Many people who get acne can treat it successfully with over-the-counter products, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. But sometimes, acne rapidly worsens, creating deep cysts and pockets of inflammation along with visibly inflamed pimples. This type of acne looks dreadful and often produces multiple scars once it clears. If you have deep acne, you almost certainly need assistance from a dermatologist to clear it up.
Deep Acne Causes
Deep, severe acne normally develops from common acne, according to the AAD. In common acne, bacteria cause inflammation but the swelling and infection generally remain confined to individual pimples. In deep, severe acne, however, you might develop pockets of bacterial infection in deep cysts or nodules, along with burrowing abscesses that can cause long, furrow-like scars. Severe acne can come on suddenly as bacteria quickly multiply.
Prescription Treatments
To treat deep acne, physicians often turn first to oral antibiotics, according to MayoClinic.com. These drugs can fight the bacterial infection from inside your body, often helping to control the infection. In women, dermatologists also might prescribe an oral contraceptive or another hormonal treatment. These curb the hormonal shifts that can cause your body to produce too much skin-lubricating oil.
More Prescription Treatments
If your deep acne fails to respond to oral antibiotics and other prescription medications, your dermatologist may recommend you take isotretinoin, a potent acne medication sold in the United States under the brand name Accutane, according to the AAD. Isotretinoin fights all causes of acne at once, including oily skin, clogged pores and bacterial infection, but it can cause severe side effects, according to Drugs.com. Pregnant women should never take isotretinoin because of the high risk of fetal defects.
Procedures
To prevent scarring from your deep acne, your dermatologist may perform in-office surgical procedures on some of your acne lesions. In some cases, you might have one or more large cysts that fail to clear even with medication, and your dermatologist might extract these surgically, according to the AAD. In addition, it's possible to inject cysts with a mild solution of corticosteroid, which causes them to collapse within a few days.
Considerations
Deep acne can be very difficult to treat, and many patients with severe acne find they need to try several different medications before they find one that works, according to the AAD. Isotretinoin almost always throws deep acne into remission with one five-month course of medication, but your acne might return, even several years later. Dermatologists urge patients with deep acne to keep at their treatment, even when it doesn't seem to be going well, because deep acne can cause deep scars.
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