A circular sac like lesion which when plucked, oozes semi liquid material comprising white blood cell, dead cells and bacteria is called a cyst. Being larger than any of the above mentioned forms of acne, its effects are even greater. It is severely inflamed, extends to deeper into the skin, is terribly painful and leads to major scarring. Very often, nodules and cysts occur together and result in a severe form of acne which is called nodulocystic acne. Here too, isotretinoin ointments are the only effective treatment or systemic therapy. Some research workers in the field of acne are of the perception that true cysts rarely occur in acne, and what we generally call a cyst is actually a lesion which is a severely inflamed nodule. Thus they assert that the term nodulocystic should be abandoned. Nevertheless, resting the debate here, this is the most severe form of acne that is resistant to general treatment and leaves unpleasant scars after healing.
Acne has economic impact also. Americans spend about a hundred million dollars per year to treat them, including non-prescription medicines, special soaps, and cleansers.
Having spoken about various types of acne in detail, we will now read about who gets acne and how to treat them.
