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I have been an aesthetician for over 30 years and I can honestly say that in the last 10 years there has been a significant increase in adult acne. I feel like our fast paced lives, our eating and drinking habits, the stress most are under ( as well as hormones) and wearing masks for hours due to COVID are what contribute to acne breakouts. Even though dermatologists and aestheticians don’t always agree on how to treat adult acne , we both have the same goal in mind and that is to help our patients have the healthiest skin possible by advising on diet , topicals and sometimes oral antibiotics if necessary. Keeping a food journal and using minimal products is a start as well. When you are trying every product on the market to rid you of the acne , you end up having to back product out in order to find the possible culprit. So start with three to begin with . One: you must cleanse Two: topical to control the breakout and kill the bacteria ( and help you not pick), and Three: always a sunscreen preferably chemical free if the breakout is bad. Let me also mention the discoloration that occurs due to picking known as PIH Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation . This can appear in red, brown or purple marks or spots (not scars, that’s another subject). BBL or IPL laser is great for treating the more pink or red spots . I have also found a wound healing agent called Stratacell to be very healing as well. Be patient though this can take 4-6 weeks and hands off !! The brown PIH are usually more common in darker and more yellow skin tones because of elevated levels of melanin. Topical hydroquinones such as the Love Skin Brightening Corrective Pads are great used twice a day and combined with a retinoid , this combo will lighten PIH in 4-6 weeks. BBL can also be used to treat this condition in the office.
