If you thought your acne problems would be gone after your 20′s, think again. 
In an acne study of over 1000 people, 73% reported dealing with adult acne. And while there was no difference in frequency of acne in their teenage years, adult women experienced far more acne than men. The good news is that when you hit your 40′s, only a quarter of women get acne.
Are YOU still fighting the battle with acne? Do you think men get all the breaks? Leave a comment to see how you compare to the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
—Mid Brain
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Ugh that’s unfair! Stupid girl hormones! I had really bad acne in my late 20s (way worse than when I was a teenager), but luckily I was able to get rid of it after a few years of trial and error.
I had horrible, nightmare worst case scenario cystic acne all through my teens and early twenties, followed by more *regular* acne into my thirties. Now half through my forties, I have all the scarring and blotchiness as a result, plus skin that’s bone dry and peely. I am reaping the results of what derms did to me in the ’70s – ultraviolet ray treatments, years of tetracycline, Prednisone, cortisone injections, followed at last by several boughts of Accutane and the early topical retinoids. And of course, I still break out on occasion. Yes, it’s unfair. Older men are thought to look distinguished with a little gray, their bodies aren’t as scrutinized, and even if they DID still have acne, they could cover it with a beard. The hormonal and social stresses that women face are unfair from start to finish. Not that I’m bitter.
It’s weird, I never had acne as a teenager, but now in my mid-20s I’m getting increased blackheads and zits. =(
My husband is a lot more breakouts than I do, but I think that he has a skin condition that worsens it.
Ugh- sorry for the typo! My hubby *has* more breakouts.
I had horrible acne as a teenager and it didn’t respond to any of the antibiotics or face creams that my dermatologist gave me. In fact, it made it worse.
It continued into my 20s and after seeing our wedding photos I was so upset. Finally, I found a great dermatologist who put me on 25mg of spironolactone (it’s a blood pressure medicine that also happens to work on female hormones). I haven’t had a problem since except when I forget to take it.
I’m 36 & still get the occasional breakout, which I hate. I really have to stay on top of my diet & water consumption to prevent them.
Ugh, acne, my worst enemy! I had pretty good skin as a teenager, actually. It wasn’t until I was about 20 that my skin started breaking out. When I was 20-21 my skin was HORRIBLE. Then it cleared up a bit. Now that I’m 25 I still get quite a few breakouts, but I can usually keep it in check by using a topical antiobiotic, salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide products here and there, and I swear my skin clears up after a tanning session (very bad, I know).
Since age 12, I have had shiny oily skin and blackheads. A few years later the pimples started, 4 to 6 at any given time. In my 20s, the pimples were stopped by retin-A (for a while), and then later the birth control pill Demulen. In my 30s, the pimples went away during my pregnancies and when I was breastfeeding. Now I am 44, and still have the oily skin and blackheads. Like Rosarita, I have the scars and blotchiness. Salycylic acid keeps pimples away. I have recently started using Differin on the blackheads, and they do seem to be reduced in size. Will menopause finally bring me relief?
I have read that women with higher testosterone levels get more acne, and I think this is true of me. The upside is that women with higher testosterone levels also have a stronger sex drive. Message to men: if you want a partner who wants sex as much as you do, look for the woman with acne! Oh, and a way men have it better: they can use Accutane and the other acne drugs at any time. A woman who is trying to get pregnant, pregnant, or breastfeeding can not safely use many acne drugs. For some of us, that could be a big chunk of our twenties and/or thirties.
I almost went on Accutane in high school, but the dermatologist asked me in front of my Catholic mother if I would be willing to have an abortion (even though I was really, truly a virgin and planned on staying that way for quite some time).
I’m glad I didn’t, though. My husband took it over a decade ago and his skin was never the same. It got very, very dry to the point where he has had problems in the winter even here in Florida. It’s been better recently, though, so maybe it’s finally out of his system.
Acne has been the bane of my existence! I am nearly 54 years old and it still continues. It’s not horrible, it just never stops. I have wondered “why me” for too many years. And I’ve tried just about everything out there. Last week my doctor gave me a Rx for Spironalactone (see Meg above). Sometimes I don’t even want to leave the house so I pray the stuff works!
so how long do most people have acne…and if your hair lays on your face,does that really casue my brakeouts?
What about makeup?
What can you tell me about “Rodan & Fields PROACTIV Solution”? It has made many claims that it actually works. Does it?
look people just use moistoriser that helps alot with all sorts of problems
http://www.innerharmonywellnesscenter.com
offers a solution, many in fact. Story goes that our ancestors had a natural diet of Iodine in their food supply, that has not carried over to current generations. Ask for the “Iodine” capsules. Acidic diet of too much meats, and cheeses, coffee…all add to the stress of digestion and skin. Bumps on the ball of the chin say: “Hormones” but, on the apple of the cheeks say: “Food”.
Ughh Honestly I really hate my stupid zit’s I started getting them in grade 5 after i had a big allergic reaction to somehting and got really bad break outs on my face honestly it suckd now im in grade 8 and Im to ashamed of my acne to wear my hair up i always have my hair in front of my face trying to hide it and its just not fair to see those girls with clear faces like honestly grrr i know my acne isnt that bad but still its really upseting to feel almost ugly i know im not like hideous but its just a confidnce killer like when my family toke me to the doctor cause they said my face looked nasty TT^TT
I have struggled with acne for the past five years.Initially it was very mild,but last year I started to get worse acne.So I went to see a dermatologist as Proactiv could no longer clear my acne.Also I was too ashamed to go out in public. Now I’m glad to say that my skin is much better(though not totally flawless yet).But I still need to pay careful attention to what I put on my face,so I use mineral and non-comedogenic things.I don’t want to start getting acne outbreaks again.I think that if I didn’t have acne and scars,I’d be of beauty queen standard as people have been complimenting my features.Then I think o what a stupid waste,the acne and resulting scars seemed to have marred my beauty.But still I have recently been complimented for being pretty.
I dunno. I’ve seen a lot more pimply guys than pimply girls? Maybe just fix theirs..
*Maybe GIRLS just fix theirs, lol sorry about that.