“Adult acne is extremely common. The causes are often multi-factorial: It can be environmental, it can be hormonal, it can be stress -related. A variety of treatment options are available.”
– Dr. Gerstner, board certified dermatologist and Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical School
1. Don’t rely on spot treatments. “The old-fashioned way of putting toothpaste on a pimple can be like putting a finger on a leaky dam: as soon as we take the toothpaste away, another pimple may come up. So, I’m not a big believer in spot treatments. I believe that if that pimple gets better, the one that’s coming out tomorrow is still going to come out.”
– Dr. Gerstner
2. Go organic. “Hormones in foods can cause acne. Try to buy organic milk, dairy, meat. You don’t have to go crazy and buy everything organic, but in terms of the meat and the dairy and the eggs, I would go organic.”
– Dr. Gerstner
3. Keep pimples out of the sun. “Sun does not help acne. It’s not going to dry it out. The sun can scar acne, and it can cause post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.”
– Dr. Gerstner
4. Make an appointment with a derm. “As much as I would love to give you a magic regimen to do at home and not need to go to a dermatologist, that’s probably not practical in this day and time. We need to get to the root of the problem. Some patients need oral antibiotics, others are suffering from hormone imbalances and they need birth control pills to flatline their hormones. We need to find the root of the problem.”
– Dr. Gerstner
5. Keep an open mind. “Treatment will vary depending on the needs of the patient. Sometimes a topical regimen is sufficient. In other cases we try birth control pills, oral antibiotics, botox, or a series of glycolic peels and salicylic acid peels.”
– Dr. Gerstner