Evaluate Your Cystic Acne

If you’re not accustomed to getting acne, cystic acne will come as a real shock. Cystic acne is much more noticeable than standard acne, and may even cause some people to be concerned that they have a more serious medical problem. While you won’t be put in any real danger with an acne cyst, it is something that you want to treat promptly and carefully. If you are a seasonal acne sufferer, you may want to know if you can expect cystic acne in certain seasons.

What Is Cystic Acne?

An acne cyst is a large, whitish bulge on the skin. It may seem almost as if one of your standard pimples has expanded to epic proportions. They may cause some pain, because they extend deeper into the skin than pimples or blackheads. These large bulges contain liquid or partially liquid material which can include white blood cells, dead skin cells and bacteria.

Is Cystic Acne Seasonal?

If you have seasonal acne, you should not necessarily expect to eventually get cystic acne. By the same token, if you have acne year round, there’s no specific reason to expect to see cystic acne during certain seasons. That being said, the same factors that may lead to you getting acne in certain seasons, such as stress, change in diet or hormonal changes, may also lead to cystic acne, so if you know that you are prone to skin inflammations during particular times of year, it’s probably a good idea to prepare yourself in advance so that you will know what to do if cystic acne does pop up during your acne-prone season.

What Can Be Done About Cystic Acne?

Preventative care like regular washing with soap and water and even the use of a quality skin cleanser is a great way to start. If you are prone to regular seasonal acne, starting a complete acne control system in prior to your challenging season can be a great way to keep skin clear. Once you have cystic acne though, you will have to know how to treat it.

The first thing to know is that you should never pop or pierce your acne cyst. Remember that there are infectious materials in the cyst, and you do not want them spreading out over your face nor do you want to force them deeper into your skin. In addition, these methods can be painful, messy and result in scarring. As far as what you can do on your own, applying heat and washing the area to get rid of excess skin debris can help, but you will still be stuck with the cyst for some time. What you may want to do is see a dermatologist who can examine the cyst and determine the best course of action. He may be able to offer a prescription medication that can assist with healing. While standard acne medications containing benzoyl peroxide will not heal your acne cysts, they can help reduce other forms of acne and keep acne causing materials off of your skin.