Acne Treatment: Drainage or Removal
Some large cysts do not respond to medication and may need to be drained or removed. Your dermatologist is the only person who should drain or remove these cysts. You should never try to drain or remove your acne by squeezing or picking. This can lead to infection, worsen your acne, and cause scarring.
Surgery as Acne Treatment
If you have scarring, your dermatologist may suggest acne surgery to help heal acne lesions and remove scarring. A laser can reshape scar tissue and reduce redness. Dermabrasion is a type of surgery that can remove surface scars and reduce the depth of deep scars. Another option is to transfer fat from one part of the body to the face. In some cases, a single treatment can help scarring. But for lasting results, several sessions of this acne treatment are often needed. There are also topical acne treatments for acne scarring.
Photodynamic therapy is a new acne treatment. It begins with light microdermabrasion. This is used to remove dead skin cells on the face's surface. Then, an acid is put on the skin for 30 to 60 minutes. After this period, the acid is taken off. Lastly, the skin is treated with a laser. This treatment is still being researched, but seems to give positive long-term results.
Acne Treatment for Hormonal Acne in Women
For adult women who break out mainly around their menstrual cycle, some
birth control pills can help. Research shows that these pills can clear acne by slowing down overactive oil glands in the skin.
Sometimes, birth control pills are used along with a drug called
spironolactone to treat acne in adult females. This medication lowers levels of the hormone androgen in the body. Androgen stimulates the skin's oil glands. Side effects of this drug include irregular menstruation, breast tenderness, headache and fatigue. Spironolactone is not an appropriate form of acne treatment for all patients.
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