Severe Acne Treatment

carib102 | Oct 5, 2010 |

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Acne is one of the most common diseases afflicting millions of people. You can immediately tell if you have acne or if someone else does by the appearance of the red pimples, blackheads and whiteheads on the face, among other places. Mild acne is most common and is usually easy to manage or even defeat. Severe acne is another story and may take drastic measures and months to get under control.

Dermatologists classify 4 types of severe acne. The first of these is called Nodulystic acne and is characterized by cysts forming on the face, back, neck and chest. Initially this type of acne is treated with a combination of corticosteroid injections and the retinoid Isotretinoin. It can take several months for this therapy to be effective and in some cases it is necessary to have acne surgery to drain the cysts.

A second type of severe acne is called gram negative folliculitis. It is called gram negative because the bacteris in this type of acne is not noticed during a normal bacterial strain scan (also called a gram). Typically this type of acne develops in response to long term anti biotic usage as the acne is very resistant to most antibiotics. Treatment includes Isotretinoin as well as specific antibiotics developed especially to treat gram negative folliculitis.

A third type of severe acne is known as acne conglobata. His type of acne presents itself with deep abscesses and scarring as well as inflammation and redness. It is a chronic and severe form of acne and is typically treated with orally administered Isotretinoin.

The fourth type of severe acne is called acne fulminaris. This is actually a more severe form of the acne conglobata mentioned above and in addition to the symptoms of acne conglobata it also has ulcerated acne, aching joints, especially hip and knees and fever. Dermatologists generally recommend corticosteroid injects for this most severe acne to lessen the inflammation and help the healing process.

Patients with severe acne symptoms are also likely to have some cosmetic surgical procedures done such as dermabrasion, which is a procedure that sands away the upper layers of the skin to get rid of dead skin cells and bring new skin to the surface. They can also have laser acne treatment to lessen the production of oils and commonly use some form of cream or lotion containing benzoyl peroxide or azelaic acid to kill bacteria and dry out the pimples.

Having severe acne is truly a burden for many, but thanks to advances in dermatology there are many different treatment options available. If you are suffering from severe acne I recommend checking with a dermatologist to determine what type of acne you have and what the best course of action is to get rid of it.