Adult acne: What causes it and how to treat it
Most of us associate acne with being a teenager and something that mysteriously vanishes overnight once we become adults.
However, acne often hangs around after teenage years, with a recent study showing that 14% of women between the ages of 26 and 44 suffer from the condition.
Sunil Chopra of The London Dermatology Centre says, 'I see 20-30 new cases of adult acne each week, ranging from those in their 20s up to those in their 50s.'
In fact, the average age of people with acne went up from 21 to 27 between 1984 and 1994 - and it's still rising.
So what actually causes acne and what can you do about it if you suffer from spots?
Why do we get acne?
Acne is caused by too much oil on the skin, known as 'sebum'. The more sebum you produce, the greasier your skin gets and the worse the acne is likely to be. This sebum then gets trapped under pores and become inflamed, causing the skin to turn red.
- Find out what makes acne worse next
By Victoria Poolman
- Next: What makes acne worse?
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