Are cortisone shots, tretinoin and patience the only way to get rid of nodular acne and improve skincare? (photo)

From the photos, there seems to be acne nodules or cysts that have developed. Nodulocystic acne is a more severe form of acne that should be treated as they can lead to permanent facial scarring when infection involves the deeper layers of skin.

As Dr Theng has highlighted, anti-inflammatory steroid injections into the nodule or cyst are a form of ‘emergency rescue’ treatment, as it brings about rapid shrinkage and improvement of pain and itch over the area.

However, this does not prevent acne from recurring over the same area in future. I need to caution against having repeated steroid shots over the same area, or injecting too deep or too much at a time, as this can result in skin thinning, discoloration or depressions in skin in future.

Isotretinoin is one of the oral treatments used in the prevention and control of severe inflammatory acne, as it works by decreasing the size and activity of oil glands.

For acne that is recurrent, your skin condition should be assessed by a doctor to rule out possibilities of underlying medical conditions. This includes a review of your lifestyle, current skincare, medications you previously had or are on, as well as a family history of medical conditions.

Apart from using appropriate skincare and prescribed topical or oral medications, your doctor also might combine these with certain procedures such as lasers, chemical peels or even radiofrequency devices for speedier results. For instance, Agnes is an excellent form of radiofrequency treatment that is able to individually select and permanently destroy sebaceous glands involved in recurrent acne over the same area.

There are also a range of long pulsed Nd:YAG Fotona lasers available that reduces acne inflammation as well as target overactive sebaceous glands.

As important as it is to select the appropriate treatment option for your skin type and condition, a good pre-treatment and post-treatment care regime is equally crucial for favorable outcome, in order to optimize acne control and prevent scarring.

Do check in with your doctor to discuss what acne treatment options are best suited for your skin. Hope this helps!

Nodulocystic acne can be a very frustrating problem, especially if it recurrent, as it presents with painful, red nodules on the face.

Intralesional steroid injection is a 'quick fix' for nodular cystic acne as this helps to settle down the inflammation quickly and reduce the size of the cysts and the improvement can be seen within days of the injection.

As nodulocystic acne can often be recurrent, oral systemic treatment with antibiotics or oral isotretinoin is often needed to control the cystic acne and prevent the recurrence of the acne. These systemic treatment may be needed for a few months to get the cystic acne under control.

If you are having recurrent nodulocystic acne, you can discuss further regarding these options with your doctor or dermatologist.

From the photos, there seems to be acne nodules or cysts that have developed. Nodulocystic acne is a more severe form of acne that should be treated as they can lead to permanent facial scarring when infection involves the deeper layers of skin.

As Dr Theng has highlighted, anti-inflammatory steroid injections into the nodule or cyst are a form of ‘emergency rescue’ treatment, as it brings about rapid shrinkage and improvement of pain and itch over the area.

However, this does not prevent acne from recurring over the same area in future. I need to caution against having repeated steroid shots over the same area, or injecting too deep or too much at a time, as this can result in skin thinning, discoloration or depressions in skin in future.

Isotretinoin is one of the oral treatments used in the prevention and control of severe inflammatory acne, as it works by decreasing the size and activity of oil glands.

For acne that is recurrent, your skin condition should be assessed by a doctor to rule out possibilities of underlying medical conditions. This includes a review of your lifestyle, current skincare, medications you previously had or are on, as well as a family history of medical conditions.

Apart from using appropriate skincare and prescribed topical or oral medications, your doctor also might combine these with certain procedures such as lasers, chemical peels or even radiofrequency devices for speedier results. For instance, Agnes is an excellent form of radiofrequency treatment that is able to individually select and permanently destroy sebaceous glands involved in recurrent acne over the same area.

There are also a range of long pulsed Nd:YAG Fotona lasers available that reduces acne inflammation as well as target overactive sebaceous glands.

As important as it is to select the appropriate treatment option for your skin type and condition, a good pre-treatment and post-treatment care regime is equally crucial for favorable outcome, in order to optimize acne control and prevent scarring.

Do check in with your doctor to discuss what acne treatment options are best suited for your skin. Hope this helps!