Originally Posted by Labrat81 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The red bumps that never come to a head and just slowly shrink and sometimes leave behind a scar....are nodulocystic acne lesions. They usually take a long time to go away....from a few weeks to several months. I had one for six months.
It's hard to get these to clear up on your own, without prescription medication. Topical retinods combined with a topical antimicrobial (like benzoyl peroxide or topical clindamycin) is usually the first thing a doctor will prescribe. A lot of them will also prescribe oral antibiotics too (I'm not a fan of those). When using topicals it's important to stick with it for 12-16 weeks. If it's not working by then, it's time to move to something stronger.
I had cystic acne that didn't respond to topical medication, and I refused to take oral antibiotics....so I ended up on Accutane, which worked really well (but it's some serious stuff).
If you have a cyst that really just won't go away (or it hurts and you just want it gone), a dermatologist can inject cortisone directly into the cyst and it will be gone in 24-48 hours. I've had over a hundred of my cysts injected and that's probably why I don't have many scars. Cortisone injections can cause temporary atrophy of the fat under the skin....but it will always come back. I only had that happen once....and the cyst was injected 3 times before it died...the fat came back in a few months....
If you are getting this type of acne and worried about scarring you should probably see a dermatologist.
I agree. Consult a dermatologist. And I think it's best to be careful with home remedies, no matter how harmless they seem, as your skin may react adversely to them.
