Cystic acne is basically one of the worst and severe forms of acne you can get. They are pretty much like the red, bumpy painful deep acne that you find on your skin and they usually affect large areas of your face. An acne is formed when you have a pore and a hair follicle where a bacteria attacks that particular pore. In cystic acne that infection or inflammation goes to the extreme cases where a group of infected and inflamed pores causes a huge possible deep scar inside the skin.

Most of the acne is associated with unhealthy and greasy food while cystic acne also arises due to hormonal changes in your body. It usually occurs around menstrual cycle or pregnancy or menopause. There are many studies that show that genetics also play a big part in the reasons why you get cystic acne. So, if someone in your family has suffered cystic acne in their lifetime, then there are higher chances of you getting it as well. Moreover, greasy cosmetic skincare and your poor diet also contribute to having cystic acne.

There are two main reasons for the occurrence of hormonal cystic acne.

1. If you are a female, you could have a polycystic ovarian syndrome-a condition where you are making too much male hormone “testosterone” and you might be getting facial hair, deeper voice, weight gain and definitely acne. A polycystic ovarian syndrome is sometimes being associated with high insulin or insulin resistance mendelian.
2. There is an enzyme, called 5-alpha reductase, that converts testosterone into what is called DHT – the very powerful form of testosterone which is causing the acne. Hence, to reduce the production of this enzyme, you would need to get 5 alpha reductase inhibitors. Apart from that, cruciferous foods such as brussel sprouts, broccoli and cabbage contain good inhibitor factors for enzyme productions.

Treatments for cystic acne

Medications:

There are a couple of over the counter treatments that you can get, such as:

Benzoyl peroxide is one of the most common products that you use to cure acne marks in Singapore. It also works for cystic acne.

Birth control pills that help regulate your hormones;

Antibiotics not only decrease the inflammations but also kill the bacteria causing acne;

Accutane includes vitamin A and is used to treat severe forms of acne by drying out your skin;

Retinol is a form of vitamin A that helps to intensify the exfoliation process and unclog the pores so that the antibiotics can work better and attack the bacteria to get rid of inflammation.

However, all these medications should be used after getting a prescription from your doctor or dermatologist. A number of aesthetic doctors or even laser treatment for acne are available in Singapore. Get their professional advice to treat your cystic acne.

Daily routines to avoid acne

1. Try not to wash your face too often, maximum twice a day at morning and night. Washing your face to often will make your acne rawer and tender.
2. Avoid touching your face too much. Your hands or things that you touch or your surrounding is full of bacteria and all you do by touching your face is providing more bacteria to those areas. So, think of those cystic acne as wound and you don’t want to have more infection on it so avoid touching your face too much.
3. Avoid using heavy makeup, cosmetics, lotions and moisturizers. These things make block your pores and feed the cystic acne. Try using mineral makeup or light water-based foundations that allow your skin to breathe.
4. LED light treatment is good in killing acne-producing bacteria. After cleansing your face, apply the light directly to your skin.
5. Have healthy eating habits, drink plenty of water and sleep well. These things will help your body fight those bacteria and make your skin heal a lot faster.