Embarrassed by Adult Acne? Your Dermatologist Can Help
Acne can plague people from adolescence all the way through adulthood. Fortunately, many strides have been made for acne treatment. Here’s how seeing a dermatologist could help you.
Understanding What Causes Adult Acne
Adult acne plagues millions of people, but the key to finding an effective acne medication or alternative acne treatment is understanding what caused yours in the first place. While you can make assumptions at home, it’s usually best to see a dermatologist for a more accurate diagnosis. When you see a dermatologist about your adult acne, they’re able to run more in-depth and accurate tests to determine the root cause of your condition. This is especially important if you didn’t suffer from acne as a young adult and are experiencing adult acne for the first time. Without the help of a dermatologist, you could be suffering for longer than you need to.
Topical Medications
While you might be able to find over-the-counter products with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide in them, it’s unlikely that you’ll find the ingredient strength that you need to treat your adult acne. Learning how to get rid of acne takes more than experimenting with topical creams you get from your local drug store. When you work with a dermatologist to find the best acne treatment for your skin, you’ll be able to explore topical medication options that are designed specifically to target adult acne. These products may include retinol creams and gels, or even a prescription-grade cream. Most topical treatments will instruct you to start out slowly and then have you increase the frequency of your use as your skin adjusts to the treatment.
Oral Medications
In the event that a topical acne treatment doesn’t do the trick, orally-administered medication is another option you can explore with your dermatologist. If you determine that your acne is the result of a hormonal imbalance and you menstruate, hormonal birth control for acne might be worth looking into. However, this isn’t an option you can explore for acne treatment without a dermatologist. In order to access birth control for acne, you’ll need a prescription. That being said, birth control isn’t the only oral medication for acne treatment. There are antibiotics and other medications that you can take orally to treat acne. Finding the best acne treatment for you will come from working with a dermatologist.
Light Therapies
Light therapies are used to treat a variety of skin conditions, and they’re growing in popularity. Fortunately, they’re also being used to treat acne. Red and blue light therapy, in particular, have been used to treat acne with varying levels of success. But if you’re interested in trying one of these therapies, you’ll need to work with a dermatologist. At-home light masks might exist, but they’re nowhere near as reliable or safe as light therapies administered by a licensed dermatologist. So if you want to try this type of acne treatment, your best bet is to work with a dermatologist.
If you’re ready to seek out effective adult acne treatment, it could be time to see a dermatologist. Our team at SE Dermatology Specialists would be happy to set up an appointment with you.