Nodular Acne Treatment

Nodular acne can be described as large lumps on the surface of the skin. They are red in color and are extremely painful. Basically, acne is an infection that leads to inflammation of the skin. Among the various forms of acne, the infection of a nodular acne is much more severe. It does not affect just the upper layers of the skin, but penetrates deep into the layers of the skin. Like other acne, it does not disappear within a week or so, and stay on the skin surface for several months which makes them extremely bothersome. If proper treatment is not given to these lesions, then they continue to flare up from time to time and trouble you.

What Causes Nodular Acne?

The sebum produced by the oil glands or sebaceous glands help to keep the skin soft. When there is excess of sebum production, it obstructs the oil glands of the skin. Thus the skin around it swells up and an acne is formed. In nodular acne, this blockage happens to be deep inside the skin. It results in formation of pus pockets and nodules that tend to destroy the skin tissue and cause scarring. The over production of sebum is mostly triggered by hormonal changes, side effects of medicines or use of wrong skin care products or cosmetics.

Treatment for Nodular Acne

Usually, one can get rid of blackheads or whiteheads with topical application of prescription creams or over the counter creams, which is accompanied by a good skin care regime. However, nodular acne treatments have to be stronger and are carried out under the supervision of a dermatologist. Some effective treatments are as follows:

Isotretinoin: This is a popular oral medication available in the form of pills and is used for the treatment of nodular acne. It is also known as accutane. Basically, it is a compound of vitamin A that helps to bring down the production of sebum and thus the nodules are healed. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, it has to be taken once or twice daily with food for four to six months. In fifty percent of the cases, it has been found that the nodular acne is cured permanently. In other cases, the frequency of the flare ups has gone down significantly. However, there are some side effects of this medicines. Some minor forms of side effects include nosebleeds, itching, skin peeling and dry mouth. In some cases, the effect is more serious and lead to vision problems, inflammation of bowel, depression and suicidal tendency. It should not be taken by pregnant women as high levels of vitamin A can cause birth defects in the fetus.

Laser Therapy: This is one of the most effective form of treatment that show results almost instantly. Here laser is penetrated into deep layers of the skin in order to reduce the oil production of the sebaceous glands. The laser also kills the infection causing bacteria present in the skin. Another advantage of laser therapy is that it reduces the scars that are often left behind by nodular acne.

Other Medicines: Some dermatologists opine that antibiotics can be used to treat moderate forms of nodular acne attack. The best part of using antibiotic is that it shows effective results in a short span of time. However, too much of antibiotics like tetracycline may cause gastrointestinal problem in the long run. Corticosteroid therapy is a method where cortisone solution is injected directly into the lesion to reduce its pain and tenderness. It is an expensive treatment and has to be administered several times.

All these treatments will clear off the lesions permanently provided you follow the advice of your dermatologist carefully. When you have nodular acne, you should strictly avoid squeezing them with your fingers. This will aggravate the infection further which will take longer time to heal up.