With cystic acne, bacteria also gets into the pores, causing swelling or inflammation. Cystic acne is the most severe type of acne. Acne cysts are often painful and more likely to cause scarring.
But severe acne, especially cystic acne, is likely to leave permanent scarring as it heals. Permanent scarring is more likely to develop if you pick at or squeeze your acne instead of treating it or allowing it to heal. Some people don't experience acne scars.
Acne scars on the face, chest and back are very common. Some 80% of people between ages 11 and 30 will get acne, and one out of five of those people will develop scars.
While acne often makes its presence very known above the skin, the reason it leaves scarring behind actually has to do with what's happening underneath the skin. "During a breakout, inflammation is happening underneath your skin. This inflammation causes trauma to skin tissue — leading to scarring," says Christenson.
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.
Once developed, cysts can take weeks or even months to clear. They can leave permanent acne scarring on your skin, including red marks, brown marks, pits, indents, or icepick scars. Cystic acne may improve over time, but in some cases, it can last for years and affect large areas of the skin.
Acne scarring may look like shallow indentations or lesions on your face (though they can occur anywhere on your body). Some acne scarring may be permanent. Acne scars are often confused with the discoloration of the skin that often occurs after a pimple has healed, known as post-acne hyperpigmentation.
In other cases, the broken blood vessels from a popped lesion leave a mark on your skin. These are what we usually call “dark marks” or hyperpigmentation. Even if you don't pop your acne, you may still see dark red or brown marks appear on your skin from especially deep or inflamed cases.
Among the 4618 responders, 33% themselves had facial acne scars. The skin was the first thing noticed about the face by 41% when viewing pictures with scars vs 8% viewing clear skin (p < 0.05).
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.
Cystic acne can be caused by a variety of factors
Hormone imbalance – particularly fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone. Certain medical conditions, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome. Medications such as testosterone, lithium and steroids can aggravate acne. Environmental risk factors.
"Women may have rated scarring as an attractive quality for short-term relationships because they found it be a symbol of masculinity, a feature that is linked to high testosterone levels and an indicator of good genetic qualities that can be passed on to offspring.
It's tempting, but popping or squeezing a pimple won't necessarily get rid of the problem. Squeezing can push bacteria and pus deeper into the skin, which might cause more swelling and redness. Squeezing also can lead to scabs and might leave you with permanent pits or scars.
Similar to previous results, people with acne scars were again considered less: attractive, confident, happy, healthy and successful; the were also more likely to be perceived as insecure and shy compared with those having clear skin.
Most serious scarring is caused by the more severe forms of acne, with nodules more likely to leave permanent scars than other types of acne. The best approach is to get treatment for acne soon after it appears to prevent further severe acne and more scarring.
Acne scars do not go away entirely on their own. Depressed acne scars often become more noticeable with age as skin loses collagen. However, there are a variety of treatments that can make acne scars less noticeable. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or redness may lighten on its own within several months.
Acne scars can be sunken (depressed) due to the loss of tissue. They may look like ice pick pits. They can be rolling, creating a wavy texture in the skin or they may also be boxlike. These are sometimes called boxcar acne scars and are often on the face.
Skin purging refers to a reaction to an active ingredient that is increasing skin cell turnover in order to improve acne. When using prescription-strength acne medications, it's reasonably common for your skin to get worse before it gets better.
Sometimes bacteria can also get trapped inside the pore, creating a localized infection that makes the area red and slightly painful. Although these pimples should not be popped, they are easier to deal with or treat and will usually go away after some time. Cystic acne, on the other hand, does not go away by itself.
While acne is very common, cystic acne is relatively uncommon and more severe. The main factors behind cystic acne are the hormonal changes in puberty, but it can occur in older individuals, too.
Cystic Acne Risk Factors
You're most likely to get cystic acne in your teens or early 20s. But it can happen to children as young as 8 or adults as old as 50. Your face, chest, back, upper arms, or shoulders can be affected. If one of your parents had severe cystic acne, you have a higher chance of getting it.