It's not your fault. Contrary to popular belief, acne is not caused by anything you're doing, what you eat, how often you wash your face or work out. It is caused by a combination of factors at work far beneath the surface of your skin. The regularity with which you shed skin cells can change throughout your life. Your hormone balance affects the rate at which you produce oil. Research has also shown that genetics play a big part in the development and persistence of acne, so your family history is a valuable prediction tool as well.
WHO GETS ACNE?
When we think of acne, most of us think of adolescence; pimples go hand-in-hand with puberty and all of the changes during this time frame. Teenagers do make up the largest percentage of the acne-afflicted population but they're not alone. Acne strikes adults, too - more than half of all adult women and about a quarter of adult men. And these figures appear to be climbing. As the world begins to wake up to adult acne, it's becoming clear that the psychological, social and physical effects of this condition do not diminish with age. Close to 100% of people between the ages of twelve and seventeen have at least an occasional whitehead, blackhead or pimple, regardless of race or ethnicity. Many of these young people are able to manage their acne with over-the-counter (non-prescription) treatments. For some, however, acne is more serious. In fact, by their mid-teens, more than 40% of adolescents have acne severe enough to require some treatment by a physician.
In most cases, acne starts between the ages of ten and thirteen and usually lasts for five to ten years. It normally goes away on its own sometime in the early twenties. However, acne can persist into the late twenties, thirties, or even beyond. Some people get acne for the first time as adults. Acne affects young men and women about equally, but there are differences. Young men are more likely than young women to have more severe, longer lasting forms of acne. Despite this fact, young men are less likely than young women to visit a dermatologist for their acne. In contrast, young women are more likely to have intermittent acne due to hormonal changes associated with their menstrual cycle and the use of cosmetics can contribute in worsening acne.
Whether one's acne persists through adolescence into adulthood or strikes suddenly after 30, the condition can have lasting physical and psychological ramifications. Dermatologists have known for many years that adult acne is more likely to leave permanent physical scars; as the skin ages and loses collagen, it's much harder for it to bounce back after tissue damage. Psychological scarring is much harder to trace. For many years, the prevailing perception was that older acne patients were less affected by their condition than younger patients, having accepted its symptoms as part of life. Without a visible peer group, many of these people feel too ashamed to step forward to get treatment. Adults with acne often find themselves suffering silently and most importantly, privately. Acne lesions are most common on the face, but they can also occur on the neck, chest, back, shoulders, scalp, and upper arms and legs. Acne also has significant economic impact. Americans spend well over a hundred million dollars a year for nonprescription acne treatments, not even taking into account special soaps and cleansers. But there are also the costs of prescription therapies, visits to physicians and time lost from school or work.
THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF ACNE:
How acne affects people's lives
"There is no single disease which causes more psychic trauma, more maladjustment between parents and children, more general insecurity and feelings of inferiority and greater sums of psychic suffering than does acne vulgaris." --Sulzberger & Zaldems, 1948
While known for quite some time, the psychosocial effects of acne have not been fully appreciated until recently. Most people get acne to one degree or another. In most cases, it goes away on its own. While acne is running its course, it is not a serious threat to anyone's overall physical health, and until the last couple of decades, there was very little anyone could do to treat it.
Acne does have a significant impact on a person's outlook on life. Recent studies have identified the following as common among people with acne:
These effects are often interrelated, with one symptom leading to another and another, only to worsen the first symptom. These negative feelings can discourage people from pursuing life's opportunities socially, on the job, or at school.