Addressing Adult Acne in Your 30s

Feeling self-conscious about acne breakouts isn’t only for teenagers. Experiencing stubborn, persistent acne in your 30s or later can bring up uncomfortable emotions and interfere with your quality of life. This acne awareness month, Dr. Sherri Peace at Westchester Dermatology is debunking myths about adult acne and giving you helpful tips for managing breakouts in your 30s. 

What Causes Adult Acne Breakouts in Your 30s?

Several factors that can contribute to adult acne in your 30s. Stress, diet, hormonal changes, and lifestyle influences can cause breakouts or make them worse. Likewise, using the wrong skincare or makeup products for your skin type can create irritation that leads to breakouts. 

If you’re not sure what’s causing your adult acne, consider these potential culprits:

• Skincare Products: Check the ingredient lists on your face washes, cleansers, balms, and other products. Consider eliminating and replacing anything that contains sulfates, parabens, alcohols, or fragrances. These ingredients can be stripping or irritating and cause imbalances that lead to acne.
• Lactose Intolerance: An estimated 44% of Americans experience lactose intolerance, which makes it difficult to process dairy products like cheese and milk. Aging lowers our natural production of lactase, the enzyme responsible for breaking down lactose, the sugar in milk. This can manifest in a few different ways, including digestive issues and acne breakouts.

• Other Dietary Considerations: You may have heard that greasy foods cause acne. While this isn’t necessarily true, some types of foods may contribute to your breakouts. Refined carbohydrates, red meat, and deep-fried foods can increase oil production in the skin, which may clog pores.

  Conversely, foods naturally high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients may help to clear your skin as they support your body’s natural healing process.

• Lifestyle Factors: If you lead an active lifestyle or live or work in a high-pollution area, cleansing your skin properly is important for managing adult acne. Excess sweat production and environmental pollution can also clog pores and lead to breakouts if not kept in check. Likewise, high stress levels and poor sleep can exacerbate acne issues by interfering with your body’s healing and repair processes.

• Medical Causes: Not all adult acne is caused by external factors. Sometimes your breakouts are a symptom of an internal issue, like hormonal imbalances. These may be caused by changes in your menstrual cycle or certain medications, or be genetic in nature. If you have a family history of acne-prone skin, you are more likely to experience it yourself.

Treating Adult Acne in Los Angeles, CA

Just as the causes of adult acne vary from person to person, finding an effective treatment is also a personal journey. Your treatment options depend on your specific type of acne and its root cause; this may include oral or topical medications as well as lifestyle changes to support lifelong clear and healthy skin.

Dr. Sherri Peace at Westchester Dermatology has more than 20 years of experience treating acne in patients of all ages. Her commitment to personalized care means you can rest assured that your treatment plan is fully customized to your specific needs. To get to the bottom of your adult acne woes, schedule an appointment with Dr. Peace today!