The alarm goes off at 6 am. After stumbling sleepily into the bathroom to wash your face, you notice it — a large, painful acne lesion on your right jawline. At 36 years old, you should have grown out of acne, right? Unfortunately for me and many of my patients, we have to fight acne AND Father Time. Typically considered a teenage issue, acne is now affecting up to 50 percent of adult women aged 20-29 and more than 25 percent of women between the ages of 40-49.
Does any of this sound familiar?
- Chin, jawline breakouts
- Breakouts that are painful and nodular and occur with your menstrual cycle
- Onset of acne lesions in your mid 20s after a nice long hiatus from teenage acne
- An increase in pore size and facial oiliness
Yes? Then you, like me, have to face the challenges of adult female hormonal acne. The good news? Your sex drive has probably increased, but other than this, it’s hard to see an upside. Physiologically, there is a very specific reason for this. In our mid-20s, women start producing higher levels of androgens. Higher circulating androgens in the blood stream stimulate an increase in oil gland activity, leading to the entire acne cascade.
What can you do about this?
From a dermatology perspective, patients have many effective options, none better than treating the hormonal source with an anti-androgen medication called spironolactone. But each case is entirely different and, therefore, therapy should be tailored to the patient’s specific type and severity of acne.
Whether your acne is characterized as mild, moderate, or severe, comedonal or cystic, there are several treatment constants for women of any age. I always recommend a multi-pronged topical regimen that includes:
- Cleansing twice daily with a cleanser that will clean without stripping the skin of important lipids.
- Avoiding harsh, exfoliating cleansers will prevent an irritant reaction or the occurrence of a rebound oil phenomenon.
- Zone therapy every morning with a topical benzoyl peroxide/ antibiotic combo, a sulfur/sulfacetamide topical, or topical dapsone.
- And last but not least, a topical retinoid at night.
- Retinoids are amazing! They are like WD-40 for the pores. Not only do retinoids stimulate collagen and elastin, they reduce fine lines and wrinkles, are anti-inflammatory, improve overall oxygenation of the skin, and enhance the penetration of everything else.
- I don’t think I was effusive enough about my love for this product. EVERY WOMAN SHOULD BE ON A TOPICAL RETINOID, unless she is pregnant or breastfeeding. Period.
With these strategies, I have been able to achieve miraculous control of my acne while also seeing an improvement in the signs of facial aging. We can do this for you too! If you or anyone you know can relate to this acne struggle, please call us and let us help you navigate your way to beautiful skin.
Rebecca Reinke, PA-C
For more information contact Sutton Ryan @ 402-484-0908
