I'm an adult! Why do I have acne? | CBC's The Dose

TED Health

TED

Health & Fitness, Fitness, Shoshana Ungerleider, Medicine, How To Be Healthier, Ted Shoshana, Ted Talks Health

4.2 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 2 September 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

While most people think of acne as a skin condition for adolescents, it can also develop in adults. In this bonus episode from CBC’s The Dose, host Dr. Brian Goldman speaks with the head of dermatology at Dalhousie University, Dr. Kerri Purdy. She shares some of the risk factors for acne (genes and hormones, not necessarily diet) as well as the latest treatments.

The Dose from CBC Podcasts provides a weekly look at the health news that matters to you. Dr. Brian Goldman brings you the best science from top experts in plain language. He cuts through the BS and confusion to give you a dose of smart advice that you won’t find anywhere else.

Find The Dose wherever you get your podcasts, or here: https://link.mgln.ai/TEDxTheDose

For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	They did it again. Flower, instead of flowers, on my birthday. And 95 minutes late, but it's hard to leave when you've shared so much. Your postcode, your gluten intolerance. Then I saw it. 25% off your first Akado shop, plus free delivery. And I just knew I'd found the online supermarket of my dreams.
0:21.8	Arcado, life delivered.
0:23.5	Geographical restrictions, mined spend 60 pounds, and charges apply.
0:26.7	Max saving 20 pounds, new customers only.
0:28.8	Terms at Accardo.com.
0:33.4	Hey, it's Shoshana.
0:34.8	Today I'm sharing another podcast you may like called The Dose from
0:38.1	CBC Podcasts. Every Thursday, Dr. Brian Goldman cuts through the confusion to deliver credible
0:43.4	health news you can use. They ask questions like, are certain blood types really in more danger?
0:49.5	Should we be anxious about ibuprofen? And will warmer weather really bring some respite?
0:55.1	In today's episode, Dr. Brian Goldman explores a subject that can be touchy for a lot of people,
1:00.0	acne, particularly adult acne. And while it's a skin condition usually associated with teens,
1:06.0	it can develop at any stage of life. He speaks with Dr. Carey Purdy, the head of dermatology
1:11.3	at Dalhousie University, as she explains some of the risk factors
1:14.4	for acne and how to treat it.
1:16.6	Here's the dose with more.
1:26.2	Hi, I'm Dr. Brian Goldman. Welcome to the dose. Acne is a skin condition that most of us know pretty well. It affects almost everyone at some point in their lives. Mild for some, severe for others. Most of us can remember getting breakouts during puberty, during adolescence, teenage years,
1:46.6	but it's a condition that also shows up rather frequently in adults.
1:51.8	So this week we are asking, I'm an adult. Why do I have acne?
1:56.3	Hi, Carrie. Welcome to the dose.
1:58.0	Hi, Brian. Thanks for having me.
1:59.7	When adults with acne come to see you, how often do they reference their teenage years?
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from TED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of TED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.