Q. Adult acne is increasing. Have you seen this in your practice or do you hear it in dermatologic meetings?

There is no "absolute" increase in adult acne. Rather, there is an increased awareness of adult acne, and therefore a greater frequency in diagnosis. There may be a "relative" increase in the number of acne cases simply due the population demographics (aging baby boomers) and greater awareness of the part of patients.

Q. Is it especially women or men that have adult acne?

In my practice, I tend to see adult acne primarily in women. However, that does not mean that men do not suffer from adult acne. The factors responsible for acne, regardless of age or gender, are the same - heightened sebaceous gland activity triggered by a genetic predisposition, hormonal influences, bacterial activity, hyper-keratinization, and individual inflammatory response. Women may be potentially more susceptible to adult acne due to hormonal fluctuations, and possibly due to the frequent application of topical cosmetic products to the skin, improper product removal, or some combination thereof.