally slows down as you age, and the technology distributes radio frequency waves to jumpstart your natural healing process.
4. The result is smoother, firmer, more even-looking skin. By promoting collagen growth, microneedling may help reverse signs of aging such as fine lines and fade acne scars.
5. It is not painful! The science has advanced to the point where patients experience little to no pain and any redness should disappear within a few hours.
6. There are home microneedling kits but this may increase risk of infection and scarring if needles aren’t sterile.
7. You’ll need to keep your skin hydrated after the treatment. Skip harsh and abrasive products, like exfoliators and alcohol-based toners, until your skin has healed.
8. You’ll also need to chill on going to the gym and/or sauna for at least 24 hours afterward. Why? Your skin will need time to heal, so it’s important to avoid any activity that can cause you to sweat, which can result in inflammation.
Acne Laser Treatment
Lasers produce intense monochromatic light, light that is limited to a very a narrow band of wavelengths. This light has no effect on some substances, and high-intensity effects on others. One setting might heat hemoglobin but have no effect on neighbouring skin cells. Another setting might ‘melt’ the melanin that causes deep pigmentation on the skin. A third might vapourise tattoo ink. Dermatologists use lasers to destroy specific substances at specific depths in the skin.
What do you need to know?
- If you are squeamish about blood, chances are you will prefer laser treatments for acne to microdermabrasion.
- Laser therapy always requires multiple visits and never gets rid of 100% of scars or pigmentation.
- The more sensitive your skin, the less likely laser treatment is to be successful.
- The darker your skin, the less likely laser treatment is to be successful.
- Heating blood vessels deprives upper layers of skin of oxygen and nutrients so they slough off, giving new healthy skin a chance to replace them.
- Laser treatments remove scars and pigmentation by heating hemoglobin in the blood in capillaries beneath the skin.
