Acne is generally associated with people in their teenage years. However, there are many who do not fall victim to it until their early 20s.
It is estimated that one in four adults between the ages of 25 and 44 experience acne and nearly half of all women experience mild to moderate acne at some stage. Previously "people lived with acne, but they do not tolerate it any more", says Dr Wendy Lynch, dermatologist at Charlemont Clinic, Dublin.
The most commonplace acne occurring in adult women is on the face, upper chest and back. For adult men it develops on the neck, back and shoulders. When acne develops in the teenage years, it usually lasts for a short length of time. However, if it develops later in life it "can last up until one's 50s, certainly through their 20s and 30s", says Dr PJ Walls, consultant dermatologist at the Blackrock Clinic, Dublin. To prevent acne developing severely, it should be seen by a specialist in the early days to prevent scars or nodular cystic-type acne from forming.
One person who developed acne on her chest was 21-year-old Karen* who let it go untreated for over seven months. Assuming it was just spots that many young people get, she paid no attention to it. However, as time went by these spots began to get badly infected and then some healed spots started to leave noticeable marks on her chest. Karen consulted a dermatologist and was told she had developed nodular cyst acne, a very severe type of acne. "I didn't even know you could get acne on that part of the body," she says.
Acne may be treated with various prescribed antibiotics such as Tetracycline, Minocin SA and, as a last resort, doctors may prescribe Roaccutane.
Karen was prescribed a course of Roaccutane which eased the severity of her acne. According to Dr Walls, "Eighty per cent of sufferers require one course of this drug with a noticeable difference after two months, while the remaining 20 per cent require a second course of it."
Two and a half years later, Karen says the scars have faded slightly but marks are still evident. If she is under stress, the acne flares up again. "It's nothing like it was, they were in an absolute mess. It has healed somewhat, but it does take a long time."
However, there is also a course of action for people who have been scarred physically by acne. "Intense pulse light therapy can take away the redness and flatten down the raised lumps. Resurfacing laser can be carried out on the face area too," says Dr Rosemary Coleman, dermatologist at Charlemont Clinic. Resurfacing laser is carried out in superficial cases where 1-2mm of the top skin is removed and the new layer is treated with ointments. Laser treatment is not usually carried out on the chest area however.
The number of sessions required by the patient depends on the level and severity of the scarring. However, you must be free from prescriptions for 18 months before you can have this treatment and a session with a dermatologist can cost €300 for a 15-minute period.
Not only can acne have a physical effect on a teenager or adult but the psychological effect can often be more damaging. Unsightly marks on the skin should never go unchecked. If detected and treated early, it can reduce the severity of deep scarring .
* Name has been changed