One of the severest forms of the condition known as acne is cystic acne. The condition starts with lumps which develop beneath the surface of the sufferer’s skin, and are referred to as nodules. If the sufferer attempts to squeeze the nodules the nodules result in severe and painful lesions that cause permanent scarring for the sufferer.
Cystic Acne Causes
If a person develops the nodules associated with this condition and these are not treated they will grow and are one of the main cystic acne causes. Untreated nodular acne becomes inflamed and swollen with pus, this can damage the follicular wall, which then ruptures under the skin and releases the pus. The pus from the nodules contains bacteria which leaks under the skin and multiplies, producing even more inflammation. The body attempts to fight off the bacteria and inflammation and the cysts occur as a result of the immune system’s attempts to inhibit the infection, this then sets up a vicious cycle.
Eventually the process of infection and inflammation is repeated, which results in the formation of even more pus. The cysts in cystic acne are formed because of the immune system working to control the infection and prevent it from spreading even further under the skin. The cystic acne spreads into the surrounding tissue when the skin becomes inflamed and results in the formation of cysts that grow bigger with each cycle. The severity and extent of cystic acne vary and may appear together with symptoms of other types of acne, for example nodules, comedones and blackheads or whiteheads. See cystic acne pictures below.
Cystic Acne Treatment
Cystic acne treatment can vary widely. There are a number of options that your doctor may consider; the real problem is that cystic acne is practically impossible to control. Dermatologists may begin by prescribing acne antibiotics, for example, Minocycline, Tetracycline and Erythromycin in cystic acne treatment. Although antibiotics can slow down the inflammation they can’t stop the infection from coming back and they can’t help the body to get rid of the cyst. Women sufferers of cystic acne may be given contraceptive pills to counteract the excess progesterone that caused the development of cystic acne.
Accutane is a medication with potential dangers and care needs in its use because of some of the nasty side effects; nonetheless, it has proved helpful in a large number of cases. Your doctor may decide to try and reduce the size of the lesions by prescribing steroids and in very severe cases the cysts may need to be drained but this is not very effective. There are a number of holistic remedies that may be used to treat cystic acne that are aimed at dealing with and eliminating the underlying causes of the condition.
Such methods can stop the acne and prevent further recurrent episodes. Some of these methods are designed to deal with causes on an individual basis and by addressing diet and hormonal issues that may have been the root cause of the acne, restore proper balance to the body.
