Hit The Spot

Adult acne is on the rise but there’s no one-stop, one-pop solution. From hormonal breakouts to bacne, we tackle each problem head on

- Joely Walker

Newspaper headlines claim we’re experiencing an “acne epidemic”. Adult acne figures have hit an all-time high and more of us than ever are suffering from the skin condition well beyond our teens. Have our hectic lifestyles and subsequent stress levels finally pushed our skin to breaking point? Or, in our Facetuned world, where flawless perfection is just an app away, is it any wonder our obsession with spots has officially peaked? One thing is certain: we’re fighting back. From types and triggers to treatments and the latest innovations, consider this your ultimate guide to dealing with breakouts. So let’s start with the basics...

Although every spot type differs in appearance, they all start life in the same way – or, rather, the same place. “Acne can occur anywhere that hair follicles are present,” explains expert dermatologist Dr Sandra Lee, Instagram’s much-loved @drpimplepopper (with 2.8 million followers), which is why you can get spots practically anywhere on your body, apart from your palms and the soles of your feet. But it’s not exactly follicles causing the problem, rather their sebaceous glands.

These tiny glands are responsible for our skin’s natural sebum production, which is needed for daily protection and hydration. However, if sebum production goes into overdrive, your complexion is going to tell you about it. “Our skin constantly regenerates and sheds dead cells, but if these settle and get trapped within sebum, they can cause non-inflammatory acne. If bacteria is also present, it can lead to an infection, otherwise known as inflammatory acne,” explains Lee.