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How to Get Rid of Acne Without Medication

If you associate acne with teenagers, you’re not wrong. Adolescence creates the perfect storm for acne breakouts — hormone imbalance, stress, poor hygiene, and processed foods. However, if you thought you could cross acne off your list of things to deal with in adulthood, you’d be wrong. Many adults have acne, and if you’re one of them, we have good news. At Southwest Family Medicine Associates (SFMA), our extensive team of holistic physicians understands the myriad causes of adult acne and the physical and emotional damage it can create. Here, we take a closer look at the reasons acne continues into adulthood — or shows up for the first time — and how you can get rid of it without resorting to medication.

All acne breakouts begin as clogged pores. When dirt, oil, and dead skin cells get stuck in your hair follicles, your skin mounts a defense and sends reinforcements to attack the debris. This results in different types of acne, like whiteheads, blackheads, cysts, and nodules. Because all acne stems from clogged pores, which can occur at any age, adults can get acne, too. There are several common causes of acne in adults. Poor hygiene allows small particles that land on the skin to stay there and clog your pores, which is why it’s important to wash your face and clean your skin. Hormones fluctuate in adults just like they do in teenagers, and woman especially are at risk for hormoneinduced acne as they menstruate, get pregnant, breastfeed their babies, and go through menopause. Some medications can have acne as a side effect, and other times adults can get acne from the dirty air pollution or from eating certain foods.

At SFMA, we treat your acne with an individual approach. We start with a complete examination of your skin, a discussion about your symptoms, a dive into your personal and family health history, an assessment of all medications and supplements you take, and a list of what you’ve tried, what works, and what doesn’t. Armed with this information, we can diagnose the type of acne you have and develop a treatment plan. This may include some lifestyle changes and a new skin care routine. It may also include Fotona laser treatments. This safe and effective treatment uses Nd:YAG laser light to penetrate your skin’s outer layers and target the oil glands below. By reducing the oil production, Fotona can help prevent future acne breakouts. This treatment also triggers production of new collagen,which is one of the proteins that gives your skin its structure and resilience, so your skin heals and remodels.

To discuss treating your acne with any of the options we provide, call our staff at Southwest Family Medicine Associates or book online today.

Brought to you by Southwest Family Medicine Associates Edited by Ketan Pamurthy