While pimples come in many shapes, sizes, and forms, cystic acne is considered to be the most severe type of acne, according to board-certified dermatologist
Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. It’s characterized by the development of “tender, inflammatory nodules underneath the skin.” Ouch.
Moreover, when it comes to treating these bad boys at home, your typical acne skin-care routine might not cut it. “Usually, people run to their dermatologist’s office for a quick cortisone injection to dry up those monsters within hours,” says Rachel Nazarian, a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York City.
But what if you don’t have the time (or the money) to pop into your dermatologist’s office the moment you feel one coming on? Here are the next-best, at-home cystic acne treatments, and advice from top dermatologists for getting rid of those under-the-surface cysts ASAP.
Whatever you do, don’t try to pop it.
We know you’ve heard it before, but we’ll say it again: As satisfying as you think it might feel, do not try to pop your pimples — especially if they are cystic. “The hardest thing for me to communicate with my patients is that often, around age 20, women experience a major change in their acne,” New York City board-certified dermatologist Scott Dunbar has told Allure. “No longer are the zits the juicy whiteheads that explode with a satisfying pop. By the mid-20s and 30s, acne is made of deep pockets of white blood cells, and these can’t be popped.”
Maryland-based board-certified dermatologist Ife Rodney says they not only can’t be popped, but that an attempt to can cause damage. “Unlike pustules — little pus-filled pimples — and blackheads, under-the-skin pimples usually do not contain a core of dead skin or pus,” she tells Allure. “When you try to squeeze a cystic pimple, the result is trauma and more inflammation, leading to scarring and skin discoloration.”
