Acne

Acne can have a major effect on your self-esteem and confidence regardless of the age it first shows up. At Twin Falls Dermatology & Aesthetics, LLC in Twin Falls, Idaho, Laurel Krupski, PA-C, MSW, specializes in personalized acne care using topical and oral medications, injections, and the occasional incision and drainage procedure. Call Twin Falls Dermatology or schedule an appointment online for your acne care consultation today.

What causes acne?

Acne is a common skin condition that most people have had at least once or twice. Many people get it as teenagers because of the hormone fluctuations that happen during and around puberty, but acne doesn’t discriminate by age. You can get it at nearly any point in your life.

Acne happens when your pores clog with excess oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria. A few factors that commonly increase acne breakouts are:

Hormones

Hormone fluctuations are often to blame for severe or recurrent acne. Puberty is just one example of hormones causing acne, but you can also get hormonal acne during other periods of imbalanced hormones like pregnancy. 

Stress

Stress can lead to acne in people who are already prone to it. This happens specifically because of hormones your body releases when you’re stressed like cortisol and androgens.

Medications

Certain medications can increase your skin’s oil production or alter your hormone levels, which leads to acne. 

In many cases, acne has no identifiable cause. 

What is cystic acne?

Cystic acne is a severe type of acne that only some people get. It’s inflammatory which means the pimples and lesions are often red, swollen, and tender. If you have family members who had cystic acne, you’re more likely to get it yourself. 

Cystic acne can cause painful bumps deep under your skin filled with pus. Other acne lesions are more solid since they don’t contain fluid or pus. 

As tempting as it may be, you should never try to pop your cystic acne or pick at the skin around it. Cystic acne is more prone to acne scarring, which causes long-term texture irregularities on your skin. 

How can I get rid of my acne?

At Twin Falls Dermatology & Aesthetics, LLC, Laurel provides personalized treatment options for regular and cystic acne. She performs a skin exam during your treatment consultation and reviews your medical history. 

Your acne treatment might use one or more of these strategies:

• Hormonal control
• Corticosteroid injections
• Incision and drainage of cystic acne
• Isotretinoin (Accutane®)
• Over the counter and prescription topical treatments
• Short-course antibiotics

Accutane is a prescription medication for severe acne that you must take for months under a physician’s supervision. It’s a derivative of vitamin A. 

Call Twin Falls Dermatology & Aesthetics, LLC or schedule an appointment online for individualized acne care today.