Believe it or not, adult acne is seen as a different skin condition from teen acne. There are treatment options available to adults that would not be offered to teens. One example of this would be Dianette, a medication prescribed to adult women as both a contraceptive and acne treatment. If teen girls were to take this particular medicine, it would throw their hormones dangerously out of whack.

Adult acne can be treated in a variety of ways, though some treatment options will prove to be far more effective than others. One option men and women may wish to consider is prescription medication. With this option, your dermatologist will examine your condition and write out a script for one of many different medications. These drugs will generally have a twofold effect, balancing hormones for acne reduction and stimulating healthy skin growth. Antibiotics would be included in this category.

Another option adults have to treat their acne is over-the-counter medicine. The most popular OTC ingredient for the treatment of adult acne is benzoyl peroxide, which is also fine for teens. The purpose for these types of medications is to dry out excess oil and wipe the dirt clean, effectively unclogging the pores and thereby eliminating the cause of the pimples. Resorcinol, sulfer, and salicylic acid are other active ingredients that are used in OTC acne treatments.

More and more people are turning to non-drug treatments to banish their acne once and for all. These types of acne treatments usually entail a physical manipulation of the affected skin, and can be quite expensive. However, generally speaking, their effectiveness is unmatched by drugs. The main treatments that fall into this category are microdermabrasion, subcision, and laser resurfacing.

You would generally want to start with dermabrasion, as laser resurfacing is intended only for the most severe acne. Microdermabrasion is essentially sand blasting for the skin. It works in the exact same way that you imagine it would. It sands the pimples off of your skin, destroying whiteheads and blackheads alike. It will leave your skin fresh, clean, and virtually blemish-free.

Of course, prevention is always your best defense against acne breakouts. A cleansing diet, consisting of whole, natural foods and plenty of purified water, along with an enjoyable exercise routine and effective stress management could very well bring you to a point where adult acne is no longer of any concern to you. In fact, if you are currently suffering from adult acne, this advice also applies as a treatment option. Good health doesn’t just prevent, it can cure!