Acne cyst is the most severe form of acne vulgaris, which is one of the most widespread skin disorder found to happen among adolescents as well as adults throughout the world. Severe acne conditions are often characterized by deep inflamed cysts and nodules which eventually cause profound damages to the skin texture leading to unsightly scarring. It is extremely important to understand the origin and nature of this traumatic acne condition before you could design a perfect treatment regimen to thwart the formation of severe acne blemishes and clear up existing scars.
Symptoms of Acne Cyst
Cystic acne is the most agonizing type of severe acne blemishes. These are very large, bumpy, soft, and mostly dome shaped lumps. These pus filled infected acne lesions are often inflamed and intensely painful in nature. Acne cysts frequently appear over the facial area, neck, scalp, back, shoulders, and chest which might cause deep and serious infection if not treated in time.
What Causes the Severe Acne Cysts?
Although the exact cause behind acne formation is still unknown, however most of the eminent scientists and dermatologists believe that the main cause behind acne formation is the unusual surge in sebum (body oil) secretion by sebaceous glands. These glands are embedded underneath the epidermal layer of skin below hair follicles and they ooze body oil through hair follicles which after reaching the skin surface keep our cutaneous layer soft, smooth, cool, and moist.
At the onset of puberty the erratic behavior of male hormones along with some other physiochemical activities influence sebaceous glands to discharge excess sebum into the skin pores. The skin pores get clogged up due to the overflow of body oil commingled with piled up dead skin cells and consequently acne microcomedones show up all over the skin.
This excellent bacterial breeding ground triggers the explosion of skin dwelling Propionibacterium acnes bacteria, thereby causing irritation inside blocked pores. Thus innocent looking microcomedones turn into swelled and inflamed comedones which burst open the follicle wall and spill around causing the adjoining follicles infected by P. acnes bacteria. Thus the whole affected area deep beneath the skin layer gets intensely inflamed and pus filled developing from a few harmless bumps into the painful acne cysts and nodules which further burst open and create inflammation and pus in the surrounding infected tissues.
Are You Prone to acne cyst?
Although cystic acne might invade the happy and peaceful life of anyone in our surroundings, however it has been found that it bears a link with our family background. If your parents or other family members are affected by this severe acne lesion then there is a possibility that you are also going to be hit by acne cysts.
How to get rid of cystic acne
This tormenting form of acne lesions could be cured successfully if the treatment procedure sets off in time. A number of physical and medicinal procedures are performed by the physicians to clean out these acne blemishes.
Oral retinoid
Oral retinoid is known to be the most effective medication for healing cystic acne lesions. This is a synthetic derivative of vitamin A which possesses miraculous medicinal properties to cure acne blemishes root and branch. Also known as isotretinoin or Accutane, this medication acts in multifaceted way. It minimizes the size of sebaceous glands which in turn reins in the excess secretion of body oil. As an antibacterial agent isotretinoin obliterates the proliferation of P. acnes bacteria, which helps to prevent the inflammation and possible rupture of acne cysts beneath the skin surface. This oral drug also helps in normalizing the abnormal exuviations of skin cells, thereby preventing further blocking up of skin pores.
Nevertheless this medication imposes some serious side effects which include infliction of severe birth defect in unborn babies, dryness of skin and mouth, dry nose, thinning of hair, reddish and irritating eyes, muscle aches, vomiting, and psychological disorders like depression which could even turn into suicidal tendencies in some cases. Without proper guidance of a professional practitioner you should not take isotretinoin drugs, otherwise you might end up with serious illness.
Oral antibiotics of Acne Cyst
For decades oral antibiotics are utilized to heal acne cysts. Doxycline, erythromycin, minocycline, and tetracycline are some of the popular drugs of this kind which are immensely effective in blotting out P. acnes bacteria from blocked pores thereby alleviating the associated inflammation and other acne symptoms.
Oral contraceptives
These are nonetheless useful for women acne sufferers who are looking for a perfect acne medication without hampering their sex life. Birth control pills efficiently get hold of the male hormone production which subsequently minimizes the rate of sebum secretion reducing the likelihood of acne breakouts. A combination of isotretinoin and oral contraceptive is often prescribed to treat cystic acne.
Injection
Intralesional corticosteroid injections are quite useful in “drying up” acne cysts. Dermatologists often inject low concentrated corticosteroid solution inside the pus filled inflamed lumps which in turn rapidly exsiccate the semi-liquid substance preventing further disastrous effect of severe acne condition.
Surgical treatment
Sometimes severe cystic acne does not respond to traditional treatment procedures and the situation gets aggravated drastically. In such a condition physicians usually prefer to remove the whole infected area through surgical excision.
