Acne at Any Age
HEALTHY LIVING
Put your best face forward with advice for treating clogged pores and blemishes. BY MARTHA KEEFFE | CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
F
rom the occasional pimple to a full-blown breakout, almost every one of us has experienced acne rear its ugly head. “While 90 percent of teenagers suffer from acne and most can hope to grow out of it, one in three women in their 30s and one in five men in their 30s battle with acne as well,” says Dr. Logan Kolb, DO, a dermatologist with Olmsted Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota. And although acne can never technically be cured—and can occur at any age—the following advice can help you put your best face forward. WHAT CAUSES ACNE? According to Stephanie Andresen-Stevens, licensed aesthetician, certified laser technician, certified acne specialist and owner of Brilliant Bodywork MedSpa in Onalaska, “Acne is typically an inherited disorder that causes the pores to clog with a mixture of dead skin cells and oil. Normal pores shed one to two layers of dead skin cells per day, whereas the acneprone pores shed up to five layers of dead skin cells per day. When this happens, the body simply can’t keep up, and the pore becomes clogged.” In addition, Kolb and Andresen-Stevens note that certain triggers may or may not worsen acne. Triggers include • hormonal or menstrual flares • psychological stress • cosmetics • certain medications or foods • fragranced laundry products (such as fabric softener or dryer sheets)
• sun exposure • mechanical irritation caused by items such as face masks or chin straps “As you can see,” says Kolb, “there a lot of factors that play into acne,” and basically anything that stimulates excessive sebum production (an oily substance secreted from the sebaceous glands) and combines with dirt, bacteria or dead skin cells can result in clogged pores.
Stephanie Andresen-Stevens, Brilliant Bodywork MedSpa
Dr. Logan Kolb, dermatologist, Olmsted Medical Center
DON’T DO THAT! Though your initial impulse might be to squeeze, pop or scrub away blemishes, both Kolb and AndresenStevens advise against doing so. “Exfoliating treatments or aggressively washing one’s face can damage the skin barrier and lead to excessive inflammation, which drives more acne,” says Kolb. Furthermore, Andresen-Stevens cautions about employing home treatment methods such as rotary brushes, needle rollers and blackhead removing tools to battle breakouts. “Typically, these have no beneficial results and cause more damage and long-term issues that may require professional assistance,” she says. Instead, she suggests soothing your skin with ice for two minutes twice daily to calm inflamed acne blemishes. Don’t be tempted to cover up acne with makeup or an excessive amount of concealer, which only clogs pores and leads to more acne. “If you wear makeup,” says Kolb, “try to wear one that is mineralbased.”
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