Cystic Acne
Acne is caused by the excessive oil and dead skin accumulation on the skin. There are various kind of acne and one of the worst form of acne is called cystic acne. These are swollen pustules that are formed on the surface of the skin. The cystic acne is the most painful form of acne. These cannot be cured by the over the counter products or devices like Zeno Clearing device. They need medical attention.
Cysts are most commonly red pustules in appearance but they are swollen and filled with pus. The cause for the cystic acne is almost similar to that acne. They are formed for the same reason. At times they are caused by the hormonal changes as well.
Cysts at times may also resemble a nodule. The only difference is that a cyst is pus filled and a nodule is not. Cysts are classified by having a diameter of 5mm. There are other kinds of acne as well, which can be classified by cysts.
There are other various types of uncommon acne, which are very painful and cyst like. This includes Acne Conglobata, this mostly found in males. This is a very uncommon form of acne. These are mostly characterized by large lesions on the body, which at times can be interconnected.
Acne Conglobata is most found in men in the age group of 18 to 30 years old. This kind of acne can only be treated by isotretinoin, better known as Accutane. It is available with a prescription only.
One of the other uncommon acne is called Acne Fulminans. This is found among male teens. In this acne the sufferer gets severe nodulocystic. This is different from other acne as this is accompanied by fever and joint pains that accompany this form of acne. The only prescription medicine for this condition is also found in Accutane, though the drug has severe side effects.
The nodulocystic acne damages and destroys the healthy skin tissue and thus there are a lot of chances of the acne leaving a scar behind.
There are a school of researchers who believe that cystic acne can be hereditary in nature. There is no particular age for getting an acne. It usually appears on the skin with the onset of puberty but it is common among people in their 20s and 30s as well. It is a common occurrence among pregnant women after the delivery.
If you suffer from cystic acne then you should always remember that the pus filled pustule should never be picked or squeezed ever. If the cystic acne is squeezed or picked then there are chances that it will leave a permanent mark behind. At times the cystic acne can also start to bleed if it is picked.
Cystic acne can be treated by various treatments but the most important thing to do before starting the treatment is to consult a dermatologist, who can further assist in the healing process.
Acne is treated by killing the bacteria that infects the follicles. In cystic acne that problem is treated at the cause by making the sebaceous glands to produce less of oil. There is a specialized treatment for this. It includes using a specialized blue frequency light with aminolevulinic acid, which is better known as ALA. This process is called photodynamic therapy.
The therapy starts with applying Levulan to the skin for about 30 to 45 minutes. When this is absorbed in the skin the ALA is activated by the use of a special blue light that is used on the skin. The ALA is absorbed by the active cells such as Acneic sebaceous glands. The blue light helps the sebaceous glands to shut and not producing excessive oil.
The therapy helps in reducing the oilness in the skin. The texture of the skin increases as the therapy is followed by a Photodynamic Acne treatment.
The skin might be a little red and peeling after the photodynamic treatment as the old skin sheds and the new skin stars to appear on the skin. It is also advised that there should be no exposure to the sun for the 48 hours after one goes through the therapy.
The other forms of acne that are cysts like are Gram Negative, Folliculitis and the other is Pyoderma, Faciale. This occurs only in females and is known to have large nodules, pustules and cysts.
