Toronto Star
· collected 2026-10-10 · by Adithi Ramakrishnan The Associated Press
Gillian Maegan Montalbo, a marketer in the Philippines, discusses her experience with adult acne that affected her self-esteem at work. The article explains that while acne is common during teenage years, it can persist into adulthood, appearing on areas like the chest and back, known as bacne. Dr. Crystal Aguh from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine emphasizes the importance of seeking professional help if breakouts become persistent or leave marks and scars. Treatments for acne vary based on individual causes and symptoms, ranging from over-the-counter products to prescription medications.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-10,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
But as an adult in the workforce, the breakouts returned and intensified.
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breakouts → return → workforce
The acne on her cheeks and chin made her hesitant to look her bosses in the eye.
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her → make → eye
“It really took a toll on my self-esteem and my self-confidence,” said Montalbo, a marketer and content creator who lives in the Philippines.
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who → take → Philippines
Pimples and acne are an uncomfortable hallmark of teenage years, but adults can have breakouts too.
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adults → have → breakouts
Acne can also happen on other parts of the body like the chest and shoulders.
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Acne → happen → chest
The best treatments vary from person to person depending on what’s causing the acne and how it looks.
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it → vary → acne
And breakouts can leave behind dark marks and scars that take even longer to heal.
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that → leave → marks
Pimples come and go, but if breakouts stick around and cause discoloration or changes in skin texture, it’s a good idea to see a dermatologist.
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it → come → dermatologist
“We know how to treat acne.
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We → know → acne
We know the cause of it.
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We → know → it
So don’t suffer alone,” said Dr. Crystal Aguh, a dermatologist and director of the Ethnic Skin Program at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
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Aguh → suffer → Medicine
The causes of acne can vary
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causes → vary → acne
Teenage acne tends to affect the forehead, nose and cheeks.
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acne → tend → forehead
Older adults and women in particular can experience hormonal acne that pops up along the jawline and chin, Aguh said.
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Aguh → experience → jawline
Taking steroids can also trigger acne for some people.
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Taking → take → people
Pimples happen when tiny pores in the skin get clogged by oil, bacteria and dead skin cells.
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pores → happen → oil
They can fade over the course of weeks to months, but if patches persist and spread, it could be a sign of acne, which dermatologists consider a medical condition.
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dermatologists → fade → which
“Essentially, you’re not getting a break from a breakout,” Aguh said.
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Aguh → get → breakout
Acne is caused by many factors including genetics, hormones, environment and even diet — like eating excessive amounts of dairy.
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Acne → cause → dairy
The causes of facial and body acne are similar, although skin bacteria sometimes plays a larger role in body acne.
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bacteria → play → acne
Breakouts can look like milder, painless white bumps or dark specks known as whiteheads and blackheads, or more painful red bumps and deeper cysts — a mark of cystic acne.
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Breakouts → look → acne
There are OTC and prescription treatments for acne
Don’t pick or pop your pimples, no matter how strong the urge or how satisfying it might be.
“Everyone wants to pick and squeeze.
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Everyone → be → pimples
That will almost always make things worse,” said Dr. Lauren Fine, founder of Fine Dermatology in Chicago.
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Fine → make → Chicago
Picking can drive inflammation deeper into the skin and cause acne to spread.
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acne → drive → skin
It also increases the risk of marks and scarring.
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It → increase → marks
For darker-skinned people, those marks take longer to go away because their skin produces extra pigment when stressed, Aguh said.
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Aguh → take → pigment
Treatments for acne range from over-the-counter creams and lotions to prescription-strength medications.
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Treatments → range → medications
Dermatologists say it’s somewhat easier to treat acne on the face compared to the rest of the body because the face has more sweat glands and doesn’t dry out as easily.
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face → say → glands
It’s also harder to apply some treatments like creams to hard-to-reach areas like the back, so doctors often prescribe oral medications.
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doctors → ’ → medications
For milder forms of face acne, dermatologists may recommend face washes or creams containing benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid or retinoids like adapalene.
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dermatologists → recommend → adapalene
For more frequent breakouts, they might prescribe higher-strength regimens like antibiotics or medicines with tretinoin.
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they → prescribe → tretinoin
Isotretinoin may be an option if those medicines don’t work, or for cases of severe cystic acne.
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medicines → work → acne
Treatments for adult hormonal acne, particularly in women, can differ from what’s done for teens.
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what → differ → teens
Some dermatologists recommend birth control, which can help stabilize hormones, or treatments like spironolactone.
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which → recommend → spironolactone
Shots of cortisone can help treat active acne spots in a pinch, but they aren’t a long-term fix, Fine said.
Pimple patches containing a gel called hydrocolloid can absorb fluids from oozing pimples and stop you from picking at them.
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patches → help → them
Aguh said they are suited only for mild forms of acne; Fine said the patches have given some of her patients discoloration and she doesn’t recommend them.
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she → say → them
Treat discoloration with exfoliants and face washes
Experts say exfoliants and face washes containing glycolic acid can help discoloration fade.
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discoloration → treat → acid
Over-the-counter products containing adapalene and retinol creams can also help.
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products → contain → creams
For more serious scarring, dermatologists can recommend more aggressive treatments like lasers that probe deeper into the skin.
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that → recommend → skin
It can take time to develop the right treatment plan, and longer still to see results.
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It → take → results
…and 8 more, not listed.
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