College is a time of many changes, including new classes, new friends, and new freedoms.
But you might also find some old things, like your high school acne, stubbornly sticking around.
Acne tends to be more common, and often more severe, during adolescence.
But for many people, acne doesn’t fully retreat until around age 25 — and sometimes not even then.
If you’re dealing with acne in college, you’ve more than likely had some pimples before. But your acne may seem more severe than you remember, or perhaps it’s made a sudden return after years of clear skin.
Trying to understand the mysteries of your college acne? In search of tips to help make it disappear? Read on for more details.
First, a refresher: Acne often happens when dirt and dead skin cells block pores in your skin. The blocked opening means your skin’s natural oil (sebum) has nowhere to go. As the oil builds up, it creates a great environment for the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes to thrive.
Your white blood cells quickly show up to shut down the party and duke it out with the bacteria. Their battle creates the pus and inflammation you know as a zit.
So, how does college contribute to all this? A few different ways, including:
Stress
One small but widely-cited
Stress alone doesn’t create zits, but it can worsen your acne or prompt a new breakout. According to the study, stress can affect acne in three ways:
- increasing inflammation, which can increase swelling
- prompting your skin glands…
