Cystic Acne – Causes and Treatment

July 29th, 2009 | Acne Causes, Acne Psychology, Acne Treatments, General Help Treating Acne

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Cystic acne treatment begins with an understanding of what cystic acne really is. Cystic acne is also known as nodulocystic acne and is, quite basically, a severe type of acne. It consists of inflamed breakouts that can occur not only on the face but also on other parts of the body.

The blemishes can be quite substantial. Some may even be several centimetres wide. Cysts are the most severe manifestation of an acne blemish. They can be both uncomfortable and painful, and appear as soft bumps under the skin’s surface.

Some individuals may also develop nodules – firm bumps of varying sizes under the skin’s surface. These nodules can often cause damage that takes some time to heal.

These are the symptoms of cystic acne, but what causes it?

Causes

Cystic acne is actually attributed to the same causes of acne in general. Sebaceous glands produce excess oil, dead skin cells block pores, a predominance of bacteria on the skin that cause acne, and a susceptibility to infections.

Inflamed blemishes happen when a follicle wall breaks and an infected substance finds its way into the dermis. The depth of this break impacts the severity of the resulting blemish. If the infected substance infects nearby follicles then nodules can develop.

Similarly, cystic acne blemishes develop when there is a deep break in the follicle wall and a membrane grows around the infection.

Effects

This type of cystic breakout causes damage to healthy skin tissues. Because of this, these breakouts often result in scarring of the skin. Touching and picking at cystic acne should avoided at all times, as it will only make the situation worse. You may contribute to the scarring that you are trying to avoid and often spread the bacteria or infection.

Psychologically, cystic acne can also make you shy away from social situations. This is the most difficult impact of it to live with. You may find yourself limiting your lifestyle just because you are not happy with your appearance. This is obviously not the best option, and you should always be looking to improve your lifestyle sooner rather than later. Tempus fugit.

Treating Cystic Acne

Treatment can help to decrease the immediate symptoms and the damage that your skin experiences in the form of scarring. For this type of acne, prescribed medications are often necessary. The first attempt at treatment is not always successful, but with subsequent attempts progress can often be made. Accutane is generally the treatment of choice offered by most medical practitioners for cystic acne, but as you probably already know there are numerous possible sideeffects to consider.

Personally, I am a firm believer that a healthy, properly functioning body can deal with almost any ailment. If you achieve and maintain a healthy pH balance (6.5 – 7 pH) then you will find that the majority of sicknesses disappear or can be prevented. If you are interested in avoiding serious medications to treat your cystic acne I suggest switching to a raw vegetable diet for at least a month and trying to keep active with some regular, intensive exercise. Of course, despite its frequent success and the definite improvement you will see there is always the off-chance this won’t eliminate your cystic acne completely, but if nothing else then you will at least feel a lot better, both physically and mentally.

Some other possible treatments include oral antibiotics, surgical intervention or drainage, intralesional corticosteroid injections and sometimes oral contraceptives for female patients. These treatments may or may not be effective on their own, or they may need to be combined to fully combat your cystic acne.

Just because your first attempt at dealing with cystic acne does not work, that does not mean that no further attempts will either. You do not have to just accept cystic acne. Be persistent. There are many treatments available, and you can always work with a doctor to find an effective treatment regimen for you if no other remedies are working.

Cystic acne treatment can help you in getting your lifestyle back. Resist the negativity that is being put out there by other sufferers; they have given up. By seeking treatment you can make progress toward clearing up your skin. And with clearer skin and the consequential renewed confidence you will see that I was right.