I. Introduction:
Acne is the term for pimples and complexion problems which commonly occur in teenagers and frequently continue into adulthood. Pimples usually occur on the face, but may involve the neck, chest, back and upper arms. Acne is only a skin problem, and does not affect your general health. Acne surgery is the term which refers to several surgical approaches for removing acne lesions. These include opening up comedones and pimples by using a needle or small pointed blade and expressing the lesions with an extractor.
II. Treatments:
- Removal of non-red or non-inflamed acne lesions differs from that of red or inflamed lesions. Open comedones (blackheads) and closed comedones (whiteheads) are non-inflamed lesions. They usually cause little distress. These can be removed mechanically with comedone extractors and a fine needle or a pointed blade to open closed comedones. Such maneuvers are temporary, and new comedones may form to replace the ones removed. Removal of comedones should be done by a dermatologist. Retin-A is a medication which helps prevent the formation of comedones and is available from the dermatologist.
- Incising or cutting open inflamed lesions for drainage used to be popular; however, with the introduction of cortisone injections, this method is used less often. Incising a lesion may leave a small scar; injecting a cortisone does not. However, the rare, large, deep acne lesions may not respond to cortisones and may have to be incised. Cutting open or incising large acne lesions is always done by the dermatologist.
- Cortisone or intralesional steroid injection of a diluted corticosteroid into an inflamed pimple, leads to improvement within a day or two, with flattening of the lesion. Flat lesions are more readily camouflaged with makeup or a tinted acne lotion. Cortisone injection therapy is useful as the sole method of treatment of intermittent acne (acne that only flares from time to time). It is helpful as an additional treatment when acne is not adequately suppressed with antibiotics. Cortisone or intralesional steroid injections are always given by the dermatologist.
