Cystic Acne

Cystic acne is also known as Grade IV acne and is characterized by the presence of whiteheads, blackhead, pimples and most importantly- cysts. A cyst is a walled-off sac that is formed by dead skin cells and debris, it is usually approximately one centimeter in size.

This is the most severe acne and may leave much of the face red and inflamed- cystic acne is very likely to cause scarring. The good news is that cystic acne is very likely to respond quickly to treatment.

Cystic Acne Treatment:

If you have cystic acne you must take rapid action with a strong acne treatment regimen. This means applying stronger medications and also using them more often (up to 3 times a day).

Here are some other recommendations for boosting your treatment:
- Use an “ice treatment”: rub ice onto inflamed areas for 2-3 minutes a day.
- Add sulfur to benzoyl peroxide lotion:
Sulfur can be purchased from the drugstore in the form of "precipitated sulfur" or "flowers of sulfur". Add ½ teaspoon per one ounce of benzoyl peroxide lotion. Mix together well (grind sulfur into a powder) and store in the refrigerator. You should use this for nightly treatments only since it may have a yellow tint.