About 80 percent of teenagers are affected by acne between the ages of 13 and 17. However, about five percent of women and one percent of men aged 25 to 40 continue to develop acne (late-onset acne).

The processes that cause acne are exactly the same in people with all skin colours but the impact of acne can be worse if you have darker skin

Acne is caused by overactivity of the sebaceous glands that secrete oily substances on to your skin.

Treatment for acne

There is a range of treatment options to help treat acne. As acne can't be cured, treatments aim to control the symptoms by:

• preventing new spots forming
• improving those already present
• preventing scaring
• improving scaring & skin condition