Category Archives: Acne Types

Excoriated Acne – How Acne Picking Makes The Condition Worse

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When your mother used to tell you that picking at a cut would make it worse, she wasn’t kidding. If you are still doing it to this day, however, then the chances are that you have a compulsive skin picking disorder – apparently not that uncommon in this day and age. But picking at a healed cut or spot is a big mistake. It can lead to a small scab becoming a large wound, and can very easily result in infection. The unsightly blemish that results is known as excoriated acne.

“Excoriate” means to strip the hide or skin off something. It is a word that is used figuratively as much as anything, often being used to explain the severe telling off that an unruly child might get from a parent. But it does have a literal application, and the obsessive habit of picking at our skin is an example of how excoriation is a genuine problem. Anyone can develop excoriated acne, but it is more common among women.

Excoriated acne is the result of a desire to pick, squeeze, or scratch at blemishes, even creating new blemishes in some cases. This leads to open sores which, when they scab over, are prime for picking again. It can be a very hard habit to break, sometimes only stopping when the skin ceases scabbing. At this point, what you are left with is open red sores and inflammation. This is excoriated acne, and can be very unsightly and also potentially very unhealthy.

Acne Cysts and How to Treat Your Cystic Acne

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Deep cysts, inflammation, extensive damage to the skin and scarring characterize severe acne. It often requires an aggressive treatment regimen and should be treated by a dermatologist. Severe forms of acne can require years of treatment and may experience one or more treatment failures. However, almost every case of acne can be successfully treated. There are five popular treatments for acne cysts. There are many effective treatments that are available currently. Drainage and surgical excision, inner lesion corticosteroid injection, isotretinoin (a potent drug for treating severe cystic acne), oral antibiotics, and oral contraceptives are the most popular treatments.

Some people may choose a more natural treatment for severe acne, which will also be covered briefly in this article.

Drainage and extraction, or acne surgery as it is also called, should not be performed by patients and is used on some large cysts that do not respond to medication and require drainage and extraction. Dermatologists are trained in the proper technique and perform acne surgery under sterile conditions. Patient attempts to drain and extract acne cysts, by squeezing or picking, can lead to infection, worsening of the acne and scarring. When an acne cyst becomes severely inflamed, there is a good chance it will rupture and scarring will occur. To treat these severely inflamed cysts and prevent scarring, dermatologists may inject such cysts with a diluted corticosteroid. This lessens the inflammation and promotes healing of the acne cyst. An inner lesion corticosteroid injection works by melting the cyst over the course of a few days.

Isotretinoin is the most effective treatment known today for severe acne and acne that is resistant to other medications and treatments. Isotretinoin is a form of vitamin A, a synthetic creation, which comes in a pill form. It is administered once or twice a day for anywhere from sixteen to twenty weeks total. There are many possible side effects that may occur while undergoing this therapy. Possible side effects include severe pain in the chest or abdomen, trouble swallowing or painful swallowing, severe headache, blurred vision or dizziness, bone and joint pain, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea or rectal bleeding, depression, dryness of the skin, eyes and nose, and thinning hair.

While taking isotretinoin patients are monitored closely by their healthcare provider through follow up appointments.

Oral antibiotics have been a basis of therapy for severe acne for many years. Like topical antibiotics, oral antibiotics work to reduce the “P. acnes”. “P. Acnes” are normal residents on the skin, which decreases inflammation. Treatment with oral antibiotics usually begins with a high dosage, which is eventually reduced as the acne resolves. Over time, the “P. acnes” bacteria can become resistant to the treatment. When resistance occurs, another antibiotic can be prescribed or other treatment options may need to be explored.

Oral contraceptives have been shown to effectively clear acne in women by suppressing the overactive sebaceous glands. Oral contraceptives can be used as long-term acne therapy; however, this medication should not be prescribed to women who smoke, have a blood clotting disorder, are older than thirty-five or have a history of migraine headaches, without the advice of a gynecologist.

Spironolactone, a synthetic steroid, may be used in combination with oral contraceptives to treat acne in adult females. Spironolactone inhibits androgen, hormones that stimulate oil glands in addition to other effects on the body, production. There are possible side effects that may accompany Spironolactone treatment. A few side affects include irregular menstruation, breast tenderness, headache and fatigue.

Some people choose more natural ways to combat cystic acne. Some natural treatments are eating a whole foods diet that consists of only natural foods that have not been chemically or mechanically processed. Yoga or deep relaxation techniques may be used to reduce the amount of stress that is put on the body and the mind. Essential oils are another natural treatment that may be added to the diet of sufferers of severe acne.

These are just a few of the natural methods of treatment for cystic acne. No matter what method of treatment you decide to try you should always consult a professional, whether it is your dermatologist or an herbalist. Your doctor should be able to refer you to a board certified dermatologist if needed.

Types of Acne

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Types of Acne:

There are basically four different types of acne lesions.

1. Whiteheads or Blackheads: These are called Comedo or papules. The comedo is the basic acne lesion, which is a plugged pore. As long as the pore remains plugged, it is called a “closed comedo” and forms a white bump or whitehead. Once the comedo opens up does it become a blackhead, called that due to its dark color on the surface of the skin. The black color is not caused by dirt but by a chemical reaction between the excess oil and air it comes in contact with.

Acne Types

Acne—hnguitarist (Flickr.com)

2. Pimples: Where whiteheads and blackheads are called “papules”, pimples are called “pastules“. This, oh so common affliction amongst teenagers, pimples are reddish in color and contain pus. Pimples can also be very delicate to the touch and could take at least a few days to fully form. I remember calling off a big date because I had a BIG ZIT on the tip of my nose.

3. Nodules: Blackheads/whiteheads and pimples can be referred to as mild forms of Acne, but having acne in the form of nodules is a more serious skin condition. Nodules lodge deeper inside the skin. The type of acne is more painful and scarring of the skin can result.

4. Cysts: Similar to nodules, cysts are skin lesions that lie deep with the skin. Filled with pus, cysts are also painful and scarring can result as well. Although acne is not necessarily a serious health threat, severe types of acne like nodules and cysts can lead to permanent scarring and even disfigurement.

Although acne can form on any part of your upper body, it is most famous for the havoc it can cause to the wonderful human face. Unlike your neck, back, chest and shoulders which you can hide, your face is and forever will be exposed for all to see. I hid my imperfections by growing long hair to cover the acne on my forehead.

Acne certainly can do some physical damage to our bodies but it’s the emotional and mental damage done, that makes it worse than it really needs to be. I’m not saying that acne is not a serious condition. I am saying that if you develop acne, only you can decide how and for how long you want to look after your own body.

Depending on how serious your acne problem is, you may also need to accept the fact that acne will probably be a part of your life for the foreseeable future…or longer! With this in mind, you should think of your path to getting rid of your acne as actually having two paths.

You first need to deal with the physical part of your acne through the use of prescription or over-the-counter medications. Then, you need to live with it. You still need to interact with and be a part of society the best way you know how.