A significant proportion of people experience acne during adulthood, with greater numbers of women than men being affected.
A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology looked at 1,013 men and women aged 20 years and over.
Study participants were asked to complete a questionnaire providing details on whether they had experienced acne and, if so, whether the condition had become better, worse or remained the same since their teenage years.
The survey found that the reported incidence of acne was significantly higher among women than men for every age group beyond the teenage years.
For example, 50.9 per cent of women experienced acne during their 20s compared with 42.5 per cent of men, and 15.3 per cent of women had acne beyond their 50th birthday compared with just 7.3 per cent of men.
Dr Julie Harper, associate professor of dermatology at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, said that there is a general misconception that acne only affects teenagers.
"As dermatologists, we treat acne patients of all ages - from those who have experienced acne since they were teenagers to others who have developed the condition for the first time as adults," she revealed.
The expert said that further research may help to explain why more adult women are affected by acne and could potentially lead to future treatments to control the condition.
A significant proportion of people experience acne during adulthood, with greater numbers of women than men being affected.
