Cystic acne treatment is a type of severe acne treatment that affects the various lymph nodes all over your body. It is extremely important that this type of acne be treated by your dermatologist. A dermatologist is a medical doctor that specializes in and diagnoses skin conditions. Cystic acne is a severe form of inflammatory acne and normally will not improve with medications that are normally used on the other acne cases.

Cystic acne treatment requires the use of isotretinoin (Accutane) which is a type of retinoid. This medication is taken orally one to two times per day for anywhere from 16 to 20 weeks. By reducing the size of the oil glands, which prevents oil from being produced, this medication can get very good results. By reducing the production of oil, which is a major cause of acne, the severe acne should be prevented. Isotreinoin also helps to reduce the amount of cell shedding and reduces the stickiness of the cells in the follicles, thus preventing the development of comedones.

Isotetinoin Advantages

Isotretinoin is a very effective medication for the treatment of cystic acne and is also effective in the prevention of extensive scarring in many patients. In approximately 90% of patients who used this medication for 16 to 20 weeks, the acne either completely or almost completely went away. However, in some of the patients the acne came back causing additional treatment with isotretinoin as a cystic acne treatment.

Disadvantages of Isotretinoin

Many disadvantages should be taken into account for anyone using isotretinoin. Among these disadvantages are, first of all, this drug is expensive to use. Some of the severe side effects include inflammation of the lips and the mucous membranes of the eye. Dry mouth, itching skin, muscle pain, nosebleeds, sensitivity to light, and possible decreased night vision are symptoms that are associated with it. Included among the more serious side effects are increased blood cholesterol, lipid and triglyceride levels, and abnormal liver enzymes. Your physician will need to monitor your complete blood count, blood chemistry, cholesterol, triglycerides, and liver enzymes prior to starting this treatment and several times during your cystic acne treatment. Your treatment with isotretinoin should be immediately stopped when any of these symptoms occur. These side effects will stop once the medication is no longer being taken. Any patient suffering from any of these side effects should tell their doctor immediately so that he can reduce the dosage of the drug until the side effects have stopped.

Tetragenic, which can cause severe birth defects in the developing fetus of a woman who is pregnant, is an additional disadvantage of using isotretinoin. It is essential that women of childbearing age or who plan to get pregnant should completely avoid isotretinoin. Women should also use an appropriate birth control method for a one-month prior to taking this drug, during the entire treatment with this drug, and for one full month after the therapy stops. They should consult with their doctor about when it is safe to get pregnant when treatment has stopped.