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What is Cystic Acne?
Cystic Acne is also known as Inflamed Acne. It is one of the most severe forms of acne with its deep cysts and pus-filled white heads.
The outermost layer of our skin is called the “Stratum Corneum,” which has tightly-packed skin cells that also extend down into our hair follicles.
Acne-prone hair follicles shed up to 5-10 times more skin cells per day than normal hair follicles and combine with our natural oils to create “sticky skin” (Retention Hyperkeratosis).
Papule
red/inflamed pimple without white blood cells forming a “white head”
Pustule
puss-filled pimple that contains white blood cells forming a “white head”
Cyst/Nodule
below-surface infection of the follicle that takes the longest to heal
Papule
red/inflamed pimple without white blood cells forming a “white head”
Pustule
puss-filled pimple that contains white blood cells forming a “white head”
Cyst/Nodule
below-surface infection of the follicle that takes the longest to heal
Papules and Pustules
typically come and go within 5-7 days. They are often uncomfortable and leave a spot behind afterward called hyperpigmentation. This color isn’t a permanent scar, but it does take months to fade.
Cysts/Nodules
are much bigger infections that often rupture the hair follicle and get trapped deeper in the skin. As a result, these cysts can take 2-3 weeks to heal, are often quite painful, and can look and feel like a proverbial “iceberg” because they are in the deeper layers of the skin.
Mild and Moderate Inflamed Acne
If you have mild or moderate inflamed acne, you will need to be patient as your skin clears up. Clients typically need 4-6 months of skincare strategies using the right combination of products for their skin types/sensitivities. Our clients are able to get clear with our guidance and by using our skincare strategies at home. Clients with moderate inflamed acne benefit greatly from acne facials to help their skin respond faster.
Severely Inflamed
Severely inflamed skin can be very distressing. For some clients, it can change the texture of their skin, which is considered scarring. Many of these clients have very sensitive skin. With so much inflammation, products can penetrate the skin more deeply.
Adults and teens with severely inflamed acne are often really hard on their skin by over scrubbing and using strong products. Unfortunately, doing so adds more inflammation to their already-inflamed skin.
Most of our clients with severely-inflamed skin are able to get their skin clear with well-matched products and a slow-but-steady skincare routine over 4-6 months. Clients with severely inflamed acne benefit from acne facials to help their skin respond faster.
How do I get rid of cystic acne?
It takes 3-4 months of sticky-skin build up in a hair follicle to create a perfect place for P. acnes bacteria to thrive and to create an infection (pimple).
Unfortunately, skincare can’t go down into the follicle and dissolve the sticky skin once it has begun to form. The only way to get clear skin is to prevent healthy/empty hair follicles from forming the sticky skin and causing cystic acne.
This means all successful acne programs require 4-6 months of progressive skincare to prevent hair follicles from creating new breakouts while allowing skin to go through a “clearing” process of breakouts. Breakouts will still continue for 4-6 months until all the follicles that were building up that sticky skin have cleared themselves out by coming to the surface.
At The Acne Lab, we help clients with cystic acne see progressive improvement until they have clear skin.
Our Clear Skin Strategy helps keep skin healthy and hydrated while also making it difficult for empty follicles to begin building up sticky skin that causes pimples to form.
During this process, you’ll see your breakout patterns improve each month, where your acne breakouts become less frequent (not as many pimples show up each month) and less intense (pimples come-and-go faster). Breakouts will continue until skincare has prevented new pimples from forming for at least 4 months.
Do spot treatments work on cystic acne?
Spot treatment can be helpful in getting pimples to heal a bit faster but the key to getting clear skin is to prevent Retention Hyperkeratosis from building up in the hair follicle. Without prevention, there is no benefit to a spot-treatment approach for acne.
Spot treatment can be a combination of 20-30 seconds of “icing” or using ice on these inflamed areas to reduce inflammation.
Spot treatment can sometimes include Benzoyl Peroxide, sulfur, or hydroxy-acids to help reduce inflammation.
Cysts/Nodules cannot be extracted! The infection is often too deep in the skin. They can be “injected” by a dermatologist with a cortisone to help create an immediate reduction in the inflammation.
However, the best strategy is prevention. Using the right products with an organized strategy over 4-6 months (for most clients) will give the very best results!
Frequently asked questions
What happens after I clear up my cystic acne?
Achieving clear skin doesn’t mean your acne is cured (because acne can’t be cured). You’ll need to continue to follow our Clear Skin Rules to take care of your skin and continue to prevent new breakouts.
Think of how each of us has to brush our teeth regularly (and even floss regularly) to prevent the build-up of plaque and tartar (and bad breath)! This is true for everyone. The plaque and tartar (and bad breath) cannot be cured, and no one expects them to be cured because we brush our teeth every night.
If you have acne, you have inherited hair follicles that build up more “plaque” (sticky-skin) than someone that doesn't have acne. You will have to take care of your skin intentionally, every day/night, following the Clear Skin Rules, so that you can control how much “plaque” will build up in your follicles.
When you stop brushing your teeth, plaque will build (for everyone)!
When acne skin types stop taking care of their skin, plaque will build up, acne will resume and will reappear. This usually takes between 2-3 months after discontinuing the skincare routine for acne to reappear because it takes 2-3 months for follicles to build up enough sticky skin to then trap bacteria to create the cystic pimple.
How long do I have to take care of my skin to prevent future cystic acne?
Men: Acne often resolves itself in late-teens to early-20s, which means men still need to follow the Clear Skin Rules for years to continue to prevent breakouts.
Women: Acne-prone women often need to follow Clear Skin Rules for life.
Good news: the Clear Skin Rules aren’t hard to follow! And, successful skincare takes no more than 3-4 minutes every morning and 3-4 minutes every evening. This isn’t a burden of time, but it is a commitment to ensure whatever time is dedicated to skincare is organized and effective to maintain good results.
Bad news: We can’t follow social media and use the quick fixes, trending products, or the latest makeup style on any areas affected by acne because they typically break our Clear Skin Rules.
