In this article will clarify some helpful information about
How to get rid of cystic acne fast and in a safe way that might help you deal with this painful acne. Acne is a common skin disorder that can affect people worldwide. In some mild to moderate cases, you can try anti-acne treatment OTC products out there for treating your current acne at least. But if when it turns out to be acne cysts, you need to extremely seek advice from your dermatologist, and fast. Be calm, acne cysts can be cured and prevented. Let's start at the beginning.
What is cystic acne?
Cystic acne is the most severe form of common acne that deeply forms under the surface of your skin. It can be quite painful, and it does not come to a head like common acne or pimples. In severe cases, it can be very painful. If you left untreated, it can highly leave acne scars on the face.
What is the appearance of Cystic Acne?
The general form of acne cyst is a very large inflamed lesion which is filled with pus, when you compare it with blackheads and whiteheads. Cystic acne can vary in shape and color from small and pink to huge and redness. It is quite hard to treat, mostly because people are likely to seek best treatment for acne cysts late and often choose to use their own remedies first.
What causes cystic acne?
Typically, the cause of cystic acne is no different than common acne. This kind of acne is generally triggered by hormonal imbalance, hereditary factors, over-production of sebum, excess dead skin cells in pores, stress, and of course squeezing/picking the affected areas. It is said to be the worst kind of acne that no one wants. However, cystic acne is different from common acne because it forms underneath the skin tissue.
Talking about the formation of cystic acne, it is the outcome of common acne or pimples that has developed into a cyst under the skin. Or the small nodules which form under the skin and gradually harden into cysts. And at this time the cyst got infected by the skin bacteria deep inside the skin. When getting the right time, you will experience the terribly painful and unpleasant acne.
How to treat cystic acne:
When confronting with cystic acne, you have to admit the fact that it is quite hard to treat this type of acne because the pus hardly passes through the skin pores as it lies underneath the skin. Keep in mind,
treatment of cystic acne including severe inflammatory acne needs the help of a dermatologist.
These days, it seems like acne medications play a part in preventing cysts and even scarring very significantly. But, there are still alternative treatments that are available at this time. Anyway it's a good idea to search all your options in order to prepare yourself before going to discuss with a doctor.
Here are effective treatments for cystic acne:
Over-the-counter (OTC) acne medications:
In case you are not sure about how severe your current acne condition is. Plus you need time or whatever to make a decision on whether to seek help from a doctor or not. In the meantime you can use OTC acne products to relieve your current condition. Commonly, over the counter (OTC) products contain benzoyl peroxide and/or salicylic acid as vital ingredients.
As you already know benzoyl peroxide can treat acne with any severity, and it is a good choice while waiting for a decision on this issue. It can help to stop excess oil build-up from clogging the skin pores and kill skin bacteria which result in reducing formation of acne.
But if you see swollen and inflamed acne appear on the skin, and/or you see nothing happen on the skin after 4 weeks of using any OTC acne products. You need to see a dermatologist immediately for seeking the best treatment for cystic acne. Unfortunately, in many cases with acne cysts, using over-the-counter acne products cannot improve the skin condition at all.
Prescription oral antibiotics
According to some skin care experts, one highly recommended effective treatment on cystic acne is taking oral antibiotics. Since whatever products you put on your skin cannot cure cystic acne. That’s because acne cysts need to be treated from the inside out with proper medications. Still, oral antibiotics have been proven for treating severe acne for years.
There are numerous types of oral antibiotics available for treating acne cysts. But, you need to carefully discuss with your dermatologist in order to choose the proper medicine for your condition. And then a doctor will prescribe the best medicines for dealing with your acne cysts. Common prescribed medicines are tetracycline, minocycline and doxycycline. However, to get the best results, oral antibiotics should be used together with topical acne products formulated to treat severe acne.
In addition, Antibiotics work by stopping the “P. acnes (Propionibacterium acnes)”, which it is some kind of skin bacteria, consequently relieves inflammation of acne. Keep in mind, while taking antibiotics; this can make the "P. acnes" bacteria gradually become resistant to the drugs. To avoid this issue, most dermatologists recommended that you should taper off those antibiotics when your skin conditions get improved or when you obviously see your acne become worse again — usually, around 3 to 4 months. Once the resistance happens, another antibiotic will be prescribed or another treatment may be a good option.
All medicines have side effects including oral antibiotics. Some side effects can be more severe than others. Possible side-effects of oral antibiotics include rash, headache, dizziness, nausea, possible liver damage, and even discoloration of the skin. That’s why you need to seek advice from your doctor very closely.
Isotretinoin
To be blunt, after you have tried everything else and failed. You might consider isotretinoin to treat cystic acne as a last resort.
What is isotretinoin?
Isotretinoin is a retinoid, meaning it is derived from vitamin A. It can reduce the amount of oil (sebum) secreted by oil glands inside the skin, and can improve healing process of the skin.
To make clear, isotretinoin works by controlling the production of secreted oils (sebum), then this can keep the skin pores from clogging at first, as a result, the current cystic acne is given time to heal as the infections of acne will be massively reduced because of a lesser amount of sebum. Besides it can speed up the natural shedding of skin cells, so this will help the skin renew itself very quickly. That’s how can isotretinoin help your acne dilemma get better.
Isotretinoin is a very effective medication reserved for the treatment of severe inflammatory acne as it is well-known under the brand names e.g.
Accutane, Absorica, Amnesteem, Claravis and Sotret. That’s being said, after 15 to 20 weeks of taking isotretinoin, acne cysts can completely be cured in almost acne sufferers. Moreover, it can efficiently treat stubborn acne that is hard to be treated with other medications and treatments.
What is the most important thing I need to know about isotretinoin?
If you are pregnant, never use this drug. To clarify, the most serious possible side effects associated with using isotretinoin include birth defects and serious mental health problems from depressed mood by the changes in the skin’s appearance. Here are some of other side effects of isotretinoin that you might experience such as dry lips, dry nose, dry eyes, joint pain, back pain, dizzy, drowsy, and even nervous.
In addition, if you have any symptoms of depression such as sleep problems, trouble concentrating, changes in behavior, loss of appetite, and thoughts of suicide or hallucinations. It’s better to consult your doctor fast.
See, you need to talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the side effects of isotretinoin. Remember,
as it is a strong drug, taking this medicine only if you have no choice.
For updates and for any questions about any medications you are taking, you can visit FDA website at
www.fda.gov.
For additional information on specific medications, visit Drugs@FDA at
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/drugsatfda.
Cortisone or Steroid injection technique
Basically, the acne cyst can probably be treated with oral antibiotics and topical acne medication with the help of your doctor for now. But, in some cases e.g. severe acne cyst, to help cysts relief, the dermatologists may decide to use a steroid shot by injecting the inflammatory cyst with a diluted corticosteroid in order to aid in the regulation of inflammations. This can reduce the infection of cysts and boost the healing process of the cystic acne very effectively. But, it is quite expensive and can cause the skin thin than usual.
Drainage and surgical excision
In this method, your dermatologist, who are trained in this technique, will puncture and drain the cysts under sterile conditions. It is usually used on some severe cases that have very large cysts and oppose acne medications. So, the cysts need to be drained and extracted as fast as possible. Keep in mind; do not try to drain acne cysts by yourself. Drainage and extraction should not be performed by acne sufferers because it can lead to more infections and have a chance to cause acne scars.
How can I prevent Cystic Acne at home?
Believe it or not, keeping a healthy skin care routine is a key point to prevent cystic acne. Skin care measures to prevent acne worse may be effective options for anyone with acne including cystic acne. Moreover, if you keep up your skin care regimen, acne cysts might be vanished for good.
On the other hand, keeping your skin clean, clear and acne-free takes time, effort, skin care products and of course the proper regimen. Even with proper skin care, you may probably get acne at some point. Once it occurs, follow these tips may help boost up healing process and minimize acne scarring.
Here are some skin care tips for Cystic Acne Sufferers at home:
DO keep the affected area clean - twice a day is fine - do not wash your face too often, it is better to use a water-soluble or mild cleanser with lukewarm water.
DO be gentle with your face - when washing the face you should not scrub or rub it too hard in order to avoid irritation and redness on the skin.
DO exfoliate your skin once or twice a week – This method will peel off the top layers of the skin to reveal younger and good-looking skin. You can choose products with a salicylic acid (BHA) based exfoliant as well as a glycolic acid (AHA). This can relieve redness, swelling in the skin and reduce bacteria in the pore too.
DO apply a moisturizer after washing your face – When you clean the face, this can reduce the natural moisture in the skin. And then the skin's gland will begin to secrete more oils to compensate it, result in more acne breakouts. You can use non-comedogenic, light moisturizers to fix that issue.
DO keep things simple – Most acne sufferers feel distress because they are helpless to control their situations particularly for cystic acne. Getting rid of acne takes time, but it can be accomplished by accepting the help from your dermatologist and your effort. You have to stick with the directions on a daily basis and to believe that good things will probably happen.
DON'T pop acne and pimples.
DON'T squeeze whiteheads and blackheads.
DON'T scratch at healing acne lesions.
DON'T wear heavy makeup.
DON'T leave makeup overnight.
Natural treatments to get rid of cystic acne:
Some people decide to choose natural ways to
cure cystic acne. Natural treatments can help you properly treat your skin without side-effects of medications.
Here are some natural treatments that may improve the condition of your skin.
Eating a healthy diet
Honey mask
Essential oils
Yoga or meditation techniques
Sleep well
These are just a few of
the natural ways of treatment for cystic acne. No matter what method of treatment you decide to try,Keep in mind; you should always consult your doctor.
Summary:
Believe it or not, the best way to get rid of cystic acne and prevent it from forming is patient. You have to keep away from doing these actions for example pick, pinch and squeeze the current acne at the early stage of the formation.
Why does it help cystic acne? That’s because you can avoid a deeper irritation of current acne cyst, and also reduce intense pains which are caused by inflammatory acne. Moreover, once acne cysts become severely inflamed, soon it will rupture and acne scarring will occur. So, it’s a good way to prevent it at the first place.
Cystic Acne is very painful; no one wants to face it. Somehow, the above information, “
How to get rid of cystic acne fast and in a safe way”, may help you through a very difficult time. Hopefully, you won’t have a chance to deal with that unpleasant situation.
This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advice and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for your medical concerns. Please follow any tip given in this article only after consulting your doctor. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from information obtained from this article.