What Is Cystic Acne And How Do You Treat It Quickly At Home?

We have all been bugged by acne multiple times. It is usually a minor nuisance treated quickly with medicated creams. However, things become a little serious when it comes to cystic acne.

Why?

Cystic acne is the most severe and painful form of acne that mostly affects teenagers and young men. It is caused by pus-filled cysts arising from deep within the skin areas of the face, arms, or torso.

This type of acne is relatively uncommon but poses a high risk of serious infections and lasting marks if you don’t apply proper cystic acne treatments timely.

If you feel you may have cystic acne or want to learn how to prevent it, you’re at the right place! This blog will cover its symptoms, causes, risk factors, prevention, and the simplest cystic acne treatments. Let’s begin!

Table of Contents

What Is Cystic Acne?

Cystic acne is the most severe type of acne that develops when cysts filled with pus penetrate deep within your skin and swell outwards. 

It usually results from a combination of sebum (natural bodily oil), bacteria, and dry skin cells that get trapped in your skin pores and form a blockage, leading to pus-filled cavities or cysts. These cysts often form as a result of infected hair follicles and appear as painful swellings below the epidermis (outer skin). 

The below diagram shows the basic formation process that any serious acne typically follows:

Cystic acne is more common among male teenagers and adults with oily skin (Waldman & Terzic, 2009). Its treatment involves various medications and skin care measures that you can apply easily at home after consulting with a dermatologist. To help you start, we will cover the symptoms and causes of this condition followed by its treatment methods.

What Are The Symptoms Of Cystic Acne?

Cystic acne symptoms are apparent and easy to identify if you know what to look for.

Here is a list of some common cystic acne symptoms that indicate that you may have the condition:

• Cystic acne is usually large compared to other acne and appears like boils or swellings on the skin. Another distinguishing factor is that you can feel cystic acne arising from deep within the skin instead of forming on top like most other acne.
• It appears as a large white or red bump that is tender or painful to the touch.
• They usually appear on the person’s face but may also form on the chest, back, neck, arms, or behind the ears.
• They may also connect to form cyst conglobates that can reach several centimetres in size. This usually results from the lack of proper treatment.

You can recognize cystic acne more easily with the below images. These show different types of acne:

What Causes Cystic Acne?

Cystic acne has a variety of causes and identifying the major causes of your acne is important for effective treatment and future prevention.

So, here are some of the most common cystic acne causes to help you zero in on the factors causing your acne:

• Being in a polluted, humid, or oily environment coupled with poor hygiene.
• Lack of a skincare routine that includes cleaning, exfoliating, moisturizing, and treatment (Ayer, 2006).
• Improper hair removal techniques lead to hair follicles getting infected.
• Using makeup for long durations without washing the face.
• Hormonal changes during puberty and teenage years.
• Excessive intake of sugary, fatty, or oily food.

What Are The Risk Factors For Cystic Acne?

Risk factors are conditions that may indicate that you are at a greater risk of developing cystic acne.

Let's check out the specific groups who are prone to developing cystic acne so you can take timely precautions to avoid it:

• Working or living in a polluted or unhygienic environment.
• Being of the adolescent age makes you susceptible to acne due to hormonal changes during the teenage years (Ayer, 2006). However, severe acne may sometimes be faced up to 40 years of age (Br J Dermatol, 1997). 
• Taking in certain food items(fatty foods) or medications regularly.
• A family history of acne, a stressful life, or hormonal disbalances (Ayer, 2006).

How Is Cystic Acne Treated?

Proper and timely cystic acne treatment is vital to avoid infections, conglobates, or lasting scars. But cystic acne treatment requires more time, precaution, and medication compared to the treatment of common acne. 

Over-the-counter medication and any home remedy for cystic acne may not be sufficient alone due to the severity of this acne type. So, you should also take the advice of a qualified dermatologist to ensure its complete and lasting treatment.

With the basics clear, let’s now come to the most effective cystic acne treatment methods-

Home remedy for cystic acne

You can apply various home remedies to potentially control the symptoms of cystic acne and resolve mild cases. However, you must remember such remedies are not a substitute for the necessary medical processes. So, any home remedy for cystic acne must be implemented after consulting a doctor.

Here are some effective home remedies you can try to help control cystic acne: 

• Apply ice gently to reduce swelling and irritation.
• Change your diet to remove all fatty, sugary, and oily items.
• Try probiotics to improve your gut health as better digestion improves your skin health (Frothingham, 2020).
• Take steam with the proper precautions to hydrate your skin.
• Cleanse your skin with highly diluted white vinegar and tea tree oil.
• Use turmeric masks to benefit from turmeric’s anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties (Frothingham, 2020).
• Keep the affected area of your skin clean and avoid popping or rubbing it.

Isotretinoin and Topical Retinoids

Isotretinoin is an effective prescription medication taken in tablet form daily. This popular cystic acne treatment is derived from vitamin A and takes up to eight months to completely resolve the cysts (Ayer, 2006).

Topical retinoids are a similar option derived from vitamin A that is used to reduce severe acne by unplugging hair follicles (Cherney, 2019).

Oral antibiotics 

Oral antibiotics are a useful option prescribed temporarily if the acne covers large parts of your skin and involves severe bacterial infection (Ayer, 2006). Your doctor may also prescribe you Antibiotic creams or azelaic/salicylic acid to eliminate bacteria and clean the pores (Cherney, 2019).

Spironolactone

Spironolactone is another prescription medication used for cystic acne treatment due to its anti-inflammatory and diuretic functions (Cherney, 2019).

Time

Yes, time is a major factor in any healing process as the body naturally resolves many disorders with the help of medications. You must follow the treatment without popping or rubbing the cysts, no matter how tempting it feels! This is because popping such cysts is likely to cause serious issues like infections, further cysts, and scarring. All these complications make removing severe acne scars quite challenging.

Note that the treatments discussed above may cause unwanted side effects on your health. If so, you must discontinue them and contact your dermatologist.

How To Prevent Cystic Acne?

Cystic acne poses various health risks while negatively impacting your appearance and self-image. So, there’s no doubt that cystic acne prevention is better than its cure!

The good news is that you can easily prevent this condition by following these simple cystic acne prevention tips-

• Avoid contact with pollutants and keep your skin clean by using face wash products. Cleansing is usually the first and most effective line of defence against all acne types (Zhang et al., 2020).
• Keep your skin moisturized and hydrated using moisturizers or through occasional steam.
• Use exfoliant creams or face masks to clean your skin pores.
• Avoid excessive intake of fatty, sugary, and oily items.
• Shave your hair gently and regularly to avoid pulled hair or damaged follicles.

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The Bottom Line

Apart from the unsightly appearance and constant discomfort, cystic acne causes severe infections and scarring if not treated timely. These symptoms can be very irritating and may even degrade your self-confidence in the long run.

So, this blog has covered every aspect of this skin condition starting from its meaning, causes, and symptoms to the best cystic acne treatments and prevention tricks. With these key tips and professional advice, you can easily get rid of cystic acne once and for all!