Most people will automatically think about their teenage years when they hear someone talk about acne. However, you'll be surprised to learn that acne is quite common in adults as well. Unfortunately, adult acne may be more difficult to treat than its teenage equivalent.

Adult acne is normally related to hormonal fluctuations. The right cleansing routine is important, but hormonal therapy is often the most effective type of treatment. Here's a look at the different alternatives adults have for treating their acne skin.

Acne Remedies: Skin Care Products

You may feel a bit uncomfortable when you're an adult that's looking for the right acne skin care products. Just keep in mind that adult acne can be treated with the same types of products that teenagers use. This should make your search a bit easier.

Acne responds quite well to salicylic acid and retinol, two ingredients that are known to help regulate the production of sebum. As a matter of fact, they can also eliminate sebum from the surface of the skin.

Benzoyl peroxide is another ingredient that is effective against acne, but is also known to irritate sensitive skin. If your skin isn't responding well to this ingredient or is very dry and sensitive, then you might want to use more moisturizer or switch to tea tree oil.

AHAs are also a good way to treat acne. They help exfoliate the skin and remove excess sebum, dead cells, debris and bacteria. This will help reduce the appearance of clogged pores and acne breakouts.

When treating your skin condition you should not only concern yourself with choosing the most effective products, but you should also worry about following a proper adult acne skin care routine to help maintain your skin acne free. Remember, your skin needs to be cleansed, toned, exfoliated, and moisturized regularly. This should be enough to help treat most cases of mild to moderate acne.

In some cases doctors will prescribe antibiotics or Accutane. Make sure to consult with your doctor about the possible side effects these medications can cause. Accutane, especially, can cause severe problems.

Acne Remedy: Treating Acne with Hormone Therapy

If you feel like you've tried just about everything to get rid of acne and nothing is working, then it's probably time to ask about hormone therapy. There are a couple of options you can try to maintain your acne problem under control. Both choices have to do with inhibiting the production of certain hormones.

In women, birth control pills are a common way of treating hormonal acne. They help reduce the levels of testosterone in the body. DHT inhibitors are another form of hormone therapy.

Recent studies have shown that a person's ability to convert testosterone into DHT is linked directly to the appearance of acne. Which means that by inhibiting DHT, doctors can reduce the risk of acne outbreaks.