I’m sure many of us suffer from the occasional acne (that seems to appear on the days when you have a hangout, a date, or maybe even a job interview? Love those—they just choose the best time). But some of us are unfortunate enough to have them on a daily basis. It not only affects our appearances but also our self-confidence—big time…as Jen of From Head to Toe shares in her “Heart 2 Heart.”
So it’s important to know how to identify the problem and find a solution to fix it.
I know people throw around the words “acne,” “cystic acne,” and “cyst” all the time, especially on the Internet. But what are the differences really? One of the easiest ways to explain it would be that acne and cyst are two different abnormalities while cystic acne is a kind of acne problem that leads to cyst formations.
But how can you tell which one you have? First, the term “acne” actually refers just to an inflammation of the sebaceous glands (function is to produce oil). Now “cystic acne” (also affectionately known as acne vulgaris, pimple, zit, and spot) is the more specific term for the type of acne that many of us suffer from. This common human skin abnormality comes as a result of puberty and hormones. Cystic acne usually appears where you have a larger amount of sebaceous glands such as face, chest, back, and other places you probably haven’t even thought of. Some people get it on their butt actually…how much oil is produced there? I’ll leave that for you to ponder about late at night when you can’t fall asleep.
But people do suffer from other types of acne problems (such as acne that appears as a result of a skin condition known as “rosacea,” cosmetics, and more). Cystic acne is just the most common type.
On the other hand, it’s necessary to recognize cysts when you see them. Most cysts are actually “benign” tumors—meaning that although they are tumors, they don’t harm the body. They are, however, capable of changing and becoming harmful to your body.
While they could be a result of your cystic acne problem (these are called acne cyst), they can also be an indicator of a more serious medication condition that needs attention. Acne cysts usually hurt upon contact, but most other cysts do not. It’s often soft to the touch when you roll it beneath your finger. Some appear on the outside of the skin, while others can also grow in different places inside of you—ranging from breast, kidney, even brain to name a few places.
You can’t really do much about the ones inside of you since it’s hard to even know that they’re there…so if they’re not aching or hurting, let’s just try to not think about that to keep ourselves from getting over paranoid. But the ones on the surface of your skin should be monitored and if it changes in appearance in any way (color, size, texture, etc.), you should go see the doctor. Some might go away naturally, but others would have to be removed by surgery. So if it really bothers you, you’d probably want to be safe than sorry. Go schedule an appointment as soon as possible.
It’s best that you figure out what skin abnormalities you are suffering from in order to treat it effectively and get the necessary help.
Have you been confused about those terms as well? What experiences have you had with acnes and cysts?
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