Pimples start when a pore in your skin gets clogged, usually with dead skin cells. Bacteria can also get trapped, causing the area to become red and swollen. Cystic acne happens when this infection goes deep into your skin, creating a bump that's full of pus.
When used on inflammatory acne, ice also has the potential to decrease redness, thereby making your pimples less noticeable. It can also treat pain that occurs with cystic and nodular acne. This is due to the short-term numbing effect ice creates.
Unfortunately, cystic acne often doesn't go away on its own and requires treatment from a doctor or dermatologist. Cystic acne has psychological effects as well as visible effects on the skin.
“The fastest way [to get rid of a pimple] is to go to your dermatologist and get a cortisone shot,” says Dr. Friedier. Most of the time, she says, this steroid injection, which goes straight into the lesion, brings down the inflammation, swelling, and pain from a gnarly pimple within 24 hours.
"If it's red and juicy, dabbing a bit of over-the-counter hydrocortisone can take out about 80 percent of the red and make it flatter overnight — not gone the way an injection can, but pretty darn close," says Dr. Whitney Bowe, a dermatologist in New York City.
Chill Angry Breakouts
While the underlying cause of blemishes and cystic acne is bacteria, a dose of chill can help relieve pain and decrease inflammation by constricting the blood vessels. For Rouleau, the trick is to alternate ice cube application with a warm compress on the flare-ups for about six cycles.
Start with Benzoyl Peroxide and Salicylic Acid
“Benzoyl peroxide helps to reduce inflammation, treat acne bacteria, and unclog pores,” he says. “Cleansing with salicylic acid or using it as spot treatment is a tried-and-true treatment to help stop breakouts.”
Often, the surface of the skin will have swollen, red bumps that are incredibly painful to touch, as the cysts underneath are inflamed. If ignored, cysts can take anywhere from 1-4 weeks to go away by themselves.
On the surface, cystic acne can look like large, red boils. Cysts, like nodules, reside deep underneath the skin's surface. But because they're filled with pus, cysts are softer than nodules. The pimples that define cystic acne burst open, often leading to infection.
“If your acne feels like it's throbbing, taking an Advil or Ibuprofen can help bring down the inflammation and alleviate the pressure that's causing the pain,” says Schlessinger.
Apply a Paste of Crushed Aspirin to the Pimple
Crush one or two aspirin tablets and mix with several drops of water to form a paste. Then dab the paste directly onto the pimple. This should reduce swelling and redness and also make the pimple less painful.
The best way to make a zit go away fast is to apply a dab of benzoyl peroxide, which you can buy at a drug store in cream, gel or patch form, says Shilpi Khetarpal, MD. It works by killing bacteria that clogs pores and causes inflammation.
Why Is Cystic Acne so Painful? Simply put, cystic acne causes pain due to the pimple's size, depth, and inflammation. Because they're so deep in the skin, they're closer to nerve endings, so high amounts of inflammation may be especially painful in certain areas.
Acne affects up to 50 million people each year in the U.S. However, severe or cystic acne is far less common — only 1% of adult females and 3% of adult males suffered from severe acne. For many women, cystic acne is the result of hormonal imbalance, meaning they'll likely experience breakouts on or around menstruation.
Icing the site of your cystic breakout will help bring down the swelling, making your acne less sore and noticeable.
Hormones are a common trigger for cystic acne and can sometimes worsen things along the chin and jawline in particular," says dermatologist Jennifer Adams, MD. "There are several different types of acne ranging from the milder comedonal bumps, to papulopustular, to the most inflammatory type called nodulocystic.
Cystic acne forms deeper in the skin than other types of acne, and this makes it more complicated for a number of reasons. For one, cystic acne takes longer to form and go away. Since this acne can grow longer without risk of popping, cystic acne nodules become much larger than traditional acne.
Cystic acne may be longer lasting because it forms deep within the skin. With treatment, some people see an improvement in 6–8 weeks . If this does not happen, the dermatologist may recommend a change of treatment. Acne on the back may be persistent.