How Do I Know if I Have Cystic Acne?

Acne is something that no individual ever wants to suffer from.  It can be embarrassing and a huge blow to your self esteem.  While mild cases of acne can be treated rather quickly, forms of acne like cystic acne can be painful and require additional care.

Cystic Acne is something that while it is actually still considered Acne Vulgaris, it is the more severe level of this form of acne.  This particular level of acne has two different components that make it up and they are nodules and cysts.

The reason this type of acne is categorize differently is because of the form that it takes on.  Instead of being a lesion, severe acne vulgaris is something that can easily lead to scarring.  Nodules will be much larger than the typical whitehead and will actually be buried under the skin.  They are very painful to the touch and can cause deep scarring.

If you see something that appears to be a nodule, but it is filled with puss, you are suffering from cystic acne.  The diameter of it will be larger than 5mm and it will be extremely painful to the touch. There is often a temptation to pop it, but that would be a huge mistake.

The reason that you do not pop a cyst is because it, just like the nodule, can lead to deep scarring that will need very costly procedures to eliminate.  You also run the risk of an infection if you break the skin open.  This is not a whitehead, the open space will be much larger and the chance of infection is increased dramatically.

If you find that you are suffering from this, you will want to make an appointment with a dermatologist as soon as possible.  They can prescribe medications or give you treatments that will decrease the swelling to the point that you may not suffer from future scarring that is very typical for someone that has this form of acne.

Cystic Acne is something that you should not take lightly.  Doing so can leave your face or other areas where you have this with deep scarring that will be there for the rest of your life.  The temptation to pop it is something that many cannot resist, but they learn quickly that this is not the way to go.  Seek treatment and allow your doctor to take care of it the proper way.