Adults with acne

Kimberly Miller of Alexandria thought she was finished with acne, but when she was 33 years old, she had a flare-up.

“I felt awkward,” she says. “You think you’ve aged out of it, but you haven’t. That’s the lesson — it can come on at any time.”

Ms. Miller, who is now 39, contacted her dermatologist, Dr. Paula Bourelly, director of Olney Dermatology Associates in Olney.

In 2000, Dr. Bourelly put Ms. Miller on a months-long course of Accutane, an oral medication used to treat severe acne. In April of this year, Ms. Miller returned to Dr. Bourelly for a series of glycolic acid peels, following bridal magazine advice for dead skin removal and exfoliation.

“Now, my skin is wedding perfect,” says Ms. Miller, who plans to marry in October. “My skin is smoother, and it has a nice glow.”

Acne is the most common skin disorder in America, affecting 17 million people and nearly 80 percent of 11- to 30-year-olds, according to the American Academy of Dermatology in Schaumburg, Ill.

“Acne is not a serious physiological disease,” says Lydia Preston, author of “Breaking Out: A Woman’s Guide to Coping With Acne at Any Age.”

But those with acne may feel embarrassed or experience social drawbacks, says Ms. Preston of Alexandria.

“If you’re a woman with acne, you’re not alone,” she says. “It’s very common for adult women to have acne to some degree.”

Ms. Preston and a few dermatologists in the metro area provide suggestions for treating acne and explain some of the causes.

The common form of acne, acne vulgaris, is experienced by both adolescents and adults, while acne rosacea, which causes a flushing and blushing reaction, is seen only in adults.

Acne vulgaris, which affects more than a third of women and a fourth of men, typically does not extend beyond the 40s, says Dr. Alan Moshell, skin diseases branch chief for the extramural program of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in Bethesda.

Acne, Dr. Moshell says, is not caused by dirt on the face, as commonly believed.

“Excessive rubbing and scrubbing can make it worse,” he says.

Acne is an inflammatory condition involving the face, chest, back and arms, the areas of the body that are richly supplied with sebaceous, or oil, glands, says Dr. Bourelly, assistant clinical professor at Georgetown University Hospital in Northwest.

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