Rach's Dermatologist Explains What Causes Adult Acne—And How to Make It Go Away

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Battling acne during your teenage years is very common, but once you hit your 20s and 30s, you expect it to be a thing of the past.

But unfortunately, that’s not always the case! And we all ask the same question: WHY?

(Whyyyyy?)

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Well, according to Rach's dermatologist, Dr. Anne Chapas, while teen acne is usually caused by the overproduction of oil, deep cystic adult acne in your 20s and 30s is mostly caused by hormones and stress.

(Sounds all too familiar to us!)

And one major mistake that Dr. Chapas says most of us make is impulse buying the wrong products to quickly remedy the situation.

"Most 20-something skin is normal," the doc says. "You don't need to be using a lot of scrubs and abrasive things."

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Dr. Chapas' main product recommendation? Differin Gel!

"I prescribed this for over 10 years before it's finally gone over-the-counter," she says.

"Differin Gel has an active ingredient called adapalene," the doctor goes on. "And adapalene is a really mild version of Retin A that may be used for your teenage acne, but it’s not drying and it’s not irritating. It helps to open the pores [and] it helps to heal those breakouts that you have."

With that said, Differin should initially be applied every other night to make sure your skin can tolerate it, the doc advises, and then you can build up to using it nightly.

(Plus, remember to only use it as a nighttime product, the dermatologist stresses, because adapalene is inactivated by sunlight.)

And don’t expect results overnight! According to the doc, it takes about 8 to 12 weeks to kick in.

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Still feeling lost and overwhelmed? Dr. Chapas walked through the *full* skincare routine she recommends!

MORNING
- Wash with a light cleanser (she likes Cetaphil, because it’s gentle -- plus, it’s cheap and easy to find at most stores)
- Apply moisturizer with SPF (she likes Aveeno Positively Radiant which has an SPF of 30 -- the amount she suggests wearing every day).

EVENING
- Wash with a gentle cleanser again
- Use Differin Gel (Watch the video above to see exactly how much you should apply -- and her technique for getting just the right amount everywhere!)
- Apply a light moisturizer on top of the Differin Gel feels drying at first

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