Cystic Acne Treatment
Acne can be a problem for anyone having the misfortune to suffer from it. For some, however, acne can be a much bigger problem than for others. Those with the more severe form of acne referred to as cystic acne require a more immediate and intensive treatment than those with less severe forms of acne.
Cystic acne is characterized by boils, or cysts, which originate much deeper in the skin than typical acne pimples. A cyst is a sac like lesion which is filled with white blood cells, dead cells and bacteria. Acne cysts can be anywhere from the size of a pimple to over 5mm across and are quite painful.
Left untreated the cysts will continue to grow and eventually burst. At this point they become very sensitive to infection and essentially increase in number. Without treatment the cycle will tend to repeat itself. The potential for deep and long term scarring is also much greater with cystic acne than less benign forms of acne. For these reasons it is imperative that one see their personal physician or (ideally) a dermatologist immediately after an outbreak of cystic acne. The sooner treatment is initiated and the infection is held in check, the greater the chances of minimizing deep scarring.
Your physician may treat severe cystic acne with powerful antibiotics that are especially formulated to treat acne. Depending on the severity of the acne other possibilities for treatment include incision and drainage, corticosteroid injection, or treatment with a synthetic retinoid. The retinoid drug Isotretinoin is perhaps one of the most effective acne treatments available. Unfortunately there are a number of side effects (some serious) which limit the number of people that can utilize the drug.
It is important to avoid the temptation to squeeze the pimples, as this will greatly increase the potential for scarring. Cystic acne tends to heal somewhat slowly because the infection waste is not discharged. It is very important to completely follow your doctors treatment instructions for the full period of time he or she prescribes.