Adult Acne More Prevalent Than People Realize

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Main Category: Dermatology
Article Date: 08 Apr 2008 - 14:00 PDT

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Even though at least 50% of adults suffer from some type of adult acne, society has not given that common medical problem a great deal of attention. While changing hormone levels are usually associated with teenagers, the hormones of the adult also undergo changes. A fluctuating hormone level in a younger or older adult can lead to the development of adult acne.

Everyone who suffers from adult acne has at least a small patch of skin on which a pimple has appeared. Each pimple contains the same elements. The skin under the pimple encloses a mixture of fat, debris from the skin and keratin (a protein that is also found in nails and hair).

Those three substances are squeezed into a hair duct, another part of each pimple on the skin. Glands attached to that same hair duct respond to the varying hormone levels in the blood. Those glands make the oil that moisturizes the skin. When they make an excessive amount of oil, then the surrounding skin displays the characteristics of an acne flare-up.

The excess oil becomes a "home" for bacteria. If those bacteria remain on the skin, they then irritate the skin. The irritated skin becomes red and tender. If the bacteria are exposed to the air, then they darken, and the pimple becomes a blackhead.

An effective treatment for adult acne must offer a way to control the factors that contribute to the formation of a pimple. An attempt to interfere with the natural alterations in hormone levels could have unforeseen and undesirable consequences. One group of researchers has chosen to concentrate on how one certain hormone interacts with a particular enzyme, an enzyme that's found in the skin.

Testosterone flowing in the blood courses through the skin cells. There it mixes with 5 alpha reductase. That enzyme then catalyzes a reaction, a reaction that converts molecules of testosterone into molecules of DHT (dihydrotestosterone).

The latest treatment for adult acne blocks the formation of DHT. By interfering with the synthesis of DHT, this new anti-acne product removes from the skin the substance that triggers the production of skin oils. By eliminating the factor that's responsible for unfettered oil build-up in the skin, this new product gives adults a way to do away with the annoying symptoms of adult acne.

Added ingredients in the same product manage to open-up the skin pores. That then facilitates the cleaning of the skin, thus removing the factors that can cause adult acne.

About Acne Skin Guide

Acne Skin Guide is a health resource dedicated to providing factual information and clearing up myths about acne and acne treatment.

Written by - Jeremy Langart
Copyright: Medical News Today
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