Is Adult Acne Affecting Your Mental Health? We Can Help

Acne is often seen as a teenage issue. Sometime between your last final exam and your first full-time job, it’s supposed to clear for good. Except for millions of adults, that’s not what happens. About 12%-22% of women in North America still deal with acne well into adulthood.

Adult acne can develop in your 20s, 30s, or even 40s, showing up around the jawline, chin, or cheeks. For some, it’s triggered by a hormonal imbalance. For others, it’s stress, diet, gut issues, or skin care products that do more harm than good.

As with teens, adult acne can affect how you feel about yourself. It can make you want to avoid social events, cameras, or even eye contact. You might spend hours online trying to find a fix or money on products that don’t help. It’s frustrating, and it might harm your mental health.

For Mental Health Awareness Month this May, it’s crucial to acknowledge how deeply adult acne can affect your confidence, mood, and overall well-being.

At ARA Integrative and Functional Medicine in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, Dr. Rina Kapoor, a board-certified internal and integrative medicine specialist, can heal your skin holistically and help you feel like yourself again.

Why are you still breaking out?

If you’re dealing with breakouts well past your teens, potential causes include:

Hormonal changes

This is the most common cause, especially in women. Shifts in estrogen and progesterone levels can increase oil production, leading to clogged pores.

Stress

Chronic stress leads to higher cortisol levels, which can mess with your other hormones and lead to flare-ups.

Diet

Foods high in sugar, dairy, and processed ingredients can trigger inflammation in the body, including in your skin.

Gut health issues

An imbalanced gut microbiome can show up as skin issues, especially if you’re not absorbing nutrients properly or are dealing with inflammation.

Skin care products

Some products can irritate the skin or clog pores, especially if they’re not suited to your skin type.

Medications

Certain medications, including some antidepressants, corticosteroids, and birth control pills, can trigger or worsen acne.

You can eat clean, wash your face, avoid sugar, and still break out. However, Dr. Kapoor can help you figure out the root cause of your acne and the best treatment to help you get rid of it.

The link between acne and mental health

If acne only affected the skin, it might be easier to manage. But when it affects how you see yourself and interact with the world, it becomes much more serious. Common emotional effects people with adult acne face include:

Low self-esteem
Social anxiety
Depression
Isolation
Frustration and hopelessness

These feelings are valid and deserve care and attention, just like the acne itself. You’re not overreacting. You’re not being vain. You’re responding to a chronic condition that impacts your day-to-day life.

If you’re feeling hopeless, the answer isn’t more concealer or another harsh spot treatment. The answer is getting to the root of what’s causing your acne in the first place and treating it in a way that supports your body and mind.

At ARA Integrative and Functional Medicine, we use hormone testing, dietary changes, targeted supplements, stress management strategies, or a combination of the above to tackle acne. Along the way, we check on how you feel, not just how your skin reacts.

Living with adult acne can be painful in ways people don’t see. It’s not shallow to want clear skin. It’s not silly to be frustrated. And it’s not something you should have to solve on your own. Request an appointment online or call our Philadelphia-area office at 610-358-3300 today.