Every body at some point during and after the teens, suffer from acne. Also commonly called pimples this acne can be a white or black heads even pustule. A variety of acne that can cause disfigurement and embarrassment is the cystic acne. People with cystic acne are usually named as pizza faced as the skin around the acne turns bright red.

Acne occurs basically due to blockage in the hair follicles. Here, bacteria get trapped with other bodily excretions such as sebum and block the follicle. Sebum is oil secreted by sebaceous glands to retain the moisture of the skin. The blockage formed in cystic acne is quite deep. This causes redness of the skin around the follicle along with tenderness and pain. As opposed to the general understanding, cystic acne is not the result of poor hygiene but a combination of many.

Common Causes:

The exact bacterial infection responsible for cystic acne cannot be determined as no two cases of infection are same. It is very certain that cystic acne has hereditary connections. Which is quite an explanation to the fact that not every acne infection is cystic acne.

Cystic acne leaves a lot of scars. The scars are more deep and severe looking if they are picked or squeezed. By squeezing the pus not only oozes out but also a lot of it is shoved deep into the skin and worsens the situation. Hygiene does not aid the development of cystic acne but there is some research performed which point to the relation between cystic acne and diet and environmental factor.

Some other research has also pointed to cystic acne as a result of exposure to some toxins and excessive production of some hormones. Anabolic steroids have known to cause blockage of hair follicles and cause painful cystic acne. This can be treated with medications in combination with giving up the steroid.

Treatments available:

The most important part in the treating of cystic acne is not to pinch or squeeze them out. This will result in worsening of the situation. To help with all that tenderness and throbbing pain, a doctor should be consulted. The doctor will drain the pus with sterilized instrument and prescribe antibiotics for the infection.

In those special cases where the above treatment does not work, drugs such as Accutane is prescribed. It slowly treats the problem, but it is advised that accutane should be taken under medical supervision. In some cases aesthetic face treatments such as exfoliation and skin peelings helps in keeping cystic acne at bay. In some others a combination of these treatments works.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS