PIMPLES: DESCRIPTION AND POSSIBLE MEDICAL PROBLEMS
I bet you thought you left acne and the occasional pimple behind in your 20s.
Guess again. Though acne flare-ups in adults do not occur to the degree they do in teenagers, midlife and older adults can indeed get pimples on their faces—and elsewhere on the body.
A pimple forms when an oil gland that sutrounds a hair follicle becomes plugged by sebum, the oil produced by the gland. The male hormone androgen, which is produced by both men and women, plays a role in sebum production because an increase in the amount of androgen in the body means an increase in sebum.
There are several reasons why pimples may suddenly make an appearance in an adult. Androgen levels, for one, can be affected by medications such as birth control pills. But acne can also be aggravated by the use of certain cosmetics, especially heavy moisturizing creams, which can block the oil glands and produce a buildup of sebum or encourage an allergic reaction that produces pimples. Creams can also aggravate preexisting acne. Heredity can also play a role.
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