As an introduction to home remedies for cystic acne, let’s cover the definition and causes. Nodulocystic acne, usually referred to as simply cystic acne, is a severe form of acne. Symptoms include deep, inflamed and pus-filled breakouts.
Cystic acne is categorized by two features: nodules and cysts. Nodules are hard lumps located under the surface of the skin. These lumps are often larger than pimples and can be painful and last for months. Cysts are similar to nodules but are filled with pus. They are also often painful.
Cystic acne can affect anyone, but teenagers, young adults and menopausal women are the most affected. The fluctuating hormones experienced during pregnancy also tend to produce the condition. The degree of the condition will vary among each person, as will the type of home remedies for cystic acne required.
Causes of Cystic Acne
What causes cystic acne? This form of acne has the same causes as the milder, garden-variety acne—it’s the overactive oil glands and excess dead skin cells within the hair follicles, mixed with a large number of bacteria feeding on it all that creates the trouble. The follicle wall ruptures (the blemishes appear due to this) and the infected content spreads into the dermis, infecting adjoining follicles and causing the nodules to develop.
It is better if this rupture occurs near the skin surface—it will more likely be a minor blemish that tends to heal faster. The deeper the rupture, the more damage will occur. Cysts and nodules also both start from deep breaks in the follicle wall. The infected material develops a membrane and takes the form of a cyst.
Home Remedies For Cystic Acne | Prevention
Heredity can play a role in determining who develops cystic acne and to what degree. But like other forms of acne, eating a healthy diet and attending to personal hygiene can help eliminate or lessen the symptoms of cystic acne.
Cystic acne, as stated above, can be more likely to cause scars. So you can also practice preventative measures on existing outbreaks by not squeezing and popping them.
Home Remedies For Cystic Acne | Products
- Acne Paste—mix baking soda, sea salt and water to make a paste. Apply to the affected areas twice a week max.
- Apple Cider vinegar—helps in preventing future breakouts while resetting your skin’s natural pH balance. Over-the-counter toners also do this, but are often harsher to the skin, so vinegar is a better option as a cystic acne home remedy.
- Aspirin mixture—Make a paste by crushing aspirin in a small amount of water. This serves as an exfoliant. Follow this up by applying honey to the skin. This works as a moisturizer and antibacterial agent.
- Aloe Barbadensis extract drink
- Citrus fruits and vegetables with carotenoids—great cystic acne home remedies; help fight and heal all form of acne as well. Rubbing the fruits directly on the affected area works great, as well as making fruits part of your diet.
- Aloe vera—is a popular, natural substance which has a host of skin care qualities, including soothing the inflammation of cystic acne
Cystic Acne Treatment | Medical
Surgical procedures, such as excision and drainage are the last resort, but necessary in some cases. Some severe conditions require extracting infected material through incisions made in the skin surgically or injecting corticosteroids to reduce inflammation and shrink the blemish.
Alternatively, your doctor may want to prescribe oral antibiotics (e.g. isotretinoin) that reduce sebum secretion). However, these medications can have serious side effects.
Otherwise, a milder medication regime is sufficient, together with over-the-counter products containing Benzoyl peroxide (which kills the bacteria responsible for acne and dries up oily skin) and/or salicylic acid (which exfoliates skin) as chief ingredients.
Home Remedies For Cystic Acne | Final Thoughts
Make sure to discuss any treatment for cystic acne with a licensed health professional. As stated previously, this condition is more severe in nature than “regular” acne and any home remedies for cystic acne must be carefully administered in order to avoid further damaging your skin.
© 2011 – 2012, Home Remedies For Acne. All rights reserved.
This is a really informative article on cystic acne. I will definitely recommend this site to all my friends who suffer from this condition.