When a teenager struggles with a pimple on his face, you consider it normal. But acne in your thirties or even forties causes surprise and then anxiety, because it turns out to be very difficult to treat. Are hormones to blame or inadequate skin care?
Acne lesions , which you almost all know from personal experience, appear in adolescence, when they begin to "buzz"hormones- in girls around 13 years of age, in boys usually 2 years later. Most of us also know from experience that usually after 3-5 years of fightingpimples , new ones stop appearing and you can breathe a sigh of relief. It turns out, however, that not everyone is lucky and more and more often acne appears in adults, mostly women, who had practically no occurrence or was very mild before. Why is this happening?
Mature age acne - not only hormones to blame
Contrary to the so-called juvenile acne, it is very rare for the skin changes to be caused by systemic hormonal disorders. Therefore, attempts to treat with birth control pills often provide only temporary improvement - after stopping hormones the problem returns.
So what causes adult acne? Stress first. It causes over-expression of 5-alpha reductase in the skin, especially in the sebaceous glands. This means that stress increases the overactivity of androgen, the hormone responsible for the increased production of sebum. Similar effects, although indirectly, also have a diet rich in products with a high glycemic index, highly processed, including fast food.
Such a menu causes a rapid increase in the level of insulin in the blood, which stimulates the production of androgens and, consequently, intensifies seborrhea. And this is the beginning of all evil. The excessively produced secretion of the sebaceous glands is thicker than usual and reaches the skin surface with great difficulty. As the process of keratinization of the epidermis is at the same time increased, some of the secretions are closed in the sebaceous ducts and this is how blackheads are formed.
The obstructed sebaceous glands provide excellent conditions for the development of anaerobic bacteria and other microorganisms that provoke inflammation - the skin formspimples, papules, then lumps and purulent infiltrates. In addition to stress and poor diet, skin changes can also be caused by e.g. intensive sunbathing ( although the sun dries the skin and periodically minimizes acne lesions, but in autumn they intensify again), hypersensitivity to certain foods or the use of inappropriate cosmetics (with heavy skin). medium, multi-ingredient, perfumed).
Home remedies for pimples
Pimples around the mouth and neck
It is difficult to explain why, but in adults, acne lesions are located differently than in adolescents, most often in the lower part of the face - on the jaw, chin, around the mouth, on the neck. They are not disseminated or extensive, but take the form of persistent inflammatory lesions, often on the basis of dry skin. They are difficult to treat and very often leave permanent marks on the skin in the form of unsightly scars and discoloration.
Late acne - a difficult medical problem
The problem with adult acne is that standard acne care does not help, and general antibiotic therapy is only effective while taking the drug. Therefore, the most frequently used combination therapy is tailored to the individual needs of the patient. In difficult cases, as so-called drugs the first line of treatment is oral antibiotics (due to their antibacterial properties), but most of all retinoids (vitamin A derivatives), e.g. isotretinoin. It is very effective - it normalizes the differentiation of epidermal cells, reduces the accumulation of sebum in the hair follicles. However, it also has disadvantages, because it is teratogenic (it can damage the fetus) and increases the sensitivity of the skin to UV rays. Therefore, several months of therapy are carried out under strict medical supervision. Before starting it, you need to check your cholesterol level (high cholesterol is a contraindication), and you must not get pregnant while using it (after completing the treatment, a woman should wait another 3-6 months before she becomes pregnant), sunbathe or undergo invasive cosmetic procedures. the oral dose is supplemented, and as the condition of the skin improves, it is replaced with topical treatment. In such cases, spreads containing antibiotics (erythromycin or clindamycin) and retinoids or benzoyl peroxide are used. They reduce the growth of bacteria that cause inflammation and maintain the effects of the treatment.
Late acne - how to choose skin care cosmetics?
It is an important element of anti-acne treatment. First of all, you need to choose your cosmetics carefully - they should be preparations with a not very rich formula (the simpler the composition of the cosmetic, thebetter for the skin) and highly moisturizing.
The desirable ingredients are: retinol (creams with retinol prevent skin keratinization disorders and promote its renewal, but at the same time very dry the skin, hence the need for intensive moisturizing), vitamins C and E (fight free radicals and inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines) , algae or aloe extracts (moisturize). Micellar fluids, gels and preparations based on e.g. salicylic or glycolic acid are recommended for cleansing the skin - they soften the epidermis cells, facilitate their removal and cleanse the pores. It is also advisable to regularly (twice a week) use peelings - mechanical or chemical (they remove callous epidermis and facilitate the unblocking of pores). non-comedogenic). It is worth using preparations that have additional properties conducive to the treatment of acne lesions, e.g. antibacterial, narrowing the pores of the skin and limiting the secretion of sebum.
"Zdrowie" monthly