Everything You Need To Know About Cystic Acne From Symptoms To Causes.

The most severe type of Acne, Cystic Acne, is a condition that mainly affects the skin causing inflammation and infection. Please keep reading to know everything there is to know about them.

What is Cystic Acne?

When the hair follicles in your skin start feeling plugged with dead skin cells and oil is called Acne. It is most common among teenagers but might affect people of other ages. Cystic Acne is a severely inflamed Acne that might cause agonizing pimples filled with pus to form deep under the skin. Bacteria might also enter these pores and cause severe inflammation and swelling. This Acne is agonizingly painful and will most probably leave behind scars.

Why Does A Person Develop Cystic Acne?

The most severe Acne is developed when cysts form deep under our skin. This formation can be a mixture of oil, bacteria, and dry skin cells stuck in our pores. Our skin pores have Sebaceous glands, which secrete an oily substance known as sebum. Usually, the sebum secretions help the skin protect the hair follicles and the skin, but sometimes overproduction of sebum and overgrowth in the skin cells leads to plugged pores. These conditions are perfect for the overgrowth of Acne. Even though Acne can form in anyone, it most commonly develops in people with oily skin.

Some causes of Cystic Acne are as follows:

Age: most common in Teenagers
Genetics
Family history of the condition
Hormonal changes: usually through the teenage years, sometimes through menopause, sometimes because of birth control, and sometimes because of stress.

Even though it goes away with age, the painful and stubborn bumps might not be so easy to get rid of. The best choice if you suspect Cystic Acne is your dermatologist. They might prescribe the necessary medication to aid in clearing your skin of the bumps and prevent scars.

How To Identify Cystic Acne?

Apart from being the most severe Acne, Cystic Acne is usually the most profound in the skin. The other kinds of Acne usually develop on top of the skin’s surface.

To identify this skin condition, you should look for boils on your skin. Some other characteristics of Cystic Acne are as follows:

Large cysts filled with pus
Large bumps, usually white
Shallow depressions on the skin
Some redness
The cysts are painful and tender to the church

The most common and noticeable places where acne cysts develop are their face, but they also develop on the neck, arms, chest, and back. It might even develop behind the ears and on the shoulders.

Treatment of Cystic Acne

Now that we’ve discussed the most common causes of Cystic Acne and how it presents, we can move on to treatment choices when it comes to this skin condition. Treatment of this severe kind of Acne needs the help of a dermatologist or a specialist doctor.

Moderate or mild Acne can be managed with a doctor’s help, whereas severe Acne, like ones characterized by cysts, needs to be treated by a specialist since it might leave scars. Here are the most common treatment options when it comes to cystic Acne.

Isotretinoin Drug Treatment

Isotretinoin is considered the most effective treatment for cystic Acne. It is a powerful prescription medicine derived from a powerful form of Vitamin A. It is usually taken as a tablet every day.

Some effects of the use of Isotretinoin are as follows:

Genital and eye dryness
Chapped lips
Joint pains
Depression
Liver damage
Elevated lipid levels

As many as 85% of the people who choose Isotretinoin as their treatment option experience improvements in 4-6 months but there are also many risk factors associated with it. Here are some things that should be consulted with the doctor if experienced during this treatment process.

New or worsening mood disorders
Inflammatory bowel disease
Persistent headaches
Persistent nosebleeds
Skin inflammation
Bloody urine
Joint and muscle pain

Isotretinoin is a teratogenic drug that cannot be taken during pregnancy since it might lead to congenital deformities.

Oral Antibiotic Treatment.

Another prevalent treatment method is Oral antibiotics. This treatment method is considered when cystic Acne covers an extensive area of your skin. This treatment method works by decreasing inflammation and bacteria that might contribute to the formation of acne cysts. This treatment should only be used in the short term because of some concerns about bacterial resistance. If this treatment method is not practical, your doctor might recommend that you switch to the Isotretinoin treatment method. Some possible side effects of this treatment method are as follows:

Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Nausea
Vomiting
Sensitivity to sun

These were some of the most common treatment methods used when it comes to the treatment of cystic Acne. Still, there are also many other treatment methods like Spironolactone, Topical retinoids, Benzoyl peroxide, or steroid injections. The treatment method depends on your doctor and your needs for the treatment.

One lasting thing you need to know about Cystic Acne is the scarring risks.

Scarring Risks

Among all the other Acne, Cystic Acne is most likely to leave behind some scarring. The best way to avoid scarring is to leave the cysts alone, no matter how much you want to pop or pick at them. Moreover, picking at these cysts might worsen your condition by spreading infections. So, try and stay away from your acne cysts. Other than that, there are a few things you can try after your Acne is more controlled: