Cystic acne, or sometimes known as nodulocystic acne, is one of the most severe forms of acne vulgaris. One word of advice, as soon as you realize it's happening to you, visit your dermatologist as soon as it can affect your skin in the long term if left untreated.
Delay in doing will improve your chances of getting permanent acne scars since this form of acne is much more severe than other forms of acne. You can also look for specialist skin services to teat cystic acne.
Here are the most common cystic acne treatments:
a) Oral antibiotics: – The most common form you find these in is orally ingested pills. Your dermatologist will usually prescribe them in 3 monthly batches. Make sure you complete any given number of pills because you do not want the bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics.
b) Isotretinoin: – You may know this from the names of the more common brand them as Claravis, Roaccutane, Amnesteem, or even Isotane. It is also usually available in tablet form but costs more per treatment than antibiotics. These drugs give better results in treating cystic acne because they work through several different mechanisms.
c) Surgical excision and drainage: – Surgical excision and drainage is a cosmetic procedure that does not target the previously mentioned mechanism of acne. Because of the level of risk involved, it is generally not recommended unless your symptoms are considered severe enough.
e) Intralesional Injection: – This method works by reducing inflammation and lesion size by injection into your dermis layer. One added advantage of this method is that it has been found to reduce permanent acne scarring.