Acne Surgery Methods
Acne surgery involves making an incision into the affected area and draining the clogged matter.
The process for blackheads and whiteheads doesn't actually involve surgery, but is often performed by a nurse, esthetician or dermatologist. A small, pointed blade is used to first open the comedone and then gently work the material out using a comedone extractor.
Severe cysts can be drained and removed by a procedure known as excisional surgery. The procedure should be performed in a sterile environment to reduce the risk of spreading bacterial infection and should only be performed by trained professional.
If the cysts are not carefully extracted, they can develop serious infection and create scarring.
Forms of Physical Treatment
Exfoliation
This form or treatments involves removing the top layer of skin either
chemically or with some sort of abrasive. Chemical peels are usually
done with salicylic acid or glycolic acid.
These work by destroying a microscopic layer of skin cells to unclog pores and remove the build-up of dead cells. The same effect can be achieved by using an abrasive cloth or liquid scrub.
Comedo
Extraction
In this procedure, an anesthetic cream is applied to the immediate area
of breakout. Then the comedones (blackheads and white heads) are
extracted using a pen-like instrument which opens the top to allow the
removal of dead skin cells and sebum from the follicle.
The procedure is usually followed by an application of antibiotic cream.
Drainage
With many forms of severe acne, cysts can form under the skin and
become very painful--even disfiguring. Often, the smaller cysts can be
treated with cortisone injections which will flatten the lesion in a
few days.
But for larger cysts the only alternative available might be to have them drained and then surgically removed. Drainage can help relieve the pain associated with cysts and also reduce the chance of scarring.
It is important not to try to drain cysts by yourself because of the risk of infection, which could lead to permanent scarring.
