9 Facts You Need to Know to Treat Adult Acne

How to Treat Adult Acne

More than half of women in their twenties experience breakouts. But instead of popping up in the oily T-zone area, as it did in high school, acne, which is caused by monthly surges in the hormones estrogen and progesterone, now appears as pink pimples on the lower part of the face in a V shape from the chin up the sides of your jaw. "If you are prone to hormonal breakouts, avoid spot treating," says Diane Berson, MD, president of the Women's Dermatologic Society. Instead, wash your face with a salicylic acid cleanser -- we like Olay Acne Control Face Wash ($7, drugstores) -- followed by a salicylic acid toner in oilier areas. Finally, treat those same zones with a gel that has benzoyl peroxide, like DDF Benzoyl Peroxide Gel 5% with Tea Tree Oil ($28, sephora.com).

Salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide have been recommended separately by derms for decades. But according to a study from Harvard Medical School, when used in tandem the two OTC ingredients are just as effective as benzoyl peroxide plus the prescription antibiotic clindamycin. "Salicylic acid unclogs pores so that benzoyl peroxide, which treats the breakouts, can penetrate better," Dr. Berson says. A good combo: Neutrogena Rapid Clear Foaming Scrub ($7, drugstores) and La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo Dual Action Acne Treatment ($36, cvs.com).

Your skin collects pore-clogging oil during the day. And that's only half the story. According to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology, there's also a link between air pollution and skin bumps. Researchers found that in the days after pollution levels increased, more people booked derm appointments. Keep oil-free face wipes, such as Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Pads ($8, drugstores), on your night table for times you're just too exhausted to wash before bed.