All About Cystic Acne: How Does It Differ From Normal Acne?
Your skin comes with pores that help it to breathe and regulate your temperature. However, there are times when these pores can become clogged, and when that happens, acne is likely to follow. Acne is a common skin problem that mainly affects adolescents and adults.
As a matter of fact, studies have shown that acne affects around 88% of adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19 in Singapore, while about 41% of adults experience this skin condition during their adult years. One of the worst things about acne is that it can severely lower your self-esteem.
If you have been experiencing persistent acne that affects the quality of your life for some time now, it is best to seek acne treatment in Singapore. But before choosing your acne treatment, it is necessary to first identify the kind of acne that is affecting you.
There are different types of acne that could affect your skin, such as regular acne and cystic acne. If you have no idea what sets these acne types apart from each other, read on as this article differentiates cystic acne from normal acne.
What is Cystic Acne?
Cystic acne is a kind of inflammatory acne that causes red, pus-filled, and painful pimples to form deep in your skin. These pimples start to form when pores in your skin become clogged, often with dead skin cells. Bacteria can then become trapped therein, causing the affected area to swell and turn red.
Cystic acne occurs when the infection goes deep into your skin and creates a bump that is filled with pus. It may itch or hurt, and if it bursts, the infection can spread throughout your skin and cause more breakouts. Unfortunately, cystic acne can last for a few years and can impact large areas of your skin.
If neglected, cystic acne can also leave your skin with scars. When that occurs, it is highly recommended that you seek a dermatologist to provide you with an effective acne scar treatment in Singapore.
How Cystic Acne is Different from Normal Acne
There are significant differences between cystic acne and normal acne, specifically in terms of their causes, characteristics, and treatments. Here is how these two types of acne differ from each other:
- Causes
Normal acne forms when the pores on your skin are clogged. Clogging is usually associated with the excessive production of sebum by your sebaceous glands. Genetics, stress, changes in your diet, and hormonal fluctuations are likely to lead to the overproduction of sebum. If this oil is not fully eliminated from your pores, it ends up causing normal acne.
On the contrary, cystic acne happens when regular pimples burst on the inside of your skin. The pimples that erupt then create cysts under your skin. As a consequence, the surface of your skin will have tough nodules.
- Characteristics
Normal acne is characterized by tiny pimples, papules, whiteheads, and blackheads that appear on the surface of your skin. Normally, these skin blemishes do not cause any pain, and they tend to disappear in a matter of days. However, if not treated properly, they may reappear after a few days.
On the other hand, sebaceous cysts lying under the skin are what mainly characterize cystic acne. These cysts are often bigger than normal pimples and papules, and they can sometimes be painful. If not treated properly, these cysts can stay in the same area for a couple of months.
Cystic acne: A persistent and painful acne that can go away with the right treatment
Overall, the main difference between cystic acne and normal acne is that the former tends to be more disruptive, persistent, painful, and harder to treat than the latter. Nonetheless, this does not mean that there is no effective solution to cystic acne. With the right cystic acne treatment, you can surely bid farewell to this troublesome acne in just a matter of weeks or days.
Say goodbye to cystic acne with The Clifford Clinic
Say bye-bye to your cystic acne with the help of The Clifford Clinic’s cystic acne treatment in Singapore. Due to the serious side effects that this acne treatment may pose, we at The Clifford Clinic ensure all our patients receive full and prompt medical attention from our seasoned and skilled doctors throughout the procedure.
Here are some of The Clifford Clinic’s most popular acne treatments:
Our doctor will check your face under a microscope to locate all of the skin’s blocked and damaged pores, focusing exclusively on the follicles on the face that are prone to acne. A tiny wire connected to the AGNES machine is then used to shock the oil-producing gland with a little electrical charge. This shrinks the gland and controls how much oil it produces. There can be no blockage without oil, and no pimple without a blockage. That’s how simple it is!
2. Gold Photothermal Therapy Treatment (PTT)
The Gold PTT treatment is unique in that it addresses facial acne in four stages. Using Bellasonic Ultrasound, gold particles are pulsed into the oil glands during face washing. These treatments aim to heat up the gold and oil glands. We begin by cleaning your face completely before injecting gold nanoparticles into your skin to enter your pores and hair follicles. Treatment times range from 30 to 45 minutes. Following that, your skin will be massaged before we begin using the laser. This new treatment might help you get rid of excess oil and clog your pores, hence preventing acne. It is also safe for pregnancy.
3. V-Beam Laser
The FDA has approved the V-Beam Laser Treatment as a cutting-edge method of skin rejuvenation. It is not only a safe therapy for vascular, pigmented, and certain non-pigmented lesions, but it also includes a pulsed-dye laser with a minimal risk of side effects. The longer pulse distributes laser energy to selectively targeted blood arteries while having little influence on adjacent tissue. These vessels gradually reintegrate with our bodies.
Do not hesitate to reach out to us for more information or to schedule an appointment at your earliest convenience.